My Kessil lit nano build

[minus9]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share a couple pics of my new dual nano lagoon build. It will be lit by three Kessil’s, two 360x’s and one 500x w/35 lens. The 25g will house mostly Goni’s and a few select LPS and the 10g will have a couple crocea clams, sea grass and a single mangrove.
I’ve been a long time Kessil user/fan and really wanted to highlight their capabilities. The two 360x’s will utilize a lower color percentage (20%) with a lot of violet and a trickle of red and green (5%). The clams/sea grass will be on the opposite end of the color spectrum at 100%, violet (same as the intensity) and a slightly higher red and green % (15-20%). Both tanks share the same sump and are fed off the same return with a Y (ball valve feeding the 10g).

I still need to tidy up the cables, but I’ll wait until I get the 500x hung.

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

Interesting build. I'm also a kessil fanboy and run a couple along with some other lights. What caught my eye is the stand. Did you build it yourself? Magnetic panels? Cool.

 

[minus9]

Interesting build. I'm also a kessil fanboy and run a couple along with some other lights. What caught my eye is the stand. Did you build it yourself? Magnetic panels? Cool.

Thanks! Yes, I built everything myself. I used 1/2” walnut plywood (also have a 90g with matching panels). I had a friend @neon_reefer help with some milling work with the cabinet pulls and some of the counterbores for the magnets.

 

[GoVols]

Thanks! Yes, I built everything myself. I used 1/2” walnut plywood (also have a 90g with matching panels). I had a friend @neon_reefer help with some milling work with the cabinet pulls and some of the counterbores for the magnets.

Looks great!!

Thanks for taking the time to share what you came up with.

Digging the narrow lens over your small tank.

 

[minus9]

Looks great!!

Thanks for taking the time to share what you came up with.

Digging the narrow lens over your small tank.

Thanks! Yeah, I love that I can hang a light from that height and only cover that small area.

 

[minus9]

Thanks to a local reefer, I have the 500x in place. Now I need to tidy up the cables and get this going.

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

Thanks! Yeah, I love that I can hang a light from that height and only cover that small area.

Having ripped apart a variety of reef LEDs, and having been an electronics tech in the military, I can assure you that Kessils are the best built on a variety of levels. They are the only brand that has sealed/laminated motherboards (can be good around saltwater). That being said, they aren't a one size fits all light. I run 2 on my display along w/radion and Reefbrites for fill/spread. I saw the 5 hundos on display at Reefstock this year, and that was a sharp-looking setup. Would love to try them on an SPS dominant system mounted HIGH above to see how they would grow out although they may have some shading issues as I've experienced in the past only running Kessels If I didn't have TOO much invested in lighting, I'd probably just get a couple of these mounted as such just to see what happens. Love that shimmer tho!

 

[Poliwag]

Have you measured what par you're getting on the smaller tank with a single light?

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

No. BRS ran an "investigates" on the Kessil A360x and provided par charts tho. Check YouTube.

 

[minus9]

Have you measured what par you're getting on the smaller tank with a single light?

I’m going to check the par on the 500x this weekend with the 35 degree lens on.

 

[Tcook]

I’m going to check the par on the 500x this weekend with the 35 degree lens on.

Interested in this result being so far off the water, especially for clams. I run a 360we on my 20 aio.

 

[minus9]

Interested in this result being so far off the water, especially for clams. I run a 360we on my 20 aio.

The 360x with the 35 lens was hitting near 300 or so micro moles just under the surface of the water at that height, so I’m more than confident that the 500x will work perfectly for croceas. I also wanted the height to allow the mangrove some room to grow.
I have a small maxima that’s putting on some really good shell growth under a couple 360x’s in a 40b temp tank, but I have it high and kinda between the two lights.

I took this pic to show someone else what new shell growth looks like, so the mantle is purposely retracted.

 

[minus9]

500x is in place, now I can tidy up the cables and get ready for the next step.

 

[Tcook]

The 360x with the 35 lens was hitting near 300 or so micro moles just under the surface of the water at that height, so I’m more than confident that the 500x will work perfectly for croceas. I also wanted the height to allow the mangrove some room to grow.
I have a small maxima that’s putting on some really good shell growth under a couple 360x’s in a 40b temp tank, but I have it high and kinda between the two lights.

I took this pic to show someone else what new shell growth looks like, so the mantle is purposely retracted.

Well you need to post the full Monti of that clam.

 

[DHill6]

Following, also run Kessil 500x.

 

[minus9]

Well you need to post the full Monti of that clam.

 

[Tcook]

Wow. That is BLUE even in mostly white light!

 

[minus9]

Wow. That is BLUE even in mostly white light!

Clams look dull under the “blue” lighting and really shine under full spectrum daylight. Most clams are found in shallow water, even the big boys.

 

[minus9]

I small update. Lights are in place and I just installed the Hydros x4 pro pack yesterday. Temp lid on the 10g to keep my yellow assessor and Randall’s goby from jumping. The assessor will move into the 25g soon and the goby will go into my 90g when it gets a little bigger. Need to unload some caulastrea polyps and green euphyllia, then I’ll have room to add the corals I want. I’m controlling the Kessil’s via the WiFi dongle, which runs two separate programs, one for the 500x and the other for both 360x’s. I must say, I really like the app and it gives me a little more control. The A. echinata in front looks amazing in person. It’s an old school piece, but it’s a classic on so many ways.

 

[minus9]

I’ve been busy with work, but here are a few quick pics. I haven’t had time to look for croceas, but hoping that will change in a month or two? I managed to move the yellow assessor to the 25g and I was going to move the Randall’s goby to the 90g, but it’s MIA. I’m not sure what happened, but didn’t see it in my sump or outside the tank (if it managed to jump thru a 3mm gap between the lid and glass?). It was there that last time I looked, which was only a day ago.
I did managed to pick up some really nice gonis from my local hangout @GoldenStateCorals, thanks again Elliot!

Oh yeah, I managed to pull a magnet out, so that’s why the front panel is off.