# Kessil A150W "Amazon Sun" review



## Johnny Ciotti

With the recent introduction of many plant aquarium specific LED light fixtures hitting the market, I couldn't see a better time to review one that has a lot of buzz circulating it.

Being one of those guys that is eager to adopt new technology for the better of my flora, fauna and over all well being, LEDs only seem to make sense. Well, for the last few years the handful of fixtures I tried left me wanting more and pointing me back in the direction of my trusty T5s.

The Kessil A150W Amazon Sun, a 32 Watt 24V DC "Dense Matrix LED" is assumed to be a 150watt metal halide replacement. With an approximate color temperature of 6700k, this particular flavor of LED is meant to be focused at us aquatic gardeners. Without getting to much further into the techy aspect I'd like to aim this review at the practicality and mind state of current aquarium equipment trends.

*The Look of Light*

This was the first thing that turned me on and turned me off about LED lighting. Most solid state light fixtures produce hard shadows, uneven illumination, and strange color fringing that is unpleasant to look at. The Kessil seemed to get around that with their multi chip array. Blending multiple colors of LEDs into one tightly packed group helps eliminate the unsightly blue or red shadows you would commonly see with varied color temps. The idea of using multiple bin colors gives the more natural look we are used to of full spectrum metal halide but with the added benefit of greater than T5 efficiency. Now this sounds great, but what does it mean and how does it apply to you and me?

My personal opinion is lighting should do more then just grow plants (more on that later), but give life to the aesthetic of our aquatic plant layout, breath inspiration into our homes and create an emotion to something that was otherwise still and dead.
LED has always looked sort of flat with an overwhelming seizure like inducing strobe when placed over an aquarium. The Kessil doesn't have a hint of this, rich full color with beautiful metal halide shimmer lines. But what about the uneven spread from a point source? This isn't always a bad thing in my honest opinion, I've got lots of opinions but this one I really think makes sense. Shadows add depth, shape and a sense of mystery to areas of our tank that used to be uninviting plant caves. This light challenges you to remember why those images in Nature Aquarium World made you think. Take a look at your favorite photo and imagine what it would look like without shadows, probably something like a T5 luminare over a freshly trimmed hedge of Rotala, yuck.






*Growth and Health*

This would arguably be the most argued about argument in lighting. As much as I hate to say it, yes, yes good quality LEDs will grow plants just fine. I've had the Kessil A150W Amazon Sun over my 60cm nature aquarium layout for about 4 weeks now. The light was put up right after a trim and has brought the plants into shape very quickly. The color at first seemed lacking and I was hesitant to leave the fixture be, 2 weeks into the new spectrum photo period the plants popped with a vibrant glow and returned to their original saturated state, even the reds.





*Form and Function*

The Kessil has a unique approach in attaching to the aquarium. Being that most of us strive for functionality while balancing the wife friendly appearance factor, the Kessil did this with a sleek, easy to install "goose neck" arm clamp and I thank them for it. The fixture itself is a quality aluminum cylinder with anodized, powder coat and paint combination finish. I could have only asked for something other then black. Maybe if Kessil reads this we will see a silver or white option that blends in with an interior wall better. The open nature the light allows for makes trimming, feeding and topping up the aquarium easier then ever. The fan that provides active cooling isn't too loud, my better half can put up with it so this means yours can too. I can't make comment on how long the fixture will last as I've only had it a month, but with what I've seen the construction should prove to be worth the $270 USD.





*Conclusion and Comment*

Despite the need for cable ties to secure the power cord and the ugly brass hanging hardware (I didn't use), my T5 setup will be donated to a new hobbyist, the A150W will stay over my aquarium and I will give Kessil a big  !




(Jake Adams using his Lytro on my layout)

Let us not forget to rethink what we expect from an aquarium light and embrace change.


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## mvasingh

Beautiful scape and lighting. Did you have to adjust your fertilizers and CO2 with the new lighting? Where did you purchase it from and how much did it cost?

