# Twinstar S v. Kessil



## Siege

For those who donot subscribe to George’s YouTube channel. Excellent comparison between the 2 lights.

Ps. It’s hard typing this with a 30kg Lurcher laying on your lap!


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## Fred13

I personally find twinstar better.

The shimmering is way too much and makes me feel uncomfortable after a while.. The color rendition is also worse for kessil. 
It is indeed pop up the greens but all the other colors in tank are lost.

Both are good lights and it is just my personal preference. 

You can also see the gouramies under the twinstar. The colors are much better.


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## Tim Harrison

I like the colour rendition of the Twinstar, but I also miss the glitter lines from a single point source light, it adds a whole other dimension. For me a combination of the two would be ideal...


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## soggybongo

Love the reds/ purple the twinstar shows in the plants but the downside it also makes the water look washed out and not clear so, for me on my screen looking at the comparison the kessil makes the aquarium more natural looking and a better viewable experience, would be nice to see their new 360 model with the adjustable reds though. 
Thanks for sharing this siege, missed this one somehow.


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## Zeus.

I do like the shimmering/glitter lines of my 160 kessils but they do lack the red, so I run them with some T5 growlux tubes best of both worlds for different periods and intensity's for the photoperiod. Plus with four Kessils I have the Moonlight Passover where one kessils is on at a time for 10-15 mins each on lowest setting when the shimmering really maxes out


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## Ady34

I like the colour of the tank contents better under the twinstar but as others have said I also like the glitter lines too. I think to get glitter lines you would need only a very small point source light to get the effect. On an evening switch your mobile phone torch light on and hold it above your tank, it’s remarkable the effect you get from a tiny light......I’ve considered adding a small light somehow to create the effect but will need to research lighting options to do so.


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## ralfred

I'm red-green colourblind which probably makes me a useless judge (!), but for me the Kessil is far more interesting.  Understand it would be a bit much in a darkened room - but my tanks have always been in areas with other ambient light.


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## Ady34

Interesting about the lumens also, I thought even at 20% intensity my twinstar units ‘looked’ bright to my eye, George kind of confirms this in this video.


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## Tim Harrison

George briefly mentions the new Kessil light...
I'm thinking they could be a good option, but really need to see them for myself...

P.S...just seen the price £495.00


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## Tom Michael

Thanks for the Link Tim - high price for sure, but looking at the info they state the coverage angle is improved? I'm currently considering high end lighting options and wonder if one of these would suffice for a 90cm high aquarium ?


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## Zeus.

Tom Michael said:


> they state the coverage angle is improved?









130 degrees! they call it improved, but the spillage across the room will also increase


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## tayloss

As George mentioned and other have said, the problem with spot lighting is if you sit below it, then the spill into your eyes can be quite strong and distracting etc.. I had the same issue with my to be sold Hydra 52HD where it was far too bright and I ended up looking at it more than the TV.. which isn't always a bad thing 

I just prefer a more contained lighting without going full hood over the tank!


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## Tim Harrison

That spread is too wide, you're right @Zeus. the light spillage will be fairly bad and you'll still get hot spots directly under the light, and deep shadow at the sides.
@Tom Michael because of the above, I'd say you'd definitely need 2. The problem with all point light sources is shadow created by plants and hardscape.
It takes at least 2 point sources to ensure a more uniform distribution of light, even in a tank as small as 60cm, and even if you're very clever with your scape design.


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## Zeus.

I do 'love' the shadows my 160 give in the twilight/moon phase, but I do have T5 tubes as well for the main photoperiod so eliminating most of the shadows and increasing penetration to the 50cm deep carpet


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## Jayefc1

I much prefer the way the reds pop on the twinstar it's all down to personal preference I guess but it almost looks like two different scapes there is so much difference between them


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## Johny

my humble opinion, the Kessil gives a much more natural vibe with different rich shades of green. compare to the more "artificial" looking purple twinstar. + the shimmering of the Kessils also give a sence of depth with the shadows, and when compared to the twinstar it makes the scape look flater and more static


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## alto

Tim Harrison said:


> It takes at least 2 point sources to ensure a more uniform distribution of light, even in a tank as small as 60cm, and even if you're very clever with your scape design.



