Best advice I can give is decide what is a 'must have' versus a 'nice to have'. Latter can wait until funds present themselves. For example, a used pair of reefbreeders lights will be a fraction of the cost of the Kessils, so you can start there; apex is nice, but hardly necessary.
Convince me to go with Kessil over S400
- Thread starter Ilsimen
- Start date
Starting with the Kessil's won't be a problem. If I order 1 a month along with other items, I should be able to have this thing up and cycling within 4 months. The Apex will be further down the road as I'm sure it will lead to other purchases such as ATO and dosers and such. I'm starting to get excited!
LEDZEAL s300 on 4ft tank
I think pictures really don't do them justice cause you can change color & intensity to your needs.
I run them at 60% max
You customize the layout
You pick brand and color of leds.
You can change lenses to meet your tanks needs."I switched outside rows from 90 degree to 120 to avoid spotlighting and burning corals.
Very easy to use controller and remote.
And fantastic customer service.
$480 includes shipping
I was using 4 kessil a150s before buying this fixture.
I'm very happy with them.
Good luck!
m0nkie
Well-known member
I know how that feels man.. I went to the LFS and bought $1000 worth of stuff. I was ready to put water in the next day. Created this account and posted on the forum..
a month and $4000 later... I finally got my tank wet..
start looking on the local forums here for used items. It will save you TONS of money. Specially stuff like Kessil and APEX. I found full APEX system for $400, instead of $700.
a month and $4000 later... I finally got my tank wet..
start looking on the local forums here for used items. It will save you TONS of money. Specially stuff like Kessil and APEX. I found full APEX system for $400, instead of $700.
Ok, so just an FYI to anyone reading this and thinking of going with the LEDZeal lights, like I mentioned in my OP, I was leaning towards getting them myself. I had gone as far as requesting an invoice from them. I was told to give them a couple days as they were negotiating new rates with PayPal. (They only take payments through PayPal) In the meantime, I posted this thread and changed my mind on buying from them, but I hadn't bothered to let them know yet. So tonight I just got the invoice from them and it's $22.50 more than what I had been expecting. I open it up on PayPal to look at the detail and they are charging me a $22.50 PayPal fee! I don't know about any of you, but I've been using PayPal since eBay first started using it back in the 90's for both buying and selling and I have never had the seller pass their fees on to me nor vice versa. Seems kinda shady, those costs of doing business should already be built in to the price.
Anyway, just wanted to vent/warn people what they may be getting into when they are quoted a price from these guys.
Anyway, just wanted to vent/warn people what they may be getting into when they are quoted a price from these guys.
Pomacanthus1
Premium Member
I'm in a similar position, been out of the hobby for 10 years and now getting back in. It really is amazing how advanced the LED systems are and how much they have changed lighting an aquarium, getting familiar with all of the options and advantages/disadvantages of the current lighting options has been the most difficult thing to catch up with.
My old experience in the hobby was exclusively with LPS and softies. I never attempted any SPS because my lighting back then was four 24" CFL bulbs, probably a good idea I didn't. I still love the colors and shapes of softies and LPS, really it seems like there are 10x more crazy colors out there now, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to keep at least some SPS in my future tank and so I've been keeping that in mind for lighting. I'm planning on restarting my 55g reef and then upgrading to some sort of 6' tank in less than five years, and so I've been keeping this in mind when looking at equipment.
Thanks to my ignorance of the new LEDs when I initially starting researching LED lighting, I was unimpressed by the pendant-style lights such as the Kessils (are there really any others?) because I thought it was just one huge diode, which made me think that pendant-style lights would severely reduce the quality of the spectrum and options/control for those lights compared to a big board of diodes... They did look really dang good on my LFS's display tank though, should have thought about it more. :wildone:
Anyway that line of reasoning led me to the Build My LED fixtures, which seem very high-quality and durable. I liked their concept of a capable passive heat sink to eliminate moving parts, and a build quality that seems like it will allow the fixture to function for the lifespan of the LEDs, ideally. One fixture over my 55g would probably work well with the narrowness of the tank, and I could either just buy another if I upgraded to a 75/90g or keep using it on my 55g and convert that tank to a propagation tank when I upgraded.
