Kessil users

jonnyu · 01/26/2015, 05:09 PM

Anyone running them ? If so what type and what tank? If you have used them in the past why did you sell them off ? I was thinking of 4 160we or 3 360 on my 180

cody6766 · 01/26/2015, 06:05 PM

I have 2 A350s over my 120g. For a 180, you're probably going to want 4 A360s. Get the narrow model so you have more punch. Before putting T5s over my 120, along with the Kessils, I held a third A350 over it and it looked MUCH better. I'm still considering adding a third even with my extra lighting. You will get adequate coverage with 3, but you'll get great coverage with 4. I don't have a PAR meter, so I can't give you any numbers, but I think the narrow lens really helps get light down to the bottom of the tank. I think someone tested them and only got ~100 par with the wide models 20 or 24" down...I can't remember which. I know there's the whole blue LEDs not reading right factor, but why short yourself when you're already spending so much?

slief · 01/26/2015, 06:13 PM

I've got eight 360WE's over my 480g display which is 48"x96"x24" tall and primarily soft corals with some LPS. I love the lights and my tank is doing great under them. I don't run any other supplemental lights over my display.

In your case, I think the 360's would be your best bet but since you don't mention the dimensions I can only speculate as to how many. You also don't mention what corals you have and the picture doesn't yield much info. I see what looks like a couple SPS but what appear to be mostly LPS or soft corals. As such, I think more info on the tank dimensions and stock would be kind of important. If your tank is 24" deep, I think starting with three 360WE's would be ideal. If you go narrow, you definitely will need more than 3.

The search tool is your friend here as there are an awful lot of threads here on the subject of Kessils.
Here are a couple that come to mind.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ghlight=kessil

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ghlight=kessil

And a search.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/se...rchid=16200734

jonnyu · 01/26/2015, 07:47 PM

Great info. So 3 360's seem to be the way to go. I was going to do rapid led onyx or kessil. So with the 360's I would need to add supplement lighting? my tank is a standard 180 so it's 72"x24"x24"

Lakeside518 · 01/26/2015, 09:19 PM

Wow that canopy is larger then the display tank!!!!

jonnyu · 01/26/2015, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakeside518

Wow that canopy is larger then the display tank!!!!

I know lol no more taking canopy off to work on tank

cody6766 · 01/26/2015, 11:57 PM

You don't need to supplement, but a few t5s will help like they help MH. They also help with the harsh shadows LEDs create. My extra t5s are purely aesthetic, but I'm sure they help growth some too. It's say go for 2 to 4 tubes since you have the canopy to work with

jonnyu · 01/27/2015, 12:08 AM

Well not sure about them anymore. Seem like some people really don't like them after owning them. I'm still not sold on leds. Mt friend was giving me a mh fixture with t5 for my tank. I am kind of missing my old mh setup.

Coelli · 01/27/2015, 12:18 AM

I have two 360NEs over my new 65g (36x18x24) and love them. Was talking to one of the owners at Unique Corals at the SFVR meet and asked him about them and he was raving about them. Said their store in NY is almost entirely Kessils.

jonnyu · 01/27/2015, 01:20 AM

It just seems you need to have a lot of them to make it work. At $400 each seems like $1600 is a lot for lights. I think radion would be a better option.

Zacktosterone · 01/27/2015, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyu

Great info. So 3 360's seem to be the way to go. I was going to do rapid led onyx or kessil. So with the 360's I would need to add supplement lighting? my tank is a standard 180 so it's 72"x24"x24"

no no... 4 360's would be the way to go..... i have 4 over my 200 gallon which is shorter than your tank. my coverage is awesome. but 3 is too spotty. my tank is 65x30x24. you won't need supplement lighting unless you're a freak like me and want to overdue everything. i'm trying to hold back on adding more light to my tank because it really doesn't need it

Bilk · 01/27/2015, 09:39 AM

Been running them for about a year now. I may add two or three more and eliminate the Ecoxotic Cannons.

Bilk · 01/27/2015, 09:50 AM

Recent pic.

jonnyu · 01/27/2015, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilk

Recent pic.

Wow tank really nice. So that's growth after a year ? So you are using 3 Kessil and t-5 combo ? How many t-5's

Bilk · 01/27/2015, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyu

Wow tank really nice. So that's growth after a year ? So you are using 3 Kessil and t-5 combo ? How many t-5's

Some are new mariculture additions, but some have been in the tank for a year.

No T5 supplements. See my sig for lighting details.

Stylo growth the last 12 months.