Interesting consideration 
I’ve a 60cm x 45cm (x 53high) with a single A160 Tuna Sun 
It was going to be temporary but due to plant growth being “better” than with the very fancy (ie expensive) T5 luminaire, the Kessil has moved in ... especially as it’s so much easier to work in the tank 
To be fair to the T5 luminaire, I did only run 2 of the 4 T5’s but design of the unit means the T5’s are well spaced across the 45cm depth of the tank so light distribution should’ve been good

btw I’m far from clever with my scape design    
- it’s pretty much a random process each rescape and plant species tend to be what happens to be available 

I’ve also been looking forward to the new Kessil - except the price is crazy - there’s been some discussion on reef forums that it may drop soon - especially as the wifi dongle is still playing least in sight 
Unfortunately I suspect the A160 upgrade is far behind as no rumours 

As for George Farmer’s tank ... Kessil all the way 
Twinstar seems to have forgotten to support the greens in their race for the red


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## Tim Harrison

I managed to get great growth with my single Radion, but I found it had a hot spot directly under the light and the shadows at the side were quite intense, and that accordingly although the plants at the periphery grew well it took twice as long as those directly under the light.
It was always difficult balancing intensity to ensure I got growth at the edges, but no algae, like GSA, on the plants directly under the light. I usually failed in the end. I always felt that, although one light was adequate, two would have been much better in order to give me a more uniform coverage and greater controllability, especially with a complex hardscape and planting. But at the end of the day I guess we all have different requirements.

It's dropped https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/shop/aquatics/lighting/kessil-lighting/kessil-a360x-led-tuna-sun


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## sciencefiction

Fred13 said:


> The color rendition is also worse for kessil.
> It is indeed pop up the greens but all the other colors in tank are lost.



I felt the same using the Kessil, not a fan of the color rendition. All fish had washed out colors when in fact they didn't.


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## Wookii

Sorry to bring up this slightly older thread, but I'm research lighting for my potential new future aquarium.

So I wondered if the colour issue mentioned above with the Kessil units (presumably the A360WE) is still the same with the newer A360X Tuna Sun, which appears to have dedicated red LED's? Those it has those new LED's, the spectrum graphs don't look significantly different between the two? Has anyone seen it in action?

*Older A360WE:*









*Newer A360X:*










Has anyone compared the Kessil side by side with one of the RGB LED units like the Chihiros Vivid or ADA RGB?

Watching the Aquarium Gardens video posted above, I personally love the shimmer effect, and when George switches to the Twinstar, the tank looks flat and lifeless in comparison. I always wanted that shimmer back in the day when metal halides were the only way to get it and I couldn't afford them and had to go with mercury vapour.

That being said, good colour rendition is important too.

I also note peoples comments above on the spread of the Kessil lights, but I see they now have an additional Narrow Reflector that reduces the beam angle to 55 degrees, which I assume fixes the issue. If my calculations are correct, on a 1500 x 500 x 500 tank, three of the Kessil units would give sufficient coverage, without light spill, if positioned around 480mm off the tank height?


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## Wookii

It also seems that there is a different variant of the A360X, the Refugium, which appear to have even more red LED's:


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## Wookii

Just seen this video of @George Farmer on the newer Kessel, but not a lot of detail on colour rendition:



@George Farmer do you have any feedback on the colour rendition of the A360X versus the A360WE and other lights such as the Twinstar?


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## Wookii

As an update to my posts above, I contacted Kessil. They told me that the A360X Refugium wasn't really suitable for a main tank light, as it lacked the main white lights.

However they did tell me that the A360X Tuna Sun actually has reserve red and amber LED chips that are a) switched off by default, and b) can only be switched on using the X-Controller or the app (via the wifi dongle).

So out of the box, on 100% intensity and irrespective of the colour temperature set on the light itself, these LED's won't be switched on. It might mean that colour rendition can be improved by turning up these spare red and amber LED's. I have no idea how much impact on colour rendition these are likely to have though.


