Kessil and supplement lighting

[minus9]

What do you mean the Quanta Pros outperformed both combined? Are you talking par?

Par and coverage. I compared two 3’ QP meso blues to three 2’ OR2 blue plus and two 3’ xho’s over a 125g cadlights tank. I took measurements with the Orphek/xho combo, then used two 3’ QP MB’s and found that the two QP’s had increased the intensity by an average 50-70 micro moles. I found that the xho’s simply “show” fluorescence (or just add pop) and add no meaningful intensity and the Orphek’s with their narrow lenses couldn’t cover the same area and had a lot of spectral separation. You can physically see the individual bands from the Orpheks, but the Quanta’s have awesome blending. Plus, the QP’s have a slight shimmer, which is nice. So for the same price, the QP’s give you better blending/spectrum, more diodes and just plain better performance. Luca’s updated version of the bars have 4 diodes under each lens, which gives you even better blending and spectrum. Orphek is just now catching up to his original design and he’s already going past that with the new Helix.

 

[m.kristoff]

Par and coverage. I compared two 3’ QP meso blues to three 2’ OR2 blue plus and two 3’ xho’s over a 125g cadlights tank. I took measurements with the Orphek/xho combo, then used two 3’ QP MB’s and found that the two QP’s had increased the intensity by an average 50-70 micro moles. I found that the xho’s simply “show” fluorescence (or just add pop) and add no meaningful intensity and the Orphek’s with their narrow lenses couldn’t cover the same area and had a lot of spectral separation. You can physically see the individual bands from the Orpheks, but the Quanta’s have awesome blending. Plus, the QP’s have a slight shimmer, which is nice. So for the same price, the QP’s give you better blending/spectrum, more diodes and just plain better performance. Luca’s updated version of the bars have 4 diodes under each lens, which gives you even better blending and spectrum. Orphek is just now catching up to his original design and he’s already going past that with the new Helix.

I will be looking into them. Are they controllable?

 

[StevePhx]

I have x4 Kessil 500x and x6 OR3, best lighting combination I have ever used and I've used almost everything.

Being able to use Ecotech rails (only decent product they make now) makes it even easier. If I wanted I can easily hit over 1k par 6" deep in the aquarium. I peak at 750 for an hour and ramp down to 300.

I'm able to grow SPS on the ground in a 30" tanks

 

[minus9]

I will be looking into them. Are they controllable?

The new Helix version has 0-10v control for dimming.

 

[lesismore]

I have x4 Kessil 500x and x6 OR3, best lighting combination I have ever used and I've used almost everything.

Being able to use Ecotech rails (only decent product they make now) makes it even easier. If I wanted I can easily hit over 1k par 6" deep in the aquarium. I peak at 750 for an hour and ramp down to 300.

I'm able to grow SPS on the ground in a 30" tanks

That’s amazing. Your tank is a beauty! I’m considering 4 of the kessil 500x’s in a new build. I’m planning on creating 4 simple islands (each in between my 3 glass cross braces) and building a mixed reef with a kessil light right over each island. I love the kessil shimmer and contrast, and don’t mind a bit of natural looking shadowing. The tank will be 8 feet long x 30” wide x 25” tall. I’d like to use the 4 kessils without any supplemental lights. Do you think I’ll be in good shape?

Thanks for your input!

 

[m.kristoff]

I have x4 Kessil 500x and x6 OR3, best lighting combination I have ever used and I've used almost everything.

Being able to use Ecotech rails (only decent product they make now) makes it even easier. If I wanted I can easily hit over 1k par 6" deep in the aquarium. I peak at 750 for an hour and ramp down to 300.

I'm able to grow SPS on the ground in a 30" tanks

how are you running your combo? DO you ramp up the Kessil's and have the OR3 come on at peak? Are they stand alone O3's or on a Osix?

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I have four a360x lights and use the 48” Reefbrite hybrid fixture with a single xho light on each side. I like it for filling in some of the shaded areas. BRS stopped selling it, but it may be available elsewhere.

What settings do you run your kessils at and overall lighting schedule?

 

[Reefer Matt]

What settings do you run your kessils at and overall lighting schedule?

It varies throughout the day. They ramp up from blue at 9 am to all white at noon until 6 while the Reefbrites are on. The intensity ramps up to 60% until noon, then down to 30% until 6 pm. Then they ramp up to 60% and 20 color at 6pm, then down again to zero at 930 pm.