Mike


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## George Farmer

Hi Johnny

Thanks for providing this review. I think it's worth mentioning that you're in no way directly affiliated with Kessil! 

I look forward to trying these out for myself at some point. The colour rendition looks brilliant. Have you done much post-processing with the images, or are they straight from camera in terms of colour?

I've tested out a few LED units now and the biggest disadvantage I've experienced is their poor colour rendition, especially with red plants. However, this unit seems to be excellent.

The other disadvantage is the intense shimmer-effect one can experience, especially when running plenty of surface water movement. I tested out a Radion unit recently which almost gave me a headache after a while! The colour on the Radion were amazing but it is fitted with RGB LEDs that are 100% customisable. But there is also a price to pay for that.  The Kessil seems very well-priced, in comparison, but obviously lacks the flexibility. This said, if the results in real terms looks as good as they do in your photos then there's no need for customisation of colour rendition. 

Anyway, thanks again for posting.  The aquascape looks incredible too, by the way, and deserves a thread all to itself... 

Cheers,
George

PS Maybe you could do a quick review of your new camera too!!


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## Ian Holdich

How much are these retailing for?


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## hinch

I use one of their marine ones on my little nano reef cost was about $240 as I ordered from yankee land they weren't available in uk at the time and still are rare.  Its an awesome little light but if you're even slightly DIY inclined you can achieve the same result for alot less just building your own that way you can tailor the colours to your liking.


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## Johnny Ciotti

mvasingh said:
			
		

> Beautiful scape and lighting. Did you have to adjust your fertilizers and CO2 with the new lighting? Where did you purchase it from and how much did it cost?
> 
> Mike



Mike, 

I did make a small bump in ferts and CO2 output as the plants "looked" as if they where getting more light then my previous 2 bulb T5 setup. Even with the shadows being more defined I believe there is more PAR in them after the switch.

I wasn't fortunate enough to have my good friend Jake Adams from Reefbuilders.com line up a fixture for review.


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## Johnny Ciotti

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Hi Johnny
> 
> Thanks for providing this review. I think it's worth mentioning that you're in no way directly affiliated with Kessil!
> 
> I look forward to trying these out for myself at some point. The colour rendition looks brilliant. Have you done much post-processing with the images, or are they straight from camera in terms of colour?
> 
> I've tested out a few LED units now and the biggest disadvantage I've experienced is their poor colour rendition, especially with red plants. However, this unit seems to be excellent.
> 
> The other disadvantage is the intense shimmer-effect one can experience, especially when running plenty of surface water movement. I tested out a Radion unit recently which almost gave me a headache after a while! The colour on the Radion were amazing but it is fitted with RGB LEDs that are 100% customisable. But there is also a price to pay for that.  The Kessil seems very well-priced, in comparison, but obviously lacks the flexibility. This said, if the results in real terms looks as good as they do in your photos then there's no need for customisation of colour rendition.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for posting.  The aquascape looks incredible too, by the way, and deserves a thread all to itself...
> 
> Cheers,
> George
> 
> PS Maybe you could do a quick review of your new camera too!!



George,

Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad I could be of help.

You are correct to say I am in no way affiliated with Kessil, directly. I was fortunate enough to get a unit through a friend and after testing I'm happy to say I will be purchasing/keeping the fixture.

As for the photographs, they are RAW images from a Canon 5D MKIII, processed with some mild sharpening and contrast in Adobe LR4. Not color correcting other then the white balance setting in camera, then finally resized for web resolution.

I have noticed while shooting photographs under this unit you will get orange/pink hues towards the center when the background is white or light in color. 

The Radion seems to be a top pick amongst LED units. I've yet to try one for a long period of time over a planted aquarium in my home. I have some friends at EcoTech, I'll ask them to loan me a unit for review.

Now in regard to a review for the new camera system, I'd be happy to in about a weeks time. What do you think would be of value to the UKAPS members, a review on it for photography and video specifically aquarium related or otherwise?


