Thoughts on Kessil A360X

[toygrr]

Hello y'all, I currently have a RedSea RL60 over my 33 cube. I'm unhappy with the spectrum and customizability in the app. I'm keeping Euphyllia, soft corals and plan on various other LPS. My LFS uses Kessil AP9X over their frag tanks. The owner mentioned that Kessil lights have a nice range of colors to balance visibility and coral fluorescence.

I don't have the cash for the newer A360XE, or anything too fancy. I just want my corals to be healthy while looking as pretty as they did at the store. Any thoughts on the older A360X model and what I could expect? There's many used options for around $200.

tl:dr - Pretty corals = Really blue lighting...

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@SPS Freak

 

[oreo54]

Others thoughts......

Longevity of the Kessil 360x

I am curious as to people’s experience with the Kessil 360x and whether it has really been more resilient than its immediate predecessor the 360we? I had a few in warranty early failures with the WE, a couple go at around 3 years, and then others still running at 5. At that point, in late 2018...

www.reef2reef.com

As with anything used ..it's "history" is crucial in its value.

All 5yr old lights are not the same ...

 

[69cam]

Is your LFS Neptune Aquatics by chance?

 

[Dragen Fiend]

I run kessil on all my tanks. I wouldn't say Kessil is the best if your looking for that amazing pop for blues. They excel at balancing the spectrum and mainly for the shimmer affect. Color pop is still good. I would look for other brands if your main focus is on color pop.

With that being said, if you are on a budget and shopping for a used light. You really need to ask how old it is and how long its been running. Color wise the A360X and A360Xe are the same. Just better LEDs and 15% more output.

But you should see a big different going from RL60 to a kessil.

 

[toygrr]

As with anything used ..it's "history" is crucial in its value.

All 5yr old lights are not the same ...

Well shoot that's good to know...

Is your LFS Neptune Aquatics by chance?

Nope, I'm up in the north bay.

I run kessil on all my tanks. I wouldn't say Kessil is the best if your looking for that amazing pop for blues. They excel at balancing the spectrum and mainly for the shimmer affect. Color pop is still good. I would look for other brands if your main focus is on color pop.

With that being said, if you are on a budget and shopping for a used light. You really need to ask how old it is and how long its been running. Color wise the A360X and A360Xe are the same. Just better LEDs and 15% more output.

But you should see a big different going from RL60 to a kessil.

Hmmm, this is all really good info. Suppose I were to buy a Light at MSRP, under $500 what light do you think would give me what I'm looking for? And absolutely coral health is #1, coming home to a pretty zoa garden and glowing torches sounds pretty nice too...

I spent hours all this week googling, youtubing and trying to word my question but there's so many differing opinions.

 

[areefer01]

Two things are true when it comes to lighting topics in this hobby. First - our hobby is very market and social media influenced. Second - we the hobbyist have a lot of personal bias in our responses.

There is nothing wrong with Kessil lighting. Plenty of great tanks across all formats (soft, lps, sps, and mixed) use them. They are, however, on the higher price tier. One benifit in my opinion is that they allow a bit of flexibility in relationship to spread and par by mounting height and lens adapters.

If you have a budget in mind you can widen your search for quanta bars, reeffi lights, or just go with the knock off like the 240W A8SE II Max Blue 2.0 Generation.

The only input that I would add is that if you are planning on staying in the hobby long term is to treat lighting as one of the more important budget line items. You shouldn't be upgrading all the time or replacing them so when purchased properly they will last you if take care of. Similar products like a sump, skimmer, return pump, and power head if that makes sense.

 

[toygrr]

Two things are true when it comes to lighting topics in this hobby. First - our hobby is very market and social media influenced. Second - we the hobbyist have a lot of personal bias in our responses.

There is nothing wrong with Kessil lighting. Plenty of great tanks across all formats (soft, lps, sps, and mixed) use them. They are, however, on the higher price tier. One benifit in my opinion is that they allow a bit of flexibility in relationship to spread and par by mounting height and lens adapters.

If you have a budget in mind you can widen your search for quanta bars, reeffi lights, or just go with the knock off like the 240W A8SE II Max Blue 2.0 Generation.

