# Kessil LED's



## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience with the Kessil LED's (Amazon Sun or Tuna Sun)? I am wondering if the Amazon Sun would work for an 18x18x24 Zoomed, I currently have an Exo Terra hood with two CFL's and want something less obtrusive above the Vivarium. The light would have to support plant growth, the most light hungry plants in the tank are the moss and neoregelia. I really think the Kessil lights look great from an aesthetic standpoint. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

150 watt led will be overkill on a tank that small. you are better off going with the 16" LED bulbs that are about 20 watts and will light up the whole tank very well.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Thanks, which LED's are those, the strips you are referring to? The Kessil Amazon Sun A150WE is actually only 32 watts and the Tuna Sun is 90 watts.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

ok, thought those were ther 150 watt pendants

try the 16" Idris sells, they will light up the tank just perfect. use them on my 24" cubes and its more then enough lighting. 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pl...eds/193665-leds-20watt-14-watt-available.html


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

The Kessil A150W should be OK PAR levels are reported to be 34 at 24 inches. 
However this is a very intense point light so you will see harsh shadowing in the vivarium. Lighting will not be very even and that may alter how you have to plant the enclosure. Maybe that is the look you want, maybe not.


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Thank you, I think I might like some shadowing for my tank. Does anyone have any pictures or experience with the Kessil LED's?


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Anyone ever try them?


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Anyone ever use them?

Thanks


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

austin said:


> Anyone ever use them?
> 
> Thanks


I had a couple of them on a 30x18x24. They are ok great lights but a bit pricey. They are very small and one would definitely light your 18x18x24. They will create some intense shadowing so keep that in mind. Here's is the thread where I was using them on my 56 http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/93347-diggenems-56g-column.html


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

Wow, I really like your tank it looks great! Are you still using the lights? If so how are they holding up? After reviewing your posts I am thinking that a tuna sun 90watt would be mega overkill on my tank.


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

A friend in the reef world uses them exclusively in his shop. They are beautiful and very customizable with computerized controllers. They're amazing, not cheap though. I got a preview of some of the new stuff coming soon, it's sweet. 

-Andrew


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

the Kessil pendants are not cost effective for dart frog keepers, yes they are great on reef tanks, but not worth it on a dart tank.


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

I agree, but, they're kinda awesome...


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## austin (Dec 6, 2013)

As the more affordable option between the two the new Amazon Sun A150WE is still expensive, so yes you are absolutely right there are more economical ways to light the tank, I am using CFL's right now but want to upgrade. If they weren't so expensive I would have pulled the trigger already. The size and positioning options with the gooseneck mounts is really nice, and an Amazon Sun sounds like it would be sufficient for my tank. However the options that you get with the more powerful (also a good bit more expensive) Tuna Sun are sweet, you can easily daisy chain them with minimal effort and I like how you can dial down the intensity of both the light output and color temperature individually. I only have one tank to light and I like that these seem as though they will last a while. I will be honest though if I could find another light that performed as well, looked as good aesthetically, and was cheaper I would feel like I hit the jackpot on this one. I really like how the Kessils look!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

it all starts with one tank.......


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

In my opinion they are the best in the market. What can be done if the entire place is rigged up with them on a wireless network is nothing short of amazing. They're solidly built and the company is top notch. The ability to position them easily and anywhere while controlling what out put is to such a high degree....

Anyways, I fully support your decision, but there are many less badass options like T5s and other LED fixtures. 

I'd love to open the door to find a case of them one day. I can dream...

-Andrew


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## diggenem (Sep 2, 2011)

austin said:


> Wow, I really like your tank it looks great! Are you still using the lights? If so how are they holding up? After reviewing your posts I am thinking that a tuna sun 90watt would be mega overkill on my tank.


The TunaSun will be too high in the blue spectrum. I do not have the lights anymore, but they are pretty solid.


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## NickMan (Apr 1, 2007)

A co-worker of mine is using an Amazon Sun (A150) on his 12x12x18 and his broms have grown so fast they have all but completely blocked the light from getting to the bottom of the viv. Granted he did go a little overboard with the great stuff background.
I have been very impressed with the coloration of his broms and frogs alike but I do agree the light is a bit overkill. Their multi-color chip gives his Tarapoto a beautiful iridescence. That being said I would still rather use other types of LEDs (DIY, jungle dawn, etc.) which would allow a bit better coverage at a much lower price tag. That and I dont like having to hang lights or sink even more $$$ into fancy light mounts.


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## NickMan (Apr 1, 2007)

I wanted to post an update to my previous post... 5 month later I am honestly not impressed with the Kessil A150 Amazon sun. I have a single JF LED over my 12x12x18 viv and have MUCH better growth and coloration from my broms and other plants. While every viv is different it hard to argue with the results I have seen. I was given a fireball pup from his system and within a couple weeks it colored up to a nice red color while his mother plant is only showing hints of red in the center after many months under the Kessil.

