jolt Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I know there are a few folks running Kessil lights. I am wanting to tune mine up and compare notes. I put some data in my build thread last weekend (see link in my sig below, it's the last post). So, a few questions: 1) What model are you running, how many, what size tank? 2) How high above the water do you position yours? 3) What are you max values for intensity and color settings? For me, currently: 1) single Kessil A360WE over a 24"x18"x18" tank (18" deep) 2) 6" above water 3) intensity: 50%, color: 37% Planning to slowly ramp to intensity 90% and color 50%, based on the PAR readings I just made and my desire to keep acros So, please share!!! (And critique my plan if you like, I could use advice) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Here's my story. 1. Two A360WE's 2. tank is 48"x18"x20" (18" from top to the sand bed) 3. Hanging 9 1/2" from water 4. Intensity 63% (just raised from 62% last weekend and sent my BTA scurrying around the rock pile) Color 50% SPS, LPS and zoas are all responding well to this setting. I'm not sure I'll go any higher on the intensity. I think JPowell had suggested I set it at 70% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Well, after reading just these 2 responses, I think I might need to turn mine down... 1. 4 a360n 2. Standard 90 gal - 48"x18"x 23"top to sand 3. Until a couple days ago I always had them just 2.5" above water level, now they are approx 5"awl 4. I haven't seen my profile for the lights in forever but I know they peak around 75% with very long ramp up and down from all blue to less blue back to all blue. All corals are happy at the moment. I've had a red planet colony for well over a year and for the past 5 months or so it's been bleached but still growing. I blocked the light from one kessil to it and literally every day I can see a difference in the coloring. It's quickly coloring up. The colony sits directly between 2 lights and halfway down the tank. I was about to move it higher until I got the advice from Ty to lower it's light exposure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Hmmm. Maybe my plan to go to 90% intensity is flawed. Have either of you measured your PAR with the Kessils? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I am running a A360we over a 34G. 20x20x20 I am currently at 17% intensity and 45% color 6" above the water. I am slowly increasing the light as my corals tell me that they want more, which is generally 2-3% a week on the intensity, I am happy with the color at 45% I think it's approximately in the 20k spectrum. I am keeping a lot of zoas, a rose nem, a handful of mushrooms (rics and discs) and a handful of SPS pieces. A mint Julep, forest fire digi, pink Birdsnest, green with purple polyps birds nest, purple Stylopora, raspberry milli, rainbow nausea, raspberry sebulata, tryree setosa and a tryree flower petal monti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Reburn - it sounds like we have very similar setups as far as tank size and coral mix. I'd be very interested to hear where you end up after your ramp. I'll post here where I end up too ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Hmmm. Maybe my plan to go to 90% intensity is flawed. Have either of you measured your PAR with the Kessils? I haven't. It'd be interesting to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 measuring par with the kessil is a pain in the wrasse. The blue mix always registers extremely low. :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I believe it's about 20% low. Not a great estimation, or a linear comparison, but it's as good as well get with current par meter technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 So when I measured PAR using the multimeter + sensor setup from RCA last weekend I multiplied the value given by the multimeter by 5*1.2 (i.e., 6). This sounds consistent with what Victoly said above. You can see my numbers in my build thread. I was surprised at how low the PAR numbers were given the reports of bleaching by these lights in the 60-70% intensity range. To get in the 400 PAR range a few inches below the surface I had to get the light close to the water and crank it way up. That is one reason I was hoping to hear what others are doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 When I measured I was seeing very low par numbers too but everything in the tank tells me they are at least comfortable where I have the intensity set. I may try bumping up a little more to see how everything reacts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Here's an update: I am running my A360WE at 40% intensity, 60% color. Auto ramping with the reef angel on a 10 hour cycle. Intensity is on a parabolic curve. Color is on a linear ramp. The linear ramp up/down is 4 hours, leaving 2 hours at max color of 60%. The light is 7.5" from the water surface, 22.5" to the sandbed. Approximately centered over my 24"x18" surface area. I have SPS and LPS doing reasonably well. I do have encrusting and growth, although I wish the acros would encrust and grow faster. Color is improving since I started regularly dosing KZ Nano pack. I suspect I need to use more light because I have a blood red table acro that is getting greenish highlights. In general seeing green highlights show up on most acros. However, every time I raise intensity even a little (1-2%) it seems like I get a negative reaction from one or more SPS. It would be great to see updates from others so we can improve our collective knowledge of these lights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 1. 