A few more examples that have been in the tank about 7 months.

jonnyu · 01/27/2015, 04:46 PM

I can't read signature on tapatalk. But tank looks awesome

jonnyu · 01/27/2015, 04:49 PM

That's some serious growth

Bilk · 01/27/2015, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyu

I can't read signature on tapatalk. But tank looks awesome

Current tank info: 200g mixed reef > 50g sump > Royal Exclusive Bubble King 300 external skimmer > (2) 20K Ecoxotic 100w Cannons > (3) Kessil A360Wes > (2) Buildmyled 20000K REEF SPECTRUM - XB SERIES

Bilk · 01/27/2015, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyu

I can't read signature on tapatalk. But tank looks awesome

Current tank info: 200g mixed reef > 50g sump > Royal Exclusive Bubble King 300 external skimmer > (2) 20K Ecoxotic 100w Cannons > (3) Kessil A360Wes > (2) Buildmyled 20000K REEF SPECTRUM - XB SERIES

I'm adding a 4th Kessil. I'm going to place one on either side of the light support pointing in toward the middle and leave two on the front.

TRDfan · 01/27/2015, 08:45 PM

Nice growth

Mr. Comer · 01/28/2015, 08:38 AM

Nice tank. Whats your photo cycle/intensity?

Bilk · 01/28/2015, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Comer

Nice tank. Whats your photo cycle/intensity?

Thanks. The plot with the larger dots represents the Ecoxotic Cannons. With this scheme, the majority of the corals are in the 250 - 280 par value range. This is a bit higher than I had been running them, but I slowly increased the intensity of the Cannons in particular, and have noticed some better coloration.

I'll add, over the last few months I've acquired quite a few mariculture corals. I did not acclimate them to the lighting in any way and they have responded positively. Pretty much all of them have exhibited new growth. Some less than others, but all still have new growth present.

..................................................................

Indiana Reefin · 01/28/2015, 01:01 PM

I can't wait to get my Kessil 360WE over my elos midi. I love the controlability of leds abd the shimmer from MH. Now I can have both!!!
After looking at Bilk's gorgeous tank, it looks like keeping SPS is not an issue with kessils

jonnyu · 01/29/2015, 01:58 PM

Thanks bilk for the info. I just ordered two 360we and will be getting another in 2 weeks. I am very excited.

Bilk · 01/29/2015, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnyu

Thanks bilk for the info. I just ordered two 360we and will be getting another in 2 weeks. I am very excited.

YW

I do want to add, I'm not just running Kessils. I feel the combination I'm using is better than just the Kessil alone. At least for my liking. The Kessil alone do produce shadows. The BuildMyLed help to eliminate that and because of the color combination they they were build with, the tank has a better appearance and more spectrum in the low NM range. Though I changed the chips in the Cannons to a mix of blue and white, they provide a real pop and deeper penetration. That's the readings I get using a meter. If I were to run just Kessil, I'd probably use at least six and possibly eight to cover the dimensions of the tank.

I'm not sure any one of the LED fixtures alone would be sufficient - at least in my case. I tried the Cannons alone. I didn't like it and in reality probably needed at least one more - I only have two. Then I mixed in four T5. That was ok but I didn't like how it looked. So I mixed in the Kessil and again it was probably more than enough light, but the color wasn't appealing. Adding the BMLed and removing the T5 finally put it where I wanted it and so far so good.

To be honest, I'd probably run MH with some LED, if it weren't for the heat generated by the MH. The fish room is located centrally in a townhouse on the lower level, so there's no window or immediate access to an outside wall. I'd have to run a duct to the rear of the house thru the ceiling space, to exhaust the heat. Certainly doable but not a project I wanted to tackle at the time. I may consider that a project for this Spring

The real upside for LED is they can be dimmed, they run relatively cool and there are no bulb replacement issues. Oh and they add shimmer which T5 lack and something I think I'd miss using just T5. I always ran MH but that was in another house with proper ventilation in the fish room.

01/26/2015, 05:09 PM	#1
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	Kessil users Anyone running them ? If so what type and what tank? If you have used them in the past why did you sell them off ? I was thinking of 4 160we or 3 360 on my 180

01/26/2015, 06:05 PM	#2
cody6766 Super Best Friends! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,772	I have 2 A350s over my 120g. For a 180, you're probably going to want 4 A360s. Get the narrow model so you have more punch. Before putting T5s over my 120, along with the Kessils, I held a third A350 over it and it looked MUCH better. I'm still considering adding a third even with my extra lighting. You will get adequate coverage with 3, but you'll get great coverage with 4. I don't have a PAR meter, so I can't give you any numbers, but I think the narrow lens really helps get light down to the bottom of the tank. I think someone tested them and only got ~100 par with the wide models 20 or 24" down...I can't remember which. I know there's the whole blue LEDs not reading right factor, but why short yourself when you're already spending so much? __________________ "The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments." - John Galt Current Tank Info: Cadlights 60G Arisan II mixed reef with 2x MP40s and 24" ATI