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## Johnny Ciotti

hinch said:
			
		

> I use one of their marine ones on my little nano reef cost was about $240 as I ordered from yankee land they weren't available in uk at the time and still are rare.  Its an awesome little light but if you're even slightly DIY inclined you can achieve the same result for alot less just building your own that way you can tailor the colours to your liking.



I couldn't agree more, but lets be honest, some of us are really bad at DIY


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## Johnny Ciotti

ianho said:
			
		

> How much are these retailing for?



Here in the USA, about $270.


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## George Farmer

Thanks, Johnny. Out of interest have you tested these for PAR?



			
				Johnny Ciotti said:
			
		

> The Radion seems to be a top pick amongst LED units. I've yet to try one for a long period of time over a planted aquarium in my home. I have some friends at EcoTech, I'll ask them to loan me a unit for review.


I'd be interested to see what you think to it. I found it a bit too "technicolour" for my taste. Because of the RGB LEDs in combination with the shimmer the plants didn't appear very natural in their colour rendition. I played around with the colour balance (via the PC/USB interface) but maybe I didn't give it enough time. I would say you definitely can't use the Royal Blue LEDs. I used the following settings for your interest- 100% Cool White, 100% Red, 100% Green, 100% Red, 20% Blue and 0% Royal Blue.

It's a fantastic piece of kit but I would say more appropriate for the reef market, which is of course where it's marketed and where the colours will really highlight the corals and fish, as well as producing high PAR.



			
				Johnny Ciotti said:
			
		

> Now in regard to a review for the new camera system, I'd be happy to in about a weeks time. What do you think would be of value to the UKAPS members, a review on it for photography and video specifically aquarium related or otherwise?


Well, the Mk3 is out of most of our budgets but it would be very interested to see how you find it for aquarium photography and videography. There's a few Mk2 owners on here; also some Nikon users, so you perspective as a previous Nikon user will be particularly interesting.

Cheers,
George


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## Johnny Ciotti

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Thanks, Johnny.  Out of interest have you tested these for PAR?



I have some PAR tests underway, but they are all going to be used in a Reefbuilders.com freshwater shoot out. Stay tuned as UKAPS will be the only other place that information is be posted.



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> I'd be interested to see what you think to it. I found it a bit too "technicolour" for my taste. Because of the RGB LEDs in combination with the shimmer the plants didn't appear very natural in their colour rendition. I played around with the colour balance (via the PC/USB interface) but maybe I didn't give it enough time. I would say you definitely can't use the Royal Blue LEDs.  I used the following settings for your interest- 100% Cool White, 100% Red, 100% Green, 100% Red, 20% Blue and 0% Royal Blue.
> 
> It's a fantastic piece of kit but I would say more appropriate for the reef market, which is of course where it's marketed and where the colours will really highlight the corals and fish, as well as producing high PAR.



We will see soon, I've already got something in the works! 



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Well, the Mk3 is out of most of our budgets but it would be very interesting to see how you find it for aquarium photography and videography. There's a few Mk2 owners on here; also some Nikon users, so your perspective as a previous Nikon user will be particularly interesting.



Agreed, some might find it interesting. Hopefully in a weeks time I can conjure up a review on this fantastical piece of kit.


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## Antipofish

Hey Johnny.  Great review.  I have to say, I am glad George cleared up that you are not the Marketing Director of Kessil, LOL. Its good to read unbiased reviews   You have so few posts on here which is a shame because you are clearly an experienced and talented 'scaper.  I would love to see more of your work and some journals of your aquarium/a if you have the time. I love that tank you have used for the review. And I fully see what you mean about shadows bringing life to the aquarium.  Can I ask, as a new scaper myself (who is rapidly trying to learn as much as I can and probably forgetting too much along the way) with the shadows and different light intensities, presumably you have to choose plants more carefully ? Or is it just a case that the plants in lower lit areas will grow at a slower rate ?

