Kessil A360WE

[MillerR.]

Great looking tank. My tank is about finished cycling, I can't wait to start using my Kessils! After looking at your pics I am starting to think I should have painted my background blue as well.

M.

I thought I would show my 90 gallon mixed reef that is being lit by two Kessil A360WE's. I am running them through my Apex and have the max color @ 39% (tiny bit on the blue side) and max power @ 55%.

 

[slief]

Thanks for the explanation. It seems correct for the intensity, but for the color, I don't get it. I just looked and it says 63%, but I have my max color at 39%...? :uhoh2:

Are u sure u have the kessil cable plugged into the right variable speed port in the apex? 1/2 or 3/4.. Are you sure u have color programmed to variable speed port 1 or 3 and intensity to ports 2 or 4? Mine reads correct so if you are certain you have it programmed correctly and plugged in correct, maybe you are running an older firmware on the Apex and need to update it.

 

[wesleyforbes2]

Are u sure u have the kessil cable plugged into the right variable speed port in the apex? 1/2 or 3/4.. Are you sure u have color programmed to variable speed port 1 or 3 and intensity to ports 2 or 4? Mine reads correct so if you are certain you have it programmed correctly and plugged in correct, maybe you are running an older firmware on the Apex and need to update it.

Yes, to all of the above. I guess it really doesn't matter as long as when I change settings, it does what I need it to do. Plus, the most important thing is how my corals are responding and the overall health of my tank.

 

[wesleyforbes2]

Great looking tank. My tank is about finished cycling, I can't wait to start using my Kessils! After looking at your pics I am starting to think I should have painted my background blue as well.

M.

Thank you for the kind words. When I first had this tank set up at my previous house, it had a black background. When I moved, I wanted to try something different so went with blue. Looking back I may have wanted a tad darker blue, but I still like it.

Do you have your lights installed and are just not using them? It takes a lot of patience just having your lights around and not using them. You could still run them while the tank is cycling :spin3:

 

[Arthur1]

I haven't seen these lights on any displays in person yet but have been curious about them. I have my doubts but would one of these lights be enough to successfully keep softies and lps corals and maybe a clam or 2 in a 54 gallon bow front. From a head on view, the live rock structure goes almost the whole length of the aquarium. I'm debating over this and an ATI 24''x6 bulb fixture now. Thank you in advance to anyone with their input!

 

[m0nkie]

I haven't seen these lights on any displays in person yet but have been curious about them. I have my doubts but would one of these lights be enough to successfully keep softies and lps corals and maybe a clam or 2 in a 54 gallon bow front. From a head on view, the live rock structure goes almost the whole length of the aquarium. I'm debating over this and an ATI 24''x6 bulb fixture now. Thank you in advance to anyone with their input!

depending on the size of that 54gal, you will probably need more than one. coverage for A360N: 18" surface diameter by 4' to 5' penetration. A360W: 24" surface diameter by 3' penetration

my softies, zoas, and lps are doing great. some easy sps are growing too. a lot of reefers had success with kessil + clams. however, you need to take a par reading of your own tank. I found my sand bed ~75par and top of my rock ~200par. had to put my clam all the way on top

 

[Arthur1]

Monkie, thanks for the reply and your readings! What is the depth of your aquarium? The dimensions of the bow front is 39" x 27.4" x 23 I may just go with the ATI fixture.

 

[m0nkie]

my tank is 22" deep. sand is about 1". light is currently 4.5" away from water line.

you will need 2 360W to cover your tank without too much shading. my personal opinion is these are great for beginners to normal level reefers. with mixed corals of all kinds. when you get into sps heavy tanks, the kessils need supplemental t5s. btw the shimmer effect looks amazing! no video or photo will do justice. i would call all the lfs and ask. a lot of stores use kessil

 

[jessp]

I really like these lights, they are a bit out of my budget. Would the 350w be a good alternative or is that technology outdated?

 

[Esage]

I really like these lights, they are a bit out of my budget. Would the 350w be a good alternative or is that technology outdated?

I'm running two A350W on my tank and love them

 

[glxtrix]

Just 1 - 360we on my 60 cube. I'll eventually get another and angle them slightly in hopes to get more "side" lighting on the sps. But I'm diggin the light so far.

 

[wesleyforbes2]

I really like these lights, they are a bit out of my budget. Would the 350w be a good alternative or is that technology outdated?

If the 360WE or 360W are out of your budget, you will not regret going with the 350W. If you look around online you can find them at a very good price!

 

[glxtrix]

Plus a lot of people have said the blue on the 350 looks better. Perhaps with the 360's enhanced "brighter" chip, it throws the hue a bit. But def can't go wrong with a 350!

 

[jessp]

Thanks, I found them NIB got $250

 

[apstreck]

Sorry if this is a repeat - I read most but not all of the post - but I'm wondering about acclimation from T5 to Kessils...

I just put 2 Kessils on my 75 last night, switching from a T5HO 6 bulb fixture. I was running 7.5 total hours, 50% first and last 30 minutes. I don't have an Apex (yet) so I don't have ramp up/down capabilities. Right now I have it set for 8 hours at 50%, but wondering if I could go higher on the intensity since the 6 bulb fixture was definitely pretty intense light. Also, what seems to be the sweet spot for photoperiod (remember no ramp up or down). Thanks.

 

[wesleyforbes2]

Thanks, I found them NIB got $250

May I ask where?

 

[jessp]

innovative grow lights

 

[JavyJaverson]

i got 4 A360we's installed on my 180 sps tank a few days ago and wow, no more disco ball. The daylight color is a lot better compared to my diy leds, it's reminiscent of my old MH setup. i can see colors on my sps that i couldn't see before, particularly purples and reds. The blue color at its deepest is not as blue as royal blue only setups. it still brings out that luminescence that everyone loves but at about 80% the "pop" factor. The brightness is good in my opinion, and i only have it set at 50% intensity with 60% color. i don't see a difference in coverage from my diy led setup, which was three 6"x12" modules.

 

[Arthur1]

Wesley, thank you for the tip! I was going to order an ATI 6 bulb 24'' fixture this upcoming Tuesday, but now you have me thinking about 2 of the 350W. What worries me about going with the kessils is the light penetration itself. Monkie reported a low PAR value in 22'' depth of water, whereas with the ATI, I don't believe that it will be as much of an issue. Thoughts?

 

[Chrisjbarry]

Wesley, thank you for the tip! I was going to order an ATI 6 bulb 24'' fixture this upcoming Tuesday, but now you have me thinking about 2 of the 350W. What worries me about going with the kessils is the light penetration itself. Monkie reported a low PAR value in 22'' depth of water, whereas with the ATI, I don't believe that it will be as much of an issue. Thoughts?

Par is not a good way to measure leds. I'm not sure there is a real way to measure it right now. Par is just a reference on leds to give you an idea how much you are loosing at depths in the tank.