01/26/2015, 06:13 PM	#3
slief RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 14,173	I've got eight 360WE's over my 480g display which is 48"x96"x24" tall and primarily soft corals with some LPS. I love the lights and my tank is doing great under them. I don't run any other supplemental lights over my display. In your case, I think the 360's would be your best bet but since you don't mention the dimensions I can only speculate as to how many. You also don't mention what corals you have and the picture doesn't yield much info. I see what looks like a couple SPS but what appear to be mostly LPS or soft corals. As such, I think more info on the tank dimensions and stock would be kind of important. If your tank is 24" deep, I think starting with three 360WE's would be ideal. If you go narrow, you definitely will need more than 3. The search tool is your friend here as there are an awful lot of threads here on the subject of Kessils. Here are a couple that come to mind. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ghlight=kessil http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ghlight=kessil And a search. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/se...rchid=16200734 __________________ Director Customer Support Royal Exclusiv USA For All Royal Exclusiv & Bubble King questions please refer to our Sponsor forum: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=745 Current Tank Info: 480G display mixed reef, 90G sump, 90G refugium, 60G display refugium. Check out my build thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1783476 Last edited by slief; 01/26/2015 at 06:21 PM.

01/26/2015, 09:19 PM	#5
Lakeside518 Clownfish Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Clifton Park Posts: 1,362	Wow that canopy is larger then the display tank!!!! __________________ Zim Current Tank Info: 65 gal, LED lighting, Reef octopus 2000 HOB skimmer, Eheim G160 canister,Tunze nano 6055 w/ controller

01/26/2015, 11:57 PM	#7
cody6766 Super Best Friends! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,772	You don't need to supplement, but a few t5s will help like they help MH. They also help with the harsh shadows LEDs create. My extra t5s are purely aesthetic, but I'm sure they help growth some too. It's say go for 2 to 4 tubes since you have the canopy to work with __________________ "The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments." - John Galt Current Tank Info: Cadlights 60G Arisan II mixed reef with 2x MP40s and 24" ATI

01/26/2015, 07:47 PM	#4
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	Great info. So 3 360's seem to be the way to go. I was going to do rapid led onyx or kessil. So with the 360's I would need to add supplement lighting? my tank is a standard 180 so it's 72"x24"x24"

01/27/2015, 12:08 AM	#8
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	Well not sure about them anymore. Seem like some people really don't like them after owning them. I'm still not sold on leds. Mt friend was giving me a mh fixture with t5 for my tank. I am kind of missing my old mh setup.

01/27/2015, 12:18 AM	#9
Coelli Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Tujunga, CA Posts: 1,443	I have two 360NEs over my new 65g (36x18x24) and love them. Was talking to one of the owners at Unique Corals at the SFVR meet and asked him about them and he was raving about them. Said their store in NY is almost entirely Kessils.

01/27/2015, 01:20 AM	#10
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	It just seems you need to have a lot of them to make it work. At $400 each seems like $1600 is a lot for lights. I think radion would be a better option.

01/27/2015, 09:39 AM	#12
Bilk Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NYC Posts: 1,374	Been running them for about a year now. I may add two or three more and eliminate the Ecoxotic Cannons. __________________ Bill > Tank: 200g mixed reef (66Lx29Wx24D) > 50g sump > Royal Exclusive BKing 300 ext skimmer

01/27/2015, 09:50 AM	#13
Bilk Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NYC Posts: 1,374	Recent pic. __________________ Bill > Tank: 200g mixed reef (66Lx29Wx24D) > 50g sump > Royal Exclusive BKing 300 ext skimmer

01/27/2015, 04:46 PM	#16
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	I can't read signature on tapatalk. But tank looks awesome

01/27/2015, 04:49 PM	#17
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	That's some serious growth

01/27/2015, 08:45 PM	#20
TRDfan Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Hempstead Posts: 10	Nice growth

01/28/2015, 08:38 AM	#21
Mr. Comer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Katy, Texas Posts: 268	Nice tank. Whats your photo cycle/intensity?

01/28/2015, 01:01 PM	#23
Indiana Reefin Garrett Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Indiana Posts: 847	I can't wait to get my Kessil 360WE over my elos midi. I love the controlability of leds abd the shimmer from MH. Now I can have both!!! After looking at Bilk's gorgeous tank, it looks like keeping SPS is not an issue with kessils

01/29/2015, 01:58 PM	#24
jonnyu Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,038	Thanks bilk for the info. I just ordered two 360we and will be getting another in 2 weeks. I am very excited.