Convince me to go with Kessil over S400

I have two 360WE for my 60x18x22. I also used two A150W Deep Ocean Blue to supplement the actinic colors. so 4 total.

ramped from 10% to 95% by APEX. It also controls the color. Goes from actinic, blue/white, white, blue/white, actinic..

everything grows.. I can't comment on how much better it is compared to others, but everything's looking good to me. Hammers, Torch and Zoas all growing new heads. The shimmering effect is amazing!

Noise is my #1 concern.. which is why I didn't want to install a chiller. Which is why I went with full LED. I'm very happy with the results. Went through this summer in hot LA weather. max temp at 82

20141027_180134_zpss0456jad.jpg


one issue I noticed with Kessil is the PAR number on sandbed. My kessils are about 6" away from water line. On my sandbed, I'm only getting around 75-100 PAR. in my picture, the very top of rockworks (which is about mid level), hits about 200-250 PAR.

my APEX controls just about everything else.. but that's another topic.. controls auto top off, powerheads, fan, lights, skimmer, auto feeder, and dosing pumps
 
Last edited:
m0nkie said:
I have two 360WE for my 60x18x22. I also used two A150W Deep Ocean Blue to supplement the actinic colors. so 4 total.

ramped from 10% to 95% by APEX. It also controls the color. Goes from actinic, blue/white, white, blue/white, actinic..

everything grows.. I can't comment on how much better it is compared to others, but everything's looking good to me. Hammers, Torch and Zoas all growing new heads. The shimmering effect is amazing!

Noise is my #1 concern.. which is why I didn't want to install a chiller. Which is why I went with full LED. I'm very happy with the results. Went through this summer in hot LA weather. max temp at 82

20141027_180134_zpss0456jad.jpg


one issue I noticed with Kessil is the PAR number on sandbed. My kessils are about 6" away from water line. On my sandbed, I'm only getting around 75-100 PAR. in my picture, the very top of rockworks (which is about mid level), hits about 200-250 PAR.

my APEX controls just about everything else.. but that's another topic.. controls auto top off, powerheads, fan, lights, skimmer, auto feeder, and dosing pumps
Click to expand...


Your tank looks great, love the colors! I like the idea of using the 2 less expensive 150's to supplement the color from the 360's. And they all work together with the Apex? Hmmm, this Apex may be setting my plans back yet another month! Seriously though, it sounds like something that will really be helpful to me!
 
DDon said:
They work for sps but you get a lot of shadowing. I ended up supplementing with T5s which was a big improvement.
Click to expand...

As a point-source light, I wondered about shadowing. No worse than MH though I wouldn't think. Do you run your T5s for the same duration as the Kessils?
 
ca1ore said:
As a point-source light, I wondered about shadowing. No worse than MH though I wouldn't think. Do you run your T5s for the same duration as the Kessils?
Click to expand...

I have never had the opportunity to run halides so can't really compare.
I do a ramp up with just the kessils at 9:00am, the 2 blue plus t5 on at 11:30am, purple plus and coral plus on at 12:00 then off again at 6:15pm, blue plus off at 7:30pm then kessils off at 9:00pm. Kessils on at max of 90% during time all t5s are on, remaining time is ramping. Am slowly increasing the time all t5 are on, probably will be a max of 8 hours.
 
Shouldn't take much convincing. If you want an LED that is as close to metal halide as they come with the shimmer to match, the Kessil is by far the best choice. It's compact and puts out a lot of light and has the best shimmer of any LED available as well as control over the color.

I've been running LED's on my 480g 4'x8'x24" deep display for about 4 years now after migrating from metal halides. I have primarily soft corals and some hammers. I ran Reeftech LED's for years with good success and switched to eight Kessil 360WE's about 2.5 months ago. My tank is doing better than ever and I couldn't be happier. I use my Apex to control them and the sunrise/sunset effect is great and the dim up and dim down is seamless and smooth. The ease of setting them up via Fusion could not have been easier. It was a tough choice for me as my decision was not really based on cost but instead based on ability to control via my Apex, light quality, post sales support and general feedback from my research. It came down to Ecotech Radion G3 Pro's and the Kessils. I chose Kessils because of the shimmer. Having run halides for 15 years prior, I was really missing the shimmer. In the end, I am very happy with my choice.
Here is a short video showing the Kessils on the right side of my tank vs the ReefTechs on the left. This gives a pretty good idea of the difference between typical LED's vs Kessils when it comes to shimmer.
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NehoO27nL_Q?list=UUvWr8KN2BmfBg4D-vJWwLFA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here is a short video showing the whole tank illuminated with the Kessils.
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aPek2JatCPg?list=UUvWr8KN2BmfBg4D-vJWwLFA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here are 3 LA Fish Guys Episodes covering my custom install using my articulating light mounts on my motorized light rack along with some Apex Fusion programming..