He has since switched to the A160 which allows adjustment of both light intensity and spectrum so I am curious to see what the effects of a "warmer" spectrum are on growth and coloration. I'll try to remember to post my observations.

-Nick


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

I have a A360W on top of the same size tank, it does alright. It's just waiting for this tank though, to give context. 










That said, they're dense LED cannons, and while I will defend them, they have to be the right type for the tank and they aren't very affordable to say the least. 

Here is a little nano reef that I have a tuna blue over, opposed to the tuna sun over the tall tank. 

















As you can tell, this is not how a normal light is placed over an aquarium. 

-Andrew


Smiling when unhappy makes you happier. 
Transcribed via Siri.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

NickMan said:


> I wanted to post an update to my previous post... 5 month later I am honestly not impressed with the Kessil A150 Amazon sun. I have a single JF LED over my 12x12x18 viv and have MUCH better growth and coloration from my broms and other plants. While every viv is different it hard to argue with the results I have seen. I was given a fireball pup from his system and within a couple weeks it colored up to a nice red color while his mother plant is only showing hints of red in the center after many months under the Kessil.
> 
> He has since switched to the A160 which allows adjustment of both light intensity and spectrum so I am curious to see what the effects of a "warmer" spectrum are on growth and coloration. I'll try to remember to post my observations.
> 
> -Nick


It seems to me it is likely that light spread is the problem here. It is something I harp on but seems to fall on deaf ears. If you noticed initial fast growth then a slow down it could be due to depletion of a nutrient. It could also be that the bromeliads have blocked out light for all the lower plants and leaves. The kessil doesn't spread light out well, in theory a single dark leaf could block out the entire vivarium in many cases which is why I tell people to go with aquarium style strip lights that spread the light out over the whole vivarium. You then have more angles which light can pass through to lower leaves and more angles that can become reflection points to bounce light around.


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## NickMan (Apr 1, 2007)

I am leaning heavily towards nutrient depletion or even too much light after looking into this a bit more. 
We actually work for a reef retail company so we are very well versed in lighting in regards to spread, shadowing, spectrum etc. The lower reaches of the Viv are most certainly shaded and to be honest are not planted at this point as he had a lot of die off earlier on and likes heavy leaf litter.The upper reaches are very well lit, perhaps too brightly. 
Not to get off topic but are there frog safe fertilizers out there that he can use to help replenish certain nutrient levels?


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

I am not very versed on fertilizers but I just scoop up frog poops that are in unsightly places and put them up on the bromeliad axils or epiphyte roots.


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## a hill (Aug 4, 2007)

NickMan said:


> I am leaning heavily towards nutrient depletion or even too much light after looking into this a bit more.
> We actually work for a reef retail company so we are very well versed in lighting in regards to spread, shadowing, spectrum etc. The lower reaches of the Viv are most certainly shaded and to be honest are not planted at this point as he had a lot of die off earlier on and likes heavy leaf litter.The upper reaches are very well lit, perhaps too brightly.
> Not to get off topic but are there frog safe fertilizers out there that he can use to help replenish certain nutrient levels?



Makes sense. 

If you're from the aquarium world as am I, I'd just treat the tank like a planted tank, just don't go crazy strong, frogs hit with EI might be a bit pissy, or croak. 

-Andrew


Smiling when unhappy makes you happier. 
Transcribed via Siri.


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## nrbelk (Nov 16, 2014)

I'm glad I found this thread. I'm in the process of converting my 300 gallon reef into a frog paladrium (with a pond with fish and other water features).

I was thinking about trading out my Gen 2 Radions (too much overkill and too blue) with the amazon suns from kessil. So this thread was a good read. 

I think the only difference is I would ask if you guys think I'd avoid a lot of the shadow problem by having multiple of them.


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## Smotz (Jul 20, 2015)

How about these?

Wellpar 2pc 165W LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum Dimmable Coralreef Marinetank | eBay


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## Smotz (Jul 20, 2015)

a hill said:


> Makes sense.
> 
> If you're from the aquarium world as am I, I'd just treat the tank like a planted tank, just don't go crazy strong, frogs hit with EI might be a bit pissy, or croak.
> 
> ...



"Or Croak"


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## Encyclia (Aug 23, 2013)

Is there a goal you are trying to achieve that a less expensive, linear solution won't accomplish? Point source lighting has inherent disadvantages, as pubfiction pointed out. If you are trying to light a tank attractively and keep your plants and frogs happy, there are a lot of other lighting solutions available that meet this goal at a fraction of the price. The bulb julio mentioned (from Tincman or Jungle Dawn) makes my tanks look great and they are like $60 tops. You would have to hide the bulb a bit and make sure it is well vented, but it is a really good and attractive option. TopDogSellers on Ebay have lots of stuff that will work and look great in the $40 range, as well. Just wanted to make sure you knew there were other options out there. Of course, if you like the spot light look, that is understandable. Your call 

Mark


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## nrbelk (Nov 16, 2014)

part of the reason I am thinking I need something like kessils or radions (I think they make a plant version) is that the tank is 6 feet x 3 feet large. Finding lighting strips that size is difficult, and I'd like to hang them.

