Magnifica and\or Gigantea success under Kessil LEDs?

[sonofgaladriel]

I'm looking to upgrade my LED lighting and strongly considering the Kessil A160's. My hope is to keep a few Magnifica and possibly a Gigantea and wondering if these A160's put out enough light?
My tank is 48"x48"x14" tall. Shallow, tide pool, reef.
Anyone with these lights?

 

[davocean]

I would think no issues at all w/ that depth

 

[D-Nak]

You'll need A LOT of 160s on a tank that size. You're much better off with 4-5 360s instead. I have a 48" x 24" x 12" tall tank with two 360WEs and 7 gigs.

 

[nemguy]

I have around 6 Kessils both 160 and 350. all have grown mags and gigs with no problum, i like to mix with kessil and black box leds. the kessils are great for spot lighting nems


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[davocean]

I should rephrase that penetration at that depth should not be an issue and not talking overall coverage, and my personal preference would be a T5 LEd combo using kessils, though I have seen a number of complaints on the 360's lately, while the 160's seem to be just fine.
I also agree they would do well for spotlighting a nem.

 

[sonofgaladriel]

Thanks everyone! I have 3 rock bommies awaiting that special nem each. I'll spotlight each with a Kessil and I'll keep my box LEDs as potential filler lighting if needed for corals along the sand bed in between.
Now I just need to find a good deal on 3 A160s.
It will be a few months before I attempt anything as special as a Mag or Gig.

 

[ca1ore]

Have kept mags under Kessil 360 as well.

 

[ThRoewer]

I have giganteas under Kessil A360NE and A360WE and it is enough if the light is directly over the anemone and the water isn't too deep.
An A160 is likely not enough.

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[sonofgaladriel]

Nems will be only 2 to 6 inches at most below the water surface. Lights will be about 14 to 16 inches above the water and that can be varied as needed.

 

[ThRoewer]

I would still rather go with the A360 than with the A160. Especially with giganteas you want to have some reserve.

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[CoralsAddiction]

Nems will be only 2 to 6 inches at most below the water surface. Lights will be about 14 to 16 inches above the water and that can be varied as needed.

After running A150, A350, A360 Kessil lights I can tell you that your 160s won't be anywhere near the output of A360s. This opinion isn't just based on my own experience. When I wanted to get lights for a 4ft tank, a Kessil rep told me that 2 A360s would put out way more power than 4 A160s. If I were building a shallow reef with softies and some LPS I'd consider A160s but for mags and gigs, I wouldn't do it.

 

[davocean]

After running A150, A350, A360 Kessil lights I can tell you that your 160s won't be anywhere near the output of A360s. This opinion isn't just based on my own experience. When I wanted to get lights for a 4ft tank, a Kessil rep told me that 2 A360s would put out way more power than 4 A160s. If I were building a shallow reef with softies and some LPS I'd consider A160s but for mags and gigs, I wouldn't do it.

I was looking at those 360's myself, but one FB page I follow that has a lot of tank maintenance people told me they were seeing a lot of issues w/ those, sounds like both of you have been fine w/ them?

I thought the 160's had a decent enough PAR rating, especially close to the bulb as most LEDs are, and in a shallow tank w/ mag perched high up would be fine, sounds like you guys disagree w/ that, of course I do always have a mix of LED and T5 anyway which seems to cover it for me.

 

[D-Nak]

I have no experience with a160s but the a150 I have is nothing in comparison to the a360s I use for my gigs. I do use my a150 when I QT nems, but it's only on a 10 gallon tank.

What are the issues with the A360 that you've heard about? I had an issue where one died on me, but it was within the warranty period. Since I'm local to Kessil, I was able to drop off the defective unit and pick up a new one. The biggest problem I have with Kessil (versus say Ecotech Marine) is that they don't fix their units. They only offer a free replacement within the warranty period and a discounted price on a new unit when out of warranty. There is no repair or upgrade service like Ecotech.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I was looking at those 360's myself, but one FB page I follow that has a lot of tank maintenance people told me they were seeing a lot of issues w/ those, sounds like both of you have been fine w/ them?

I've had issues with second hand Kessil lights. The ones I've bought new have worked fine. The main thing with Kessil is saving your receipts. They are pretty good about honoring their warranty.
Like D-Nak I like Radions more. For my 40 cube I opted for XR-15 Pro model instead of Kessil A360. It has the same price point as Kessil A360 with the same or higher PAR output. However, Radion light fixtures can be controlled via computer and do not require a purchase of Kessil controller ($99) for sunrise/sunset schedule. I don't have the exact PAR comparisons but I know that my Acros did much better under XR15 than A360.

 

[davocean]

Huh, I'll have to look into those.
Right now I have 2x panorama pro strips similar to the reefbrites, they are ok, warm up and cool down, some shimmer, some PAR, but I'd like more and I would like to spotlight my mag a bit, so the kessils looked like a good option that would fit my tank/canopy well, I'll have to see how I'd mount anything different.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

they are ok, warm up and cool down, some shimmer

kessil A360 will have more shimmer than Radion. However, with strong surface agitation Radions can be good too.