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## Richard40

Has anyone bought any of these and tried them out?


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## Zeus.

I have kessil 160 tuna suns and a twinstar, but not on same tank.
Twinstar more even light, kessils x4 spot lights but I do like the shimmer.


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## Richard40

Does anyone have the A360X Tuna sun lights? I’ve a Twinstar but do like the shimmer on the Kessil like you say Zeus.


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## KevinK

I’d also like to hear from others with the A360x Tuna Sun. I can’t find very much info anywhere.

I currently use the Kessil A360WE tuna sun and am looking for something that brings out more of the reds and purples. I love the Kessil shimmer but can’t determine if the new A360x is that much better; I’m looking for something that can get me closer to the ADA solar RGB. The spectrum chart for the 360x doesn’t look that much different than that of the 360we—and certainly not what we see with rgb lights in general (and the way they show the chart with multiple lines for each color is different than how other companies show their spectrum charts—and confusing to me as a non light expert.

I really want the A360x to work and be great, just not sure that it will. I certainly don’t want to spend the money and end up with essentially the same light that I have today (A360WE), just in a smaller package.

I’m also reluctant to get the solar rgb because of the form factor, limited controllability, and lack of shimmer. But, if that’s the only way to get deep color saturation then I’ll pursue it. Just hard to proceed with such limited information.

Oh, and I have an ADA 120P, so I’ll need to double down on whatever light I choose, which makes it more important for me to choose wisely.


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## Wookii

KevinK said:


> I’d also like to hear from others with the A360x Tuna Sun. I can’t find very much info anywhere.
> 
> I currently use the Kessil A360WE tuna sun and am looking for something that brings out more of the reds and purples. I love the Kessil shimmer but can’t determine if the new A360x is that much better; I’m looking for something that can get me closer to the ADA solar RGB. The spectrum chart for the 360x doesn’t look that much different than that of the 360we—and certainly not what we see with rgb lights in general (and the way they show the chart with multiple lines for each color is different than how other companies show their spectrum charts—and confusing to me as a non light expert.
> 
> I really want the A360x to work and be great, just not sure that it will. I certainly don’t want to spend the money and end up with essentially the same light that I have today (A360WE), just in a smaller package.
> 
> I’m also reluctant to get the solar rgb because of the form factor, limited controllability, and lack of shimmer. But, if that’s the only way to get deep color saturation then I’ll pursue it. Just hard to proceed with such limited information.
> 
> Oh, and I have an ADA 120P, so I’ll need to double down on whatever light I choose, which makes it more important for me to choose wisely.



The only type of lights that are going to give you that colour rendition are those that have the three channel RGB LED’s and don’t incorporate any white LED’s.

The only brand that I’m aware of that offers these in a fully controllable form are Chihiros.

There you have the choice of the WRGB II or the Vivid II.

Although I’ve not tried the A360WE, I did loan an A360X. I thought it’s colour rendition was pretty poor - very yellow. To get rid of most of the yellow you have to turn off the warm white LED’s and at that point the output is very low.

Of the pendant style lights the AI Primes are far better than the Kessils in terms of both colour rendition and noise output.

Even then though the Prime can’t get close to the colour rendition of the RGB LED based lights. Once you’ve experienced those, it’s hard to go back to anything else.


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## Zeus.

The Chihiros RGB Vivid is worthing considering IMO


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## KevinK

Thank you for the detailed response Wookii and the Chihiros recommendation Zeus. Really appreciate it.

Chihiros is a brand that I'd like to explore, but they're not widely available in the U.S. as far as I can tell. 

I guess it's official: I'll just "have to" move on to the ADA Solar RGB. There are worse things in life


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## Wolf6

KevinK said:


> I guess it's official: I'll just "have to" move on to the ADA Solar RGB. There are worse things in life


What made you rule out the twinstar S? Just asking because I'm facing the same questions about lighting  The ADA solars lack of controlability weighs heavily in my own considerations, meaning I'm leaning more towards the twinstar S or the chihiros.


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## rebel

Wookii said:


> Has anyone compared the Kessil side by side with one of the RGB LED units like the Chihiros Vivid or ADA RGB?