As for that fixture that was linked recently on ebay, wouldn't that be too blue, the same problem I'd have if I used the 6 radions I currently have?


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## CronicdenDro (Jun 27, 2015)

nrbelk said:


> part of the reason I am thinking I need something like kessils or radions (I think they make a plant version) is that the tank is 6 feet x 3 feet large. Finding lighting strips that size is difficult, and I'd like to hang them.
> 
> As for that fixture that was linked recently on ebay, wouldn't that be too blue, the same problem I'd have if I used the 6 radions I currently have?


Are you solely interested in LED? If not there are some great T5HO options out there (I would recommend SunBlaster personally) that are inexpensive and will give you great color spectrum and light spread with 4' tubes. I don't think I would ever use a Kessil or Radions over a terrarium as they are really designed for deep water penetration and would be an extremely expensive lighting choice as well.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

nrbelk said:


> part of the reason I am thinking I need something like kessils or radions (I think they make a plant version) is that the tank is 6 feet x 3 feet large. Finding lighting strips that size is difficult, and I'd like to hang them.
> 
> As for that fixture that was linked recently on ebay, wouldn't that be too blue, the same problem I'd have if I used the 6 radions I currently have?


How high do you want to hang them? I assume this tank is 72w x 36 deep x 27 high?

Also don't the radions have color adjustments available?


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I think that Kessil would be a lot of extra light for a 18 X 18 Exo.

How about just using a bright PAR38 LED? I have some 5,000K PAR38s that I bought for just twenty bucks each and they are great.


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## thane (Sep 11, 2014)

I'm wondering if it would be possible to complete the Kessil Run in less than 12 parsecs?










(Sorry, I couldn't help myself)


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## nrbelk (Nov 16, 2014)

I'm not sure if a 4' fixture would give me the light spread I'd want, I'd probably need a 6' fixture.

The radions can change their color but I was thinking of selling them while they are still in hot demand and then I could buy almost 2 kessils with the price of one.



> How high do you want to hang them? I assume this tank is 72w x 36 deep x 27 high?


The will be another 8 inches past the 27" mark. It will be a multi level paladrium with a 12" pond in one corner. Lowest land part might be four inches while tallest will be 13" or 14".


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

hydrophyte said:


> I think that Kessil would be a lot of extra light for a 18 X 18 Exo.
> 
> How about just using a bright PAR38 LED? I have some 5,000K PAR38s that I bought for just twenty bucks each and they are great.


I would agree with this.

I currently have TunaSun over my 45 gallon rimless planted tank (24 x 24 x 20) and its plenty of light for that aquarium even with all that water penetration. I would imagine it would have to be dimmed down to almost its lowest setting for most vivarium plants - broms could probably benefit from the ultra high light for coloration, but it would still be a gradual climb up to maybe 3/4 intensity. Wide angle model is a must as well.

Personally I've used a Radion XR30W over a viv, and unless you use the wide angle lenses and keep it down to around 30-50 % at most, it is seriously overkill and has poor coverage.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

buildmyled.com will easily handle that with 2 original series fixtures. A dutch planted 6 foot fixture will be under $400 each. They can be suspended, are considered to have some the best color reproduction and really aren't that expensive when you consider the light quantity and quality they throw. And if you want to raise them up even further you can just get narrower optics.


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Pubfiction said:


> buildmyled.com will easily handle that with 2 original series fixtures. A dutch planted 6 foot fixture will be under $400 each. They can be suspended, are considered to have some the best color reproduction and really aren't that expensive when you consider the light quantity and quality they throw. And if you want to raise them up even further you can just get narrower optics.


I agree, I own a 24" BML fixture for a reef setup and it works extremely well. You can get a controller or dimmer for them as well if needed.


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## nrbelk (Nov 16, 2014)

TJ_Burton said:


> I agree, I own a 24" BML fixture for a reef setup and it works extremely well. You can get a controller or dimmer for them as well if needed.


I choose the horticulture side of their site, right?


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

nrbelk said:


> I choose the horticulture side of their site, right?


You can do the horticulture side, or the aquarium side.
The dutch fixture is a freshwater aquarium fixture; I find the aquarium fixtures are more pleasing to the eye and still do a fantastic job with plant growth.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Stay on the aquarium side, because it seems to me the horticulture fixtures are simply more expensive and I can't tell what difference there is. You can use the custom configurator to copy a fixture on the horticulture side cheaper, lol doesn't make any sense. But maybe I am missing something.


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## chin_monster (Mar 12, 2006)

unless you are trying to "punch" deeper than 24" high intensity led's and their focusing optics are at best overkill if not simply counter productive.

and let's be perfectly honest, a 24" high tank is most likely 20" or less to floor of the substrate


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