The only input that I would add is that if you are planning on staying in the hobby long term is to treat lighting as one of the more important budget line items. You shouldn't be upgrading all the time or replacing them so when purchased properly they will last you if take care of. Similar products like a sump, skimmer, return pump, and power head if that makes sense.

Makes perfect sense, and I always try and get quality long lasting equipment. I was under the impression Kessil was high end, but was unaware of the lifespan. Ergo I thought a previous generation at a better price might be worth it.

I've been out of the hobby since metal halides were a must so I'm a bit out of the loop ha. Thanks for your recommendations, I have more homework to do.

 

[areefer01]

Makes perfect sense, and I always try and get quality long lasting equipment. I was under the impression Kessil was high end, but was unaware of the lifespan. Ergo I thought a previous generation at a better price might be worth it.

I've been out of the hobby since metal halides were a must so I'm a bit out of the loop ha. Thanks for your recommendations, I have more homework to do.

I am not sure what signifies a "high end" light. Sort of like what is best, better, etc. Kessil's story is a good one.

I'm not sure I agree with the noted life span above. Kessil provides a 'lifespan' note in their FAQ (provided clip below). If one takes care of the light it should last. Also worth noting that hobbyist run the light at different intensity and duration. That will also play a role. This holds true for any light that we use. In fact, this is true for most things we use in our hobby be it a power head, return pump, skimmer, etc. We do not set and forget.

TL; DR - lifespan on all lights need to factor in routine cleaning, on/off time, intensity. Did not mean to give you more homework - just pointing out some other vendors and price points is all.

Kessil FAQ: What is the lifespan of my light?
Our lights have a normal life expectancy of 35,000 hours, about 5-7 years for most customers. There are many factors that can reduce the life expectancy of the light such as the environment (humidity, moisture, salt creep, and temperature) as well as the maintenance of the light. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the light are important and if not performed, it may affect the longevity of the light.

 

[patrck17]

Two things are true when it comes to lighting topics in this hobby. First - our hobby is very market and social media influenced. Second - we the hobbyist have a lot of personal bias in our responses.

This is very well put.


We are talking about generating photons, which is a very well understood concept. Some work has been put in to tailor some of the LED spectrums into power level and ranges that benefit marine life. But really the diversity of marine life is dramatic.

I don't think the photons created by LEDs today vs the fluorescents that were dominant are any different. And what we've been able to improve with LED's has been tailored spectrum and power efficiency.

Fact is old halides and florescent lights worked. But maybe less efficiently when compared to LED counterparts.

To me the difference that the modern brands offer is ability to customize and schedule the intensity and spectrum. Bigger brands have bigger marketing budgets, and likely higher incomes. But the selling point isn't really the light made. Its the ability to tune it. And if you can live with a less than perfect spectrum for your tank, then the only thing Kessil or Ecotech is offering is probably more attractive / robust packaging, and brand recognition.

 

[toygrr]

Interesting points, I really do appreciate your replies. These knockoff brands sure do offer a great price point as well as custom tuning options as far as I'm reading about.

Are my expectation of more customization unrealistic? I have camera filters and understand what you see in photos/video isn't realistically what you see with the naked eye. I'm just stunned every time I go to the LFS because I can actually see the frag tank as well as the color in the corals without being blinded by blues.

 

[Sdbuehler1]

I ran several Kessil A360x lights over my 100 gallon mixed reef for several years. 2 lights was not enough so I added 2 more and that’s when my coral growth took off but for the price of 4 of those lights I could have gone with a lot of other better options. The reliability of the lights has not been great. I had one fail under warranty within the first year ( the violet led wore out ) and one of my other lights is acting flaky with the color output. You do need an optional Wi-Fi dongle to be able to control the pucks with an app. Otherwise you will be manually setting color and intensity via knobs. I am now running 2 Orphek naturas over the 100 gallon tank and at 50% power it’s way more par and coverage than what the 4 kessils could provide. I have repurposed 2 of the kessils to use over my IM fusion 40 ( 32 gal ). I bought the optional 35 degree reflector and it makes a huge difference in reducing light spill and increasing the par in a more concentrated area. That being said one of these lights will not be enough for your 33 gallon cube unless you have everything mounted high in the center.