Great choice of camera too.  If only I could find a way to trade up from my D700 to the 5D3, I would  It has everything I want.  Reasonable fps, not TOO many megapixels, great video and a brand new autofocus system.


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## Johnny Ciotti

*Kessil A150W "Amazon Sun" review*



			
				Antipofish said:
			
		

> Hey Johnny. Great review. I have to say, I am glad George cleared up that you are not the Marketing Director of Kessil, LOL. Its good to read unbiased reviews


 
I often forget to mention these things, at one point in time I did work for a lighting company (Ecoxotic). Right now I'm working with a coral retailer in the US, but this has nothing to do with lighting or aquarium plants. I gain nothing from my reviews other the the pleasure of helping my fellow hobbyists. Now if Kessil would like to throw me a bone afterwords I won't complain, ha ha!



			
				Antipofish said:
			
		

> You have so few posts on here which is a shame because you are clearly an experienced and talented 'scaper. I would love to see more of your work and some journals of your aquarium/a if you have the time. I love that tank you have used for the review.


 
I will be taking time in the future to share my work, I appreciate the kind words and feed back, it makes the time spent worth all the while. Often my views are seen as negative or that I'm gloating when talking about experiences. Hopefully I come across as helpful or of value to UKAPS and its members, not arrogant or an elitist.



			
				Antipofish said:
			
		

> And I fully see what you mean about shadows bringing life to the aquarium. Can I ask, as a new scaper myself (who is rapidly trying to learn as much as I can and probably forgetting too much along the way) with the shadows and different light intensities, presumably you have to choose plants more carefully ? Or is it just a case that the plants in lower lit areas will grow at a slower rate ?


 
For the most part plants will grow slower as long as there is enough light to meet their minimum requirements. I try to choose my plants accordingly (experience and time help) and plan your trimmings to the observed growth pattern. Give this a couple years and a few more layouts, you'll be a pro!



			
				Antipofish said:
			
		

> Great choice of camera too. If only I could find a way to trade up from my D700 to the 5D3, I would  It has everything I want. Reasonable fps, not TOO many megapixels, great video and a brand new autofocus system.


 
Too funny, I just sold my Nikon system including the D3s, D3x and D700. For web work and most print the D700 is more then enough machine, fabulous piece of kit. If you need video though, the 5D3 or D800 could be useful. Cameras are becoming so good that almost anything in the market has the ability to help make beautiful images easier.


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## Tresbling

I bought one of these units for my 50L bowl, but sadly I don't use it for two reasons - 

Firstly it's just too bright! I hadn't appreciated just how much light can be thrown out of a 36W LED, way too much for my low-tech, non CO2 tank. Plus it's like having a small star in my living room. My tank is right next to the TV, which just gets drowned out by the Kessil. 

Secondly, you didn't mention the noise? The cooling fan is just a tad too loud and whiney to be acceptable in my living room (but then I am weird about noise, if something is rattling in the car I have to pull over and fix it). This might be fine for some people, and of course it depends on where the aquarium is in the house - it would be ok in a hallway, but I live in a small apartment where there's no getting away from it.

However I must say the build quality of the unit is excellent: I love their dense matrix under the glass lens, and the colour blending it gives is very impressive. I also like point source lighting for the shadows and ripples it gives, so much more natural than the blank spread you get from tubes. However, like George said, too much surface agitation and you're at risk of motion sickness!

My gripes are just personal issues, and I don't mean to put people off - If I had a 100+ litre tank in a spare room it would be perfect. I want them to make a passively cooled 15W version just for me


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## LondonDragon

Johnny any chance of the photos in the original post being re-uploaded again, hows the unit/tank doing still?


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## jack-rythm

I cant seem to view the photos?


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## Ed Seeley

Any word on the results of the PAR/PUR tests yet?


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## Johnny Ciotti

LondonDragon said:


> Johnny any chance of the photos in the original post being re-uploaded again, hows the unit/tank doing still?