Well once I finally got the real deal on the Kessils and found out it was actually 50 something diodes in that little pendant I was pretty blown away. :uhoh3: From what I've read about them, they seem to produce a particularly good spectrum for coral growth and health, plus the quality seems just as good as Build My LED, for less than 100 bucks more per fixture. The problem is I would need two, but it really seems like it'd be worth it.
Does anyone here have experience with Kessils and the Build My LED fixtures? The Bulk Reef Supply channel on youtube has a few good videos on them. They also have a fantastic series on the Apex controllers, something like 25 episodes and that was another new reefing tech that I was completely blown away by. Already decided to plan on throwing down for the Gold system.
My old experience in the hobby was exclusively with LPS and softies. I never attempted any SPS because my lighting back then was four 24" CFL bulbs, probably a good idea I didn't. I still love the colors and shapes of softies and LPS, really it seems like there are 10x more crazy colors out there now, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to keep at least some SPS in my future tank and so I've been keeping that in mind for lighting. I'm planning on restarting my 55g reef and then upgrading to some sort of 6' tank in less than five years, and so I've been keeping this in mind when looking at equipment.
Thanks to my ignorance of the new LEDs when I initially starting researching LED lighting, I was unimpressed by the pendant-style lights such as the Kessils (are there really any others?) because I thought it was just one huge diode, which made me think that pendant-style lights would severely reduce the quality of the spectrum and options/control for those lights compared to a big board of diodes... They did look really dang good on my LFS's display tank though, should have thought about it more. :wildone:
Anyway that line of reasoning led me to the Build My LED fixtures, which seem very high-quality and durable. I liked their concept of a capable passive heat sink to eliminate moving parts, and a build quality that seems like it will allow the fixture to function for the lifespan of the LEDs, ideally. One fixture over my 55g would probably work well with the narrowness of the tank, and I could either just buy another if I upgraded to a 75/90g or keep using it on my 55g and convert that tank to a propagation tank when I upgraded.
Well once I finally got the real deal on the Kessils and found out it was actually 50 something diodes in that little pendant I was pretty blown away. :uhoh3: From what I've read about them, they seem to produce a particularly good spectrum for coral growth and health, plus the quality seems just as good as Build My LED, for less than 100 bucks more per fixture. The problem is I would need two, but it really seems like it'd be worth it.
Does anyone here have experience with Kessils and the Build My LED fixtures? The Bulk Reef Supply channel on youtube has a few good videos on them. They also have a fantastic series on the Apex controllers, something like 25 episodes and that was another new reefing tech that I was completely blown away by. Already decided to plan on throwing down for the Gold system.
I'm not a fan of Build My LED's having owned a single 36 inch 14 XB fixture.
The mounts are flimsy a small bump and it can fall off mounts. Having it mounted on the rim and that low, slat creep is a problem. It won't look clean for long, more maintenance.
The Par felt lacking for a 330$+ even on a 40 breeder, even mounted just 2-3 inches above water line, I would of needed a second fixture to keep my birds nest alive. 660$ is nearly the cost of 2 Kessils which have much more par, 2 channels of color control, and carry over well to future upgrades.
There Led's all had 90 degree optics and the red and green LED's did not blend well at all over my 40 breeder, it spot lighted. Even Chinese LED options mix optics now to avoid that issue.
I ended up selling my BML fixture, there was near zero interest in the used for sale section, sold it for 120$ out the door after 6-8 months of use. My prior fixture a Kessil A150W (220$) after 12 months of use sold for 150$. Resale value on BML is terrible encase you don't like it.
The mounts are flimsy a small bump and it can fall off mounts. Having it mounted on the rim and that low, slat creep is a problem. It won't look clean for long, more maintenance.
The Par felt lacking for a 330$+ even on a 40 breeder, even mounted just 2-3 inches above water line, I would of needed a second fixture to keep my birds nest alive. 660$ is nearly the cost of 2 Kessils which have much more par, 2 channels of color control, and carry over well to future upgrades.
There Led's all had 90 degree optics and the red and green LED's did not blend well at all over my 40 breeder, it spot lighted. Even Chinese LED options mix optics now to avoid that issue.