RGB lights would win the aesthetic battle I think. But it's important to compare if possible. It has to be a sponsored video though. Who can afford such expensive lights otherwise?


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## rebel

Wookii said:


> a) switched off by default, and b) can only be switched on using the X-Controller or the app (via the wifi dongle).


This is what I call Royal BS. Crippled hardware unless you buy more.


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## KevinK

Wolf6 said:


> What made you rule out the twinstar S? Just asking because I'm facing the same questions about lighting  The ADA solars lack of controlability weighs heavily in my own considerations, meaning I'm leaning more towards the twinstar S or the chihiros.



Great question. I prefer the ADA over Twinstar for a few reasons. First, I think they look more appealing from a design perspective, which is important because the tank is placed in a prominent area within the house. Second, I like the color spectrum of the ADA better. The Twinstar seems a bit more purple to me (vs ADA). Third, the ADA reflects white light on the water (ie, I don’t see the individual R, G, and B lights reflected on the water like I do with the twinstars I’ve seen). Finally, I think ADAs are built to last longer and hold their value better. I just want to suck it up, write one admittedly painful check and be done with it.


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## KevinK

rebel said:


> This is what I call Royal BS. Crippled hardware unless you buy more.


Maybe I’m naive, but I don’t think think Kessil’s intent was to nickel and dime by limiting these features to the controller/app. They seem to value three things above all else: the core spectrum, simplicity, and scale. Their core spectrum did not change significantly (much to my dismay), so the additional customization would have required more dials—complicating the design and creating problematic manufacturing differences between the tuna sun  and tuna blue models. I’m guessing their core market for this is not us—but the more mainstream freshwater crowd that want something simple and bright that’s also built well. And to the extent they support the freshwater crowd, they want to reuse as much of the tuna blue parts as they can.

The question I have is why they didn’t use their IP to crest an RGB type light. Why are they sticking with all those  white / yellow diodes? Given how tightly they’re clustered, I would assume they could have individual r, g, and b diodes that blend into a great white light that still hits the core spectrum values we care about, while also delivering that shimmer. I would be first in line for that. I’m guessing the reason they don’t is that it would require extra R&D that isn’t justified to support the aquascaping fringe of the freshwater world. Sigh...


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## rebel

KevinK said:


> I’m guessing the reason they don’t is that it would require extra R&D that isn’t justified to support the aquascaping fringe of the freshwater world.


Money is king. They will do it when chihiros take majority of their customers.

And just look at their hideous wires that can't be routed through their own stand? They are taking the aquarists for a joke.


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## Jayefc1

Hi @KevinK the vivid Is available in the U.S I have just ordered 2 from Ali Express that are coming from the the U.S


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## Wookii

rebel said:


> RGB lights would win the aesthetic battle I think. But it's important to compare if possible. It has to be a sponsored video though. Who can afford such expensive lights otherwise?



Yes, comparing lights isn't a cheap hobby, but at least with LED's, once you've made a decision, the chosen light should last a very light time. 

I acquired several lights second hand, just to test them out against the Fluval Plant 3.0 I already had, on the premise I could sell off the unused lights without much loss. So far I've compared:

Fluval Plant 3.0
Kessil A360X
AI Prime Freshwater
Twinstar S
Chihiros WRGB II
Chihiros Vivid II


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## Wookii

rebel said:


> This is what I call Royal BS. Crippled hardware unless you buy more.



I think it's just an evolutionary thing. They are using existing hardware and respinning it from the Marine market to the Freshwater market, so the advent of wifi and blue-tooth control is something they have had to add as an afterthought.

As I say, the AI Prime is a much better light all round, higher output, integrated control, very sleek design, near silent fan etc


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## Wookii

KevinK said:


> The question I have is why they didn’t use their IP to crest an RGB type light. Why are they sticking with all those  white / yellow diodes? Given how tightly they’re clustered, I would assume they could have individual r, g, and b diodes that blend into a great white light that still hits the core spectrum values we care about, while also delivering that shimmer. I would be first in line for that. I’m guessing the reason they don’t is that it would require extra R&D that isn’t justified to support the aquascaping fringe of the freshwater world. Sigh...