 


jack-rythm said:


> I cant seem to view the photos?


 

My Flickr account had some issues. I'll look into finding the original files and upload them once again.


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## Johnny Ciotti

Ed Seeley said:


> Any word on the results of the PAR/PUR tests yet?


 
Hey Ed,

I'll have to dig that up again or take a new reading. The information was supposed to go live to ReefBuilders but never did.


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## Rasmusm

Looks good would be perfect on my 72l rimless tank! 
Is it dimmable?


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## sanj

Rasmusm said:


> Is it dimmable?


 
I dont think so, one of the reasons it fell off my radar, unless things have since changed.


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## Rasmusm

Oh thats almost a shame!  I noticed the "big brother" 90w/350w  is dimmable. I've emailed them and asked, will get back here when they reply


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## sanj

Rasmusm said:


> Oh thats almost a shame!  I noticed the "big brother" 90w/350w is dimmable. I've emailed them and asked, will get back here when they reply


 
Ah, it might be possible then, let us know what they say.


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## BigTom

No, the 150 doesn't have a dimmer function.


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## Rasmusm

Hm okay,  is it possible to make som diy dimming for it. Or cant the leds handle it


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## BigTom

Sort of -http:// Dimming kessil A150 - UltimateReef.com


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## BigTom

I might get one to try actually - my fan is already modded to run at half speed on a separate power supply and the light tends to run pretty hot, so I wonder if dimming the light will produce less heat.

Maybe not, just saw the price on the dimmer - £105 on Amazon.

Edit - £5 on eBay, that's more like it.


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## BigTom

Ordered one, will report back when it arrives.


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## Rasmusm

Cheers Tom! Hope it's possible,


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## BigTom

Well the good news is that the dimmer works quite well. The bad news is that it causes an almighty buzzing noise from the pendant on anything except full brightness (it's still faintly audible at 100%), I think either from the bulbs themselves or the capacitors. So pretty useless all in all.

I guess other dimmers with different frequencies might give better (or worse!) results, but I don't think I'll be bothering.


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## TOO

Tom, on an another note, how do you find the noise coming from the cooling fan of the Kessil? Reading on the web it seems to bother some people.

Thomas


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## BigTom

Yup, it was way too loud for me. I ended up rewiring the fan to run at half speed on a separate 12v power supply (old mobile phone charger) instead of at 24v. Much quieter, but the unit runs a lot hotter, so it'll be reducing the life of the LEDs, although I have no idea how much by. I got it for a reasonable price second hand, hence not too worried about messing around with it, but if I'd bought it new I'd have returned it due to the noise.

They really should have made the unit larger in order to fit a bigger (quieter) fan, as in the A350s. Major flaw IMO. Shame because the aesthetics, colour and spread of light are all excellent.


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## TOO

Thanks for this feedback, Tom. Then it is a no go for me. A bit hysterical about noise.

Thomas


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## darren636

Thanks Tom, you saved me a bunch of money and the hassle of returning it! . I cannot abide... Noise.


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## Johnny Ciotti

Rasmusm said:


> Looks good would be perfect on my 72l rimless tank!
> Is it dimmable?


 
Not that I know of. I can try an in-line dimmer on the unit and see what happens.


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## Rasmusm

Hi again
Im looking into buying this Led fixture now.. I was wondering where you guys have ordered it from?
I cant fint the 6500k kessil in UK ? Neither in Germany, so will prolly have to buy from the US, but they use 110v In denmark we use 230v?


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## Rasmusm

Never mind, I found a danish shop selling them  ... Am about to order one today, will let you know what I think about it


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## darren636

Rasmusm said:


> Never mind, I found a danish shop selling them  ... Am about to order one today, will let you know what I think about it


 there was a new one on eBay a couple of months ago £140

But now nothing anywhere


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## Rasmusm

Finally got the unit  It looks great, and great quality, as other say the fan inside is a bit noisy but I can live with it..