4 x a360we 2. 90 gallon tank 48x18x23 3. 3.5" above water I think I'm about 30% color and 60% intensity. I might bump it up in a couple months once everything is established but not by much, everything seems happy and growing fine. Pick a setting and let your corals get used to it. There is not many successful tanks where the color and intensity of light is changing often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm at 60% color and 30% intensity now. I made it all the way up to 40% intensity but everything was mad. I'm getting good color and growth is there. I wish the growth was a little better but when I went up in the past I made things mad. I may bump up to 31-32% but I doubt I'll ever go higher then 35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtoysrock Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Reading through all the posts, makes me wonder if mine are set to high on intensity. Mine peak at 100% color and 80% intensity. 48x24x24, 6-8in above the water. A360we x2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 100% color is really white! I like all the blues lol. I think your ok at 80% intensity, that's only 20% more than mine and I have 2 more on the same size tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I am running the A 360W 88watt over a 40G breeder frag tank w/ built in sump. The display area is 24" long by 20" deep and the Kessil is 12" above the water line and the frag rack is 12" below the water line for a 24" total distance for maximum intensity and recommended spread. .It is mostly an SPS frag tank and I am seeing great color and growth rates on the SPS at maximum blue setting and 80% white settings. The few Acans and soft corals I have are placed at rim of tank but intensity is still too much for them. I am wanting to weed them out and keep only SPS. It is my understanding a single fixture is designed to cover a 24" diameter and penetrate at 24" distance. If you are running for color and growth for SPS I'd ramp up the blue first and then slowly ramp up the white to an 80 blue and 60 white and leave for a long period to see how things go. IMHO at 18" deep anything on the rock pile will be very close if fixture is only 6" from surface. I'd raised the fixture for a better spread and increase the intensity to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have heard elsewhere that 12" off the surface is considered ideal (not sure by who though, is this a Kessil recommendation?). For me the problem is the a360WE spills over really badly from the sides of the tank if I raise it that high, lighting half my living room! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I got this right off their website info on the W and N series of 360s. But I understand it's like wasted light LOL. But still wasted or not you need to find the balance of what you like and the needs of the corals. On the 18 deep you will have some bleed over the front and back, but only ~3" on each panel. Maybe you can adjust the angle a bit to throw the majority of it to the back. However w/ a single fixture shading is already a problem w/ the shadow affect. I turn my frags every week just to insure against it. That's harder to do w/ a fixed reef system. What are you trying to grow? Maybe the N series would have been a better fit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 By the way Jim, I have used that same meter and I questioned the results I was getting from it when I set up my 75G. On the tank I have a total of 316 watts LEDs at time testing and to get 350PAR at surface was impossible. My lights are not premium brand but DIY using Korean emitters, but are pretty bright. And when I ran second and third sets of numbers I found that the way the sensor was directed caused the numbers to change dramatically. I just chalked it up to lack of user experience. I have only added 78 watts of actinic FL to the tank sense but have found that at top of rocks even some SPS found it too bright and I have had to lower them while my system runs at only 80% now. I say you just have to watch the corals. If you are getting good polyp extension then you have the right amount of light. And color will be about the tuning between blues and whites. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks Neon Reefer, I appreciate all the feedback. I have been wondering if the A360N would have been a better fit, but I don't think I will be changing. Definitely now of the philosophy that I need to be patient, make small changes and listen to the corals Still, in this thread we are seeing a really broad range of settings for the Kessil's and I hope to observe everyone's level of success over time and learn from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 How are you doing 80% blue and 60% white? Is this with the kessil spectral controller or what? I liked on the 350 I could keep blues at max and do white a little less but on the one now, color is one knob and intensity is the other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm almost 100% positive neon reefer is talking about a 350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm almost 100% positive neon reefer is talking about a 350. Yeah, I re-read his post and although he said A360 I think the description matches a 350 too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Well I got excited for a minute there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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