Lighting for new build

[lieberca]

I'm awaiting delivery of a new 40x17x16H tank and am in the throes of researching the heck out of lighting options. Currently thinking about 2-3 Kessil A160s for the great shimmer and the ability to mount each cleanly on a simple neck (don't want a big fixture for aesthetic reasons). Has anyone used these as sole lights for a mixed LPS/SPS and comment?

My other thought is 2x AI Hydra 26, but trying to avoid the disco-ball...

 

[clevername]

Why the a160?
Curious because i just did a ton of research like yourself and bought kessil a360w E-series.

Im not sure how i really feel about my choice

The thing with the kessil it has such a limiting feature set. (i did buy the controller). This is coming from a guy who has a smart home and works in tech, so i realized i take tech to the extreme. (i dont turn on lights via light switch anymore: barbaric).
So with that said, i went simple and might have a little regret.

Lastly, i dont think its as bright as expected. Remember they are rated for 18inch wide beams. So even my 30inch cube, one unit was not enough.

one HUGE annoyance is lack of moon lights. It goes 10% at least, meaning its WAY to bright to have this lite long term at night. So moon lighting to me is my largest issue.

Ill end it with this, The grass is always greener, so take my experience with a gain of salt. Otherwise i would have bought Radion then complain about lack of shimmer and shadows.

 

[clevername]

i will say, i do like the fact that kessil engineers their own LEDs specifically for coral growth. Meaning you know your getting the "best" light for your corals.
Lets also face it, kessil lights (physically) look the best, hanging a small puck looks sexier.

 

[lieberca]

Those are great points. I'm also a tech guy, so I see the simplicity of the Kessil controls as an advantage, else I'll be forever tweaking the colors and schedule. But the lack of moonlight isn't something I'd considered.

I thought the 160s would be enough coverage given it's only 17" across the tank and a shallow 16". But if the grass gets too much greener and you want to part with the 360s let me know!

 

[clevername]

Those are great points. I'm also a tech guy, so I see the simplicity of the Kessil controls as an advantage, else I'll be forever tweaking the colors and schedule. But the lack of moonlight isn't something I'd considered.

I thought the 160s would be enough coverage given it's only 17" across the tank and a shallow 16". But if the grass gets too much greener and you want to part with the 360s let me know!

little secret.... ebay. I got the controller, gooseneck mount and the light for $280 shipped.

litterally just got home to my Tureman moon light lights.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XXEBRO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bought two and a dimmer, i will have to experiment with mounting and if you really need two. Will let you know.

As for the A360w-e. look it up, its more than 30% brighter. Actually since your looking at the a160, A LOT brighter.

 

[clevername]

Also if your close, your welcome to check it out. Something i wish i had available. Even better, wish i could see both radion and kessil in person.

 

[lieberca]

I'd definitely like to see them in action, as well as the moonlight once you rig it up! I'm in Shaw so you're pretty close to me.

 

[kalan850]

I plan on adding an a360 to my T5's eventually. Mainly to have more options for coral growth, coral pop, and shimmer.


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[Pife]

I'd go with an ATI t5 light. They are proven and look good too.

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[lieberca]

Do any of the LEDs you guys have ever used come close to the T5 color/cover? I've never used any of the AI or Radion LEDs with added visible wavelengths, so don't know how close they come. I'm very interested in the Kessil, but I'm sure I'll bounce to a few more options before I finally try something out.

 

[lieberca]

As a follow-on, I'm eager to check out the swap for my first time ever. You guys think there'll be a good variety of lighting used there so I could quickly compare visually?

 

[Pife]

No. It'll be led dominate because of the versatility

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[lieberca]

No. It'll be led dominate because of the versatility

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That works for me! I'd prefer to stay all-LED, so maybe seeing these will shed some light on the color options from the various mfrs.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

That works for me! I'd prefer to stay all-LED, so maybe seeing these will shed some light on the color options from the various mfrs.

You are going to see 75% Kessil on frag tanks at the show.
They simply make coral look Better... But I am biased... I have 3 a360We and 3 A360W running at home on all my tanks. I will say that to get the faster growth from my SPS I had to add some auxiliary T-5's. They only run 6 hours a day though.

 

[vangvace]

I personally really like the color and aesthetics of nanobox. They can even customize an ATI/led combo to your array/bulb counts and powercoating color choice.

 

[lieberca]

It came down to Nanobox or Kessil for me, once everything was considered, and I just picked up a Kessil AP700 for a good price, which I hope will be a good solution for this tank size.