Heres a small video


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## TallDragon

Rasmusm said:


> Finally got the unit  It looks great, and great quality, as other say the fan inside is a bit noisy but I can live with it..
> 
> Heres a small video



Hi Rasmusm
What has been you experience over   past 7 months?


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## darren636

TallDragon said:


> Hi Rasmusm
> What has been you experience over   past 7 months?


The new ones have more control


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## TallDragon

darren636 said:


> The new ones have more control


Darren, have you used the new one ( A160WE TUNA SUN ) yet? Do you have experience with it? If you do, could you start a new thread about it and write a quick review?
 http://www.kessil.com/aquarium/Freshwater_A160_Tuna_Sun.php


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## darren636

TallDragon said:


> Darren, have you used the new one ( A160WE TUNA SUN ) yet? Do you have experience with it? If you do, could you start a new thread about it and write a quick review?
> http://www.kessil.com/aquarium/Freshwater_A160_Tuna_Sun.php


No.
I can only find scraps of information.
The website is pretty poor .


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## Alastair

TallDragon said:


> Darren, have you used the new one ( A160WE TUNA SUN ) yet? Do you have experience with it? If you do, could you start a new thread about it and write a quick review?
> http://www.kessil.com/aquarium/Freshwater_A160_Tuna_Sun.php



I have these and will pop up some photos and a small review this week


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## TallDragon

Alastair said:


> I have these and will pop up some photos and a small review this week


Thanks Alastair. Looking forward to review. Please put link to review thread into this thread. Also, please mention, what you use to control the light (timer, ramp, ec.)


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## Rasmusm

TallDragon said:


> Hi Rasmusm
> What has been you experience over   past 7 months?



Hey

Its a lovely led lamp! Light is still amazing and plants grow fast under it !
Only thing I can complain about is the gooseneck not beeing "long" enough. Could use another 20cm or something like that. Because its a bit dark in the edges of my tank.. Tank is 60x30x30cm. Guess I could solve it by hanging the light instead.

So thumbs up from here !


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## TallDragon

Rasmusm said:


> Could use another 20cm or something like that. Because its a bit dark in the edges of my tank.. Tank is 60x30x30cm. Guess I could solve it by hanging the light instead.


Rasmusm, have you considered the 
*90 Degree Gooseneck Adapter *
which may help? 
Could you provide a picture of your current Tant + Lamp setup, please?


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## Rasmusm

I meant tank is 60x40x30cm
I didnt knew there was a thing like that ! Thanks will look into that!

I can grap a few pictures later or, when I get home


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## Rasmusm

I managed to do it from my phone  here it is


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## darren636

Beautiful aquarium


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## Stu Worrall

i had a look at the 160 and 360 tuna's at Evolution Aqua yesterday and they look really good.  the fan noise on the 160 is quite quiet now so Im assuming an improvement on the old ones that were noisy.  The controller for them is very cool too. almost like an ipod of old with colour screen and touch sensitive buttons beneath.


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## TallDragon

Rasmusm said:


> I meant tank is 60x40x30cm
> I didnt knew there was a thing like that ! Thanks will look into that!
> 
> I can grap a few pictures later or, when I get home


Nice little jungle.
I think the 90 adapter would help, but you also seem to have a lot of ambient light from the window too. Is that not a problem?



stuworrall said:


> i had a look at the 160 and 360 tuna's at Evolution Aqua yesterday and they look really good.  the fan noise on the 160 is quite quiet now so Im assuming an improvement on the old ones that were noisy.  The controller for them is very cool too. almost like an ipod of old with colour screen and touch sensitive buttons beneath.



Stuworrall, 
did you manage to grab the prices? Evolution Aqua's web page doesn't yet have any pricing info up yet.
I fear that the cool controller may be too smart, and too expensive for my future needs.