I suspect its a matter of light output. For some reason white LED's just put out a lot more light than individual red, green and blue LED's. They're also much easier to implement I guess.

That's all changed with the advent of these RGB LED's used in the Chihiros and ADA lights, which seem to deliver very high output on all three channels.

You can even source individual RGB LED from Cree (I think) with a 30W output per LED. If a manufacturer could utilise 2-4 of those in a small fan cooled pendant fitting like the Kessils or Primes it could give the ideal small form factor and shimmer, combined with high output RGB chip colour rendition.


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## Wookii

Jayefc1 said:


> Hi @KevinK the vivid Is available in the U.S I have just ordered 2 from Ali Express that are coming from the the U.S



You can also order direct from Chihiros, which is what I did - as that's also the only way to get any warranty.


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## Jayefc1

@Wookii I did see you say that some where maybe in the last week or so but I think I'd already orderd mine by then when are your due to arrive


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## Wookii

Jayefc1 said:


> @Wookii I did see you say that some where maybe in the last week or so but I think I'd already orderd mine by then when are your due to arrive



I got mine back in mid-July they only took two weeks.

I got stung when I bought my WRGB II through AliExpress and the controller failed out of the box - that's when I found out there was no warranty. Luckily I was able to order three new controllers (a replacement and two spares) for about £20 direct from Chihiros..


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## Jayefc1

@Wookii    What do you think to the lights are they on a scape yet did you go for a frame or suspend them


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## Wookii

Jayefc1 said:


> @Wookii    What do you think to the lights are they on a scape yet did you go for a frame or suspend them



No they are for a future 1500mm tank that I'll be setting up later this year or early next (though 'she-who-shall-be-obeyed' has now decided she wants to move house!).

I did test them out for half an hour or so on my 60 litre tank, and they are very good. Incredibly bright. I thought the WRGB II was bright, but the Vivid's are verging on nuclear - it almost blinded me when I first switched it on, light side up on the floor 😂


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## Jayefc1

Mine are for my 1200 that I got and scaped on Wednesday can't wait for them to arrive


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## Wookii

Jayefc1 said:


> Mine are for my 1200 that I got and scaped on Wednesday can't wait for them to arrive



Great stuff - it's a lot of light for sure, but at least you can turn them down as required.


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## KevinK

Wookii said:


> You can also order direct from Chihiros, which is what I did - as that's also the only way to get any warranty.


Thanks for the tip. How do you order directly from Chihiros? I went to their website and only found a list of distributors (none in the u.s.);  I also found them available on aliexpress, however, they were all sold through 3rd parties on that platform—not from Chihiros directly.


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## oreo57

KevinK said:


> Thanks for the tip. How do you order directly from Chihiros? I went to their website and only found a list of distributors (none in the u.s.);  I also found them available on aliexpress, however, they were all sold through 3rd parties on that platform—not from Chihiros directly.



Amazon product



> The Chihiros RGB series LED light is discontinued and is now replaced with the RGB A+ series in the early 2019. The new edition of the RGB A+ (released October 2019) is loaded with the state-of-the-art features


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## Wookii

KevinK said:


> Thanks for the tip. How do you order directly from Chihiros? I went to their website and only found a list of distributors (none in the u.s.);  I also found them available on aliexpress, however, they were all sold through 3rd parties on that platform—not from Chihiros directly.



Their contact information is at the bottom of the homepage:

chihiros@chihiros.cn

You can also order directly through the MyChihiros app I believe.


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## Krzysztof 82 (Kris)

Wookii said:


> Yes, comparing lights isn't a cheap hobby, but at least with LED's, once you've made a decision, the chosen light should last a very light time.
> 
> I acquired several lights second hand, just to test them out against the Fluval Plant 3.0 I already had, on the premise I could sell off the unused lights without much loss. So far I've compared:
> 
> Fluval Plant 3.0
> Kessil A360X
> AI Prime Freshwater
> Twinstar S
> Chihiros WRGB II
> Chihiros Vivid II



Hi Wookii,
As You have been testing Chihiros ViVid 2, are You looking maybe to sell it? I have one already and thinking to get another one. Great light unit but unfortunately bit noisy, so looking to set it up over my not specified future scape in living room instead bedroom. And price wise it's fraction of Kessil and ADA solar RGB. 