Part 1
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CVDyGvrklK4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Part 2
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hbv8FbbyD0w?list=UUL4n5cLsJHvCY_3TLM3Gn1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Part 3
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0sZZHcSxcpQ?list=UUL4n5cLsJHvCY_3TLM3Gn1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
^^Ok, I'm convinced! Just need to do some rethinking now since it looks like I'll be pushing my build date back at least a couple months by adding a few Kessil's and an Apex to the budget.
 
Ilsimen said:
^^Ok, I'm convinced! Just need to do some rethinking now since it looks like I'll be pushing my build date back at least a couple months by adding a few Kessil's and an Apex to the budget.
Click to expand...

You could always get the Kessils now, daisy chain them and use the manual control knobs to set the color and intensity. Then add the Apex when budget permits to gain the extra sunsrise/sunset control as well as all the other benefits and control that the Apex brings to your tank.
 
slief said:
You could always get the Kessils now, daisy chain them and use the manual control knobs to set the color and intensity. Then add the Apex when budget permits to gain the extra sunsrise/sunset control as well as all the other benefits and control that the Apex brings to your tank.
Click to expand...


That is most likely what I'll do.
 
I love my kessil a360we. You can program them via apex,reefkeeper,etc or the new spectral controller. I use both and they work great. I have them ramp up and down and turn off. I've seen great coral growth from lps,softies,and even sps. Another plus, they make my tank look amazing. Better than any other led or metal halide I've seen. Their only real competition seems to be the radion, but not all of us want the controlablilty (and price)associated with the radions. Kessil is my go to light definitely recommend.
 
I have 4 kessils on my 135g. I had three at first but 4 is much better, especially for sps due to shadowing and I still want some supplemental t5s. But for Lps 3 kessil will be perfect for your tank. I have the 360s daisy chained and controlled by a reef angel controller
 
IMHO love the kessils, but yeah they are expensive, especially because you need to buy goosenecks separately (unless you hang them). With an apex controller you can program anything.

I find one kessil is good for about 4 cubic feet. I have 2 kessils for my 4x2x2 tank and it's perfect.
 
Ok, so yesterday I was feeling kind of down because I finally sat down and budgeted out my equipment wants and all together it came to nearly $5000, with almost $3000 of it needed before I even put water in the tank! I spent all day racking my brain trying to figure out where I could cut corners, but every solution I came up with was only going to knock a few hundred off the total. By the end of the day, I was ready to throw the tank back on Craigslist where I found it and try to get my money back. I mentioned it to my wife and she asked why. I explained to her that in order to set this system up the way I want it, it's going to take almost $5k and her response was "So?"!!! I think I have a keeper there!
 
Don't cut corners! You end up spending more than you save at first. I'm speakng from experience...lol
 
Ilsimen said:
Ok, so yesterday I was feeling kind of down because I finally sat down and budgeted out my equipment wants and all together it came to nearly $5000, with almost $3000 of it needed before I even put water in the tank! I spent all day racking my brain trying to figure out where I could cut corners, but every solution I came up with was only going to knock a few hundred off the total. By the end of the day, I was ready to throw the tank back on Craigslist where I found it and try to get my money back. I mentioned it to my wife and she asked why. I explained to her that in order to set this system up the way I want it, it's going to take almost $5k and her response was "So?"!!! I think I have a keeper there!
Click to expand...

She's definitely a keeper! As hlaalu, don't cut corners if you can avoid it. Especially in this hobby. It ends up costing more in the long run replacing things and or in casualties. Most of us that have been in this for a long time, learned that lesson long ago.
 
Personally, I think she's feeling a little guilty because I recently discovered she spends hundreds a month on in-app purchases for Candy Crush!
 
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