 

[patrck17]

Are my expectation of more customization unrealistic? I have camera filters and understand what you see in photos/video isn't realistically what you see with the naked eye. I'm just stunned every time I go to the LFS because I can actually see the frag tank as well as the color in the corals without being blinded by blues.

I appreciate this comment as well.

My guess is that the fish stores set lighting for a different motive. They want to sell livestock. Nutrition is secondary.

Editing this to say find out what you are wanting to achieve. And then find the right tool for the job.

You don’t need exotic light or Wi-Fi controllers to Keep your coral alive. But you may if you are wanting professional level pictures. I don’t think there is a one size fits all, but if you aren’t made of money why not just stick with the less expensive options.

In my opinion overpaying for a feature you never turn on is.. well a waste of money. Pay for the ones you need. ( or make your life easier ) But don’t assume one is better than the other without a justifiable reason. Else you’ll just overspend.

By the way I have 2300 dollars or so unused lights because some didn’t work as well.

 

[toygrr]

I appreciate this comment as well.

My guess is that the fish stores set lighting for a different motive. They want to sell livestock. Nutrition is secondary.

Solid point...

I ran several Kessil A360x lights over my 100 gallon mixed reef for several years. 2 lights was not enough so I added 2 more and that’s when my coral growth took off but for the price of 4 of those lights I could have gone with a lot of other better options. The reliability of the lights has not been great. I had one fail under warranty within the first year ( the violet led wore out ) and one of my other lights is acting flaky with the color output. You do need an optional Wi-Fi dongle to be able to control the pucks with an app. Otherwise you will be manually setting color and intensity via knobs. I am now running 2 Orphek naturas over the 100 gallon tank and at 50% power it’s way more par and coverage than what the 4 kessils could provide. I have repurposed 2 of the kessils to use over my IM fusion 40 ( 32 gal ). I bought the optional 35 degree reflector and it makes a huge difference in reducing light spill and increasing the par in a more concentrated area. That being said one of these lights will not be enough for your 33 gallon cube unless you have everything mounted high in the center.

Thank you for this info as well, I've got thinking to do

 

[toygrr]

Are my expectation of more customization unrealistic? I have camera filters and understand what you see in photos/video isn't realistically what you see with the naked eye. I'm just stunned every time I go to the LFS because I can actually see the frag tank as well as the color in the corals without being blinded by blues.

I appreciate this comment as well.

My guess is that the fish stores set lighting for a different motive. They want to sell livestock. Nutrition is secondary.

Editing this to say find out what you are wanting to achieve. And then find the right tool for the job.

You don’t need exotic light or Wi-Fi controllers to Keep your coral alive. But you may if you are wanting professional level pictures. I don’t think there is a one size fits all, but if you aren’t made of money why not just stick with the less expensive options.

Replying to the edit; I do have the money, I'm just trying to weigh the value of an upgrade and trying to understand the expectations I should have. My goal is the same, keep my corals alive with the possibility of coloration similar to my LFS.

All of these replies I think answered my question, either I have to experiment with my options or be happy with the lighting I have.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

Well shoot that's good to know...



Nope, I'm up in the north bay.



Hmmm, this is all really good info. Suppose I were to buy a Light at MSRP, under $500 what light do you think would give me what I'm looking for? And absolutely coral health is #1, coming home to a pretty zoa garden and glowing torches sounds pretty nice too...

I spent hours all this week googling, youtubing and trying to word my question but there's so many differing opinions.

Its really tough to say because I think everyone has different opinions when viewing the light. With that being said I would use radion XR15 G6 for that color pop. Its right around the $500 mark.

 

[Mschmidt]

I ran kessil a360 (the Gen before they added the "x") until recently and loved them. They seem solid light and held up fine. And coral grew. I wouldn't have been about to farm with them, but I don't need that kind of power.

Still got them and would probably part with them for the price of a 6-pack and shipping.

 

[toygrr]

I ran kessil a360 (the Gen before they added the "x") until recently and loved them. They seem solid light and held up fine. And coral grew. I wouldn't have been about to farm with them, but I don't need that kind of power.

Still got them and would probably part with them for the price of a 6-pack and shipping.

Sent you a PM