Regards.


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## Wookii

Krzysztof 82 (Kris) said:


> Hi Wookii,
> As You have been testing Chihiros ViVid 2, are You looking maybe to sell it? I have one already and thinking to get another one. Great light unit but unfortunately bit noisy, so looking to set it up over my not specified future scape in living room instead bedroom. And price wise it's fraction of Kessil and ADA solar RGB.
> 
> Regards.



Nah I bought them to keep I’m afraid


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## Kogre

Sorry to bring up this aged thread but based on some of the negative reviews of the Kessil A360X Tuna Sun, I'm considering alternative lighting.

I have a 68" long and 24" wide tank, how many of the AI Primes would get me good coverage?  Are these the ones you're referring to?  The information on the page isn't great regarding the coverage and penetration, my tank is 30" deep so would need for light to penetrate such depths.  The app, myAI, also seems to have a 2.4* rating on the Play Store with many users complaining about the connectivity being intermittent.  How has this affected your usage of the AI Primes?

I was previously thinking about buying three Kessil A360X Tuna Sun, now I'm not so sure.  Happy to have suggestions.


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## Sammy Islam

Ady34 said:


> I like the colour of the tank contents better under the twinstar but as others have said I also like the glitter lines too. I think to get glitter lines you would need only a very small point source light to get the effect. On an evening switch your mobile phone torch light on and hold it above your tank, it’s remarkable the effect you get from a tiny light......I’ve considered adding a small light somehow to create the effect but will need to research lighting options to do so.


Weirdly enough I do this all the time, it looks so cool and natural. But there's no way i would want a point source light as it would get annoying and would probably make me feel uneasy as sometimes i get vertigo when looking at my tank from above or weird angles 🤣


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## Wookii

Kogre said:


> Sorry to bring up this aged thread but based on some of the negative reviews of the Kessil A360X Tuna Sun, I'm considering alternative lighting.
> 
> I have a 68" long and 24" wide tank, how many of the AI Primes would get me good coverage?  Are these the ones you're referring to?  The information on the page isn't great regarding the coverage and penetration, my tank is 30" deep so would need for light to penetrate such depths.  The app, myAI, also seems to have a 2.4* rating on the Play Store with many users complaining about the connectivity being intermittent.  How has this affected your usage of the AI Primes?
> 
> I was previously thinking about buying three Kessil A360X Tuna Sun, now I'm not so sure.  Happy to have suggestions.



Honestly when I compare the Kessil side by side with the AI Prime, I struggle to find a single point where the Primes don't outcompete the Kessil's. The Primes are significantly cheaper (Kessil A360X +Wifi dongle = £605 / AI Prime = £225), smaller form factor, significantly quieter fan, better colour rendition, higher output, better control app . . .  did I mention the price difference!!

In terms of PAR, they have some details together with a visual comparison PAR map with other lights here: PAR - AquaIllumination

Not exactly the same as the A360X, but comparing between the Prime and the A360W:






That said, at 30" your tank is incredibly deep - how do you reach the substrate? The Primes are incredibly bright though, particularly within their immediate beam radius. Chihiros Vivid II's would be another option for such a deep tank.

In terms of the AI app, I've not had too many issues. It does take several seconds sometimes to connect - a little more time than you normally expect a device to connect - but it gets there in the end, and it's not really a device you need to be accessing more than occasionally once its set up.


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## Kogre

At the moment, I don't reach the substrate, the tank is currently empty!  I always had the threat of moving house since I bought the tank so was afraid of setting it up.  Now we've moved (as of August 2019) I'm ready to set this tank up.  I'm hoping I'll rarely need to reach that low once the tank is setup and planted in.

Cheers @Wookii that's pretty much swayed me towards the AI Prime.  I may consider the Chihiros VIVID II's but would probably need more info in comparison to AI Prime before I make my mind up, but I really do appreciate the above post.  I think in the specific things you've mentioned, there is only one clear winner.