I ended up selling my BML fixture, there was near zero interest in the used for sale section, sold it for 120$ out the door after 6-8 months of use. My prior fixture a Kessil A150W (220$) after 12 months of use sold for 150$. Resale value on BML is terrible encase you don't like it.
MRCYCS805
Member
I feel ya on the paypal fee i think mine was 20$ but considering i was getting a 5' fixture with a wireless controller 4-dimmable channels built to order delivered to the door for 615$ total including fees i was more then happy to send the paypal payment i was considering kessil 360w's but after doing the math and figuring i would need 3 + a controller or have to buy a module for my reefkeeper to be able to dim it was a no brainer for me 399x3 +tax lol or $615 delivered and the shipping was fast took about 6 days to get it. And so far so good i really like the sleek look of the fixture too i got the black one and it covers my tank from end to end i have it hanging from a shelf since i dont like canopies and like my tank open top it fit my needs maybe not everyones i used reefbreeders photons before and like the dimming features of the ledzeal way better no sudden jumps in light intensity and more control ability with 4-channels
moondoggy4
Team RC
Kessil 150 are about 225 I believe, 350 tuna blues are about 225 to 250 each. I would not supplement with the 150's unless you have some laying around.
Yellow Eyes
Member
Are you getting the apex right away? You said you were going to wait till down the road.
IMO I think you should get it right away that way you can work any kinks out before you have livestock in the tank that something like mis-programming the ATO might affect.
I bought mine right away, didn't have any problems (didn't want to scare you there), but it was nice to know if I did that I wasn't going to hurt anything.
BTW I also have 1 A360we and I absolutely love it. I was running T5s for about 1 week of my cycle and it is night and day different spectrum, noise, appearance, etc.
I guess what I meant by down the road is after the tank is cycling with live rock, but before any livestock.
hlaalu
Member
I made a really in depth video for programming apex with the 360we for a friend out of state. It will start you off with some nice sunrise/sunset profiles and then you can tweak it from there. And the apex support community is awesome! Connecting and Programing Kessil A360WE to Apex P"¦: http://youtu.be/Ra-yfBNPCM0
Well I pulled the trigger today and placed an order with BRS. Ordered my RO/DI, skimmer, return pump and one Kessil! Next month another Kessil and a new Gyer, month after that the last Kessil and misc equipment. Then rock and sand. While the tank cycles, I'll pick up my Apex! It's all coming together!
m0nkie
Well-known member
CONGRATS!!! you have officially fell in the endless money pit...
don't forget to budget in the small stuff...
you will need at least 7 different kinds of test kits, at least another set of heater/powerhead/tank for quarantine, drip lines, measuring cups, refractometers..
good idea to carry spare plumbing parts..
then dosing supplies...
also you can start looking into fish quarantine procedures. You can start QT as soon as your tank start cycling. if you choose procedures like Tank Transfer Method, you will go through those buckets of salt like crazy..
Here is a sign of future service from kessil, should you decide in their favor. One of the power supplies quit on me a few days ago. Their response was prompt, where they asked the normal info 
urchase source &time; my contact and mailing info; s/n and modeln
His next reply, a very fast one, said they will get the other power supply asap. This all happened today, so I don't have part in hand, but I bet I do soon. Service has been perfect and I expect it will continue.
For the op, I have 2 a350 tuna blues on a 120g. They aren't the wide model, so they cut it close, but manage proper coverage... just barely. Be sure to get the wide version to get the most out of it.
I'm really happy with mine, but also plan to augment them with a couple T5s for full light. I just have to work out the design plan on that one
urchase source &time; my contact and mailing info; s/n and modelnHis next reply, a very fast one, said they will get the other power supply asap. This all happened today, so I don't have part in hand, but I bet I do soon. Service has been perfect and I expect it will continue.
For the op, I have 2 a350 tuna blues on a 120g. They aren't the wide model, so they cut it close, but manage proper coverage... just barely. Be sure to get the wide version to get the most out of it.
I'm really happy with mine, but also plan to augment them with a couple T5s for full light. I just have to work out the design plan on that one
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