The Kessil light schedule graph looks like a “M”. This keeps par pretty even and not such a spike at peak photo period. It also keeps the tank from being a windex blue and more natural looking. Highest par at the top of the rocks is about 300. The Reefbrites add a 150 par blanket of light to the tank.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

It varies throughout the day. They ramp up from blue at 9 am to all white at noon until 6 while the Reefbrites are on. The intensity ramps up to 60% until noon, then down to 30% until 6 pm. Then they ramp up to 60% and 20 color at 6pm, then down again to zero at 930 pm.

The Kessil light schedule graph looks like a “M”. This keeps par pretty even and not such a spike at peak photo period. It also keeps the tank from being a windex blue and more natural looking. Highest par at the top of the rocks is about 300. The Reefbrites add a 150 par blanket of light to the tank.

Makes sense. I am struggling to get any decent par out of my 360X. My peak par was around 100 6" below the surface and 30ish at the sand bed. Trying to decide if I should add supplemental bars or ditch the Kessil all together for something else like an xr30 or reefi uno 2.0.

 

[m.kristoff]

Makes sense. I am struggling to get any decent par out of my 360X. My peak par was around 100 6" below the surface and 30ish at the sand bed. Trying to decide if I should add supplemental bars or ditch the Kessil all together for something else like an xr30 or reefi uno 2.0.

Have you considered adding reflectors to your 360?

 

[Reefer Matt]

Makes sense. I am struggling to get any decent par out of my 360X. My peak par was around 100 6" below the surface and 30ish at the sand bed. Trying to decide if I should add supplemental bars or ditch the Kessil all together for something else like an xr30 or reefi uno 2.0.

Do you run a heavy blue spectrum?

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Do you run a heavy blue spectrum?

I'm running 20% color (peaking at 30% breifly), 100 % intensity, with violets turned up to 100 and red at 20, per BRS's recommendation. For 4 hours a day and ramping up and down to/from those numbers. My schedule looks like a stretched upside down U and runs from 8 am to 8 pm with my peak from 12 pm - 4 pm.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Have you considered adding reflectors to your 360?

I honestly forgot kessil offers a reflector....hmm but my concern is they only recommended the reflector for a coverage area of 20x20. So I would definitely need supplemental bars to fill in the par on the edges of my 24" cube.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I'm running 20% color (peaking at 30% breifly), 100 % intensity, with violets turned up to 100 and red at 20, per BRS's recommendation. For 4 hours a day and ramping up and down to/from those numbers. My schedule looks like a stretched upside down U and runs from 8 am to 8 pm with my peak from 12 pm - 4 pm.

Ok. What mounting height?

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Ok. What mounting height?

About 6.5-7" off the water.

 

[Reefer Matt]

About 6.5-7" off the water.

Hmm. The reason I ask is because I was getting 300 up top before I added the Reefbrite fixture. I par mapped before and after to keep par the same, just more uniform. But I do have four of them on a four foot tank.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Hmm. The reason I ask is because I was getting 300 up top before I added the Reefbrite fixture. I par mapped before and after to keep par the same, just more uniform. But I do have four of them on a four foot tank.

Yeah, I didn't even see 300, dry directly under the fixture. My highest reading was 260 or 280 iirc about 6 inches below the fixture just above the water line.

 

[Pntbll687]

What do you mean the Quanta Pros outperformed both combined? Are you talking par?

Par, spread, spectrum

They are GREAT led bars.

I use kessil ap700 with two 36" regular quanta meso blue bars (not the pro version) to light my 48x24 frag tanks. Could not be more pleased with the meso blue bars as fill light. They would actually be more than enough if doing a LPS tank.

 

[StevePhx]

how are you running your combo? DO you ramp up the Kessil's and have the OR3 come on at peak? Are they stand alone O3's or on a Osix?

I run the OR3 through Osix.

I ramp everything up to a peak at 1pm for 1 hour and then start to slowly drop everything back down over the rest of the evening.

I run 20% and higher blues as it gets later in the evening to easy the light spill.

 

[m.kristoff]

I had the Osix on my other tanks. I couldn't get them high enough so that i wouldn't get a blue straight line across my scape. Still an option to consider