How is the ramp up/down on the AI Prime?  If it's pretty smooth, that's good to know.  Are the programs on the APP and customisation options for the programs pretty flexible?  I'd lean towards two photo periods during the day with a siesta in between, with moonlight overnight.  I'd just like to know if it is easily done in the app.  I don't mind if it takes a few seconds to connect to the lighting, the price difference alone makes the wait worthwhile and as you said it's not something that needs to be regularly accessed for constant changes if your lighting is set up right in the first place.

Thanks once again for the comprehensive and informative response, @Wookii.


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## Wookii

Kogre said:


> At the moment, I don't reach the substrate, the tank is currently empty!  I always had the threat of moving house since I bought the tank so was afraid of setting it up.  Not we've moved (as of August 2019) I'm ready to set this tank up.  I'm hoping I'll rarely need to reach that low once the tank is setup and planted in.
> 
> Cheers @Wookii that's pretty much swayed me towards the AI Prime.  I may consider the Chihiros VIVID II's but would probably need more info in comparison to AI Prime before I make my mind up, but I really do appreciate the above post.  I think in the specific things you've mentioned, there is only one clear winner.
> 
> How is the ramp up/down on the AI Prime?  If it's pretty smooth, that's good to know.  Are the programs on the APP and customisation options for the programs pretty flexible?  I'd lean towards two photo periods during the day with a siesta in between, with moonlight overnight.  I'd just like to know if it is easily done in the app.  I don't mind if it takes a few seconds to connect to the lighting, the price difference alone makes the wait worthwhile and as you said it's not something that needs to be regularly accessed for constant changes if your lighting is set up right in the first place.
> 
> Thanks once again for the comprehensive and informative response, @Wookii.



No problem mate.

On the Vivid II's they have a PAR graph on their website - bear in mind there are numerous different ways to measure, calculate and graph PAR values, so they are not always directly comparable - but often sufficient to give a loose idea. RGB VIVID 2 - RGB VIVID LED light system - Shanghai Ogino Biotechnology Co.,Ltd

On the Primes ramping, I'm working from memory here, so don't quote me, but I think its fairly smooth. None of the LED lights I've tried are really as smooth and seamless as I would like, and have some visible 'steps' occurring, though I typically ramp for no more than 1/2 an hour.

Yes, the app and programming is pretty flexible. I've not tried to program a siesta period as it's not something I would use, but I'm sure it should be possible.


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## alto

Kogre said:


> I have a 68" long and 24" wide tank, how many of the AI Primes would get me good coverage? Are these the ones you're referring to? The information on the page isn't great regarding the coverage and penetration, my tank is 30" deep so would need for light to penetrate such depths.


As a reference for AI Primes 
Wood stump and Pterophyllum altum at Aquaflora's canteen with 150x60x90h cm (800L) 
(there are several videos over a few years, including fluorescent lighting initially (IIRC)


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## Kogre

Thanks for that, @alto.  It's nice to have a frame of reference, and this has informed me that the growth from these lights is amazing.  These (or at least the HD variants) will definitely be replacing the 3* Kessil A360X I was going to be ordering.

I couldn't tell, was that diffused CO2 on the left?


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## Wookii

alto said:


> As a reference for AI Primes
> Wood stump and Pterophyllum altum at Aquaflora's canteen with 150x60x90h cm (800L)
> (there are several videos over a few years, including fluorescent lighting initially (IIRC)




Beautiful tank - I love how the lights create that shadowy effect - but I wouldn't like to have to maintain something 900mm deep  

I wonder what the stainless steel thing is to the left hand side? Is that a filter or does the owner just drink a lot of tea!


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## alto

CO2 and filter details listed in description
Note the tank is in the Canteen/break room at AF so that may very well be for tea 

A maintenance session June 2019 

Cinematic view Dec 2019


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## Kogre

A jungle type aquascape is what I'm leaning towards for that chaotic look.  Thanks for posting more video's of this, @alto it's a beautiful tank and setup.


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