If you can, could you ask them, if they could test the new A160WE on a Current USA Single Channel Ramp Timer
Most aquascapers usually just need a single light to control with a simple ramp, unlike the marine crowd - for which Kessil controller was designed for, with too many fancy features.
I specifically wrote to Current USA this week to find out about compatibility, but their reply was: _"Dear Hobbyist, The 0-10v controller ships with a transformer that is compatible with 100-240 volt AC. We do not know if the 0-10v controller would be compatible with Kessils light or any future models they may product."
_


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## Rasmusm

Lots of sun light yea. I recently moved to my girlfriends apartment, so tank got a bright spot. There is however some dimming stuff on the windows. 
No the sun light wasnt a problem until I changed my co2 bottle and co2 went slightly down. Then with much light things go fast in the wrong direction ! 
I think the 90 degree adaptor will do a good job raising the lamp a bit to get more light out in the edges


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## Stu Worrall

TallDragon said:


> Stuworrall,
> did you manage to grab the prices? Evolution Aqua's web page doesn't yet have any pricing info up yet.
> I fear that the cool controller may be too smart, and too expensive for my future needs.
> 
> If you can, could you ask them, if they could test the new A160WE on a Current USA Single Channel Ramp Timer
> Most aquascapers usually just need a single light to control with a simple ramp, unlike the marine crowd - for which Kessil controller was designed for, with too many fancy features.
> I specifically wrote to Current USA this week to find out about compatibility, but their reply was: _"Dear Hobbyist, The 0-10v controller ships with a transformer that is compatible with 100-240 volt AC. We do not know if the 0-10v controller would be compatible with Kessils light or any future models they may product."_


I was doing some product photography for Evolution Aqua so Im guessing their website will be updated soon once theyve launched.  Their new marine and aquascaping tanks are very nice! Top quality silicon and beautiful cabs, probably the best Ive seen without trying to be biased and the gloss ones have several colours


Jeremy has given these prices below but at the time they didnt know the answer re the USA single channel timer. Have you tried Kessil support in the USA with it being a US product?


*The prices at RRP are as follows:

Kessil A360 Tuna Sun £369.99
Kessil A160 Tuna Sun £229.99

Gooseneck £24.95
Gooseneck 90 degree adaptor £14.95
Spectral Controller £99.95
*
Im getting some A360 tuna's and a controller for my 120cm so Ill let you know how they get on with the new tank when Ive got it running.


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## TallDragon

Thanks for prices.
Ouch, for my planned 60cm tank, I could nearly get an ADA Aquasky 602 with two LED stripes for that money (A160WE + neck + adapter)


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## parotet

TallDragon said:


> Thanks for prices.
> Ouch, for my planned 60cm tank, I could nearly get an ADA Aquasky 602 with two LED stripes for that money (A160WE + neck + adapter)


You could even get the 601 which is not so overkill, which still delivers plenty of light and is much cheaper... But be careful, not sure if it can be dimmed and you won't be able to raise it

Jordi


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## Alastair

Well I've opened box 1 today, thought I'd just pop up a couple of photos I've taken on my phone. 
I've also had a fiddle with the intensity and colour and the 360 freshwater tuna is really bright, really really bright and almost whisper quiet 


Kessil 360e Freshwater tuna by Mr-T-, on Flickr


Kessil 360e Freshwater tuna by Mr-T-, on Flickr


Kessil 360e Freshwater tuna by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Kessil 360e Freshwater tuna by Mr-T-, on Flickr

Kessil 360e Freshwater tuna by Mr-T-, on Flickr


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## TallDragon

parotet said:


> You could even get the 601 which is not so overkill, which still delivers plenty of light and is much cheaper... But be careful, not sure if it can be dimmed and you won't be able to raise it
> 
> Jordi


Parotet, what you say is very true. 
I am just a bit saddened by the fact that both are 'premium' category priced, and it is just basically a question of which light spreading style one prefers, not a question a price vs value. I look forward to forum members trying these lights out and sharing their experiences, while I continue saving for the dream tech kit. I have not seen Kessils in person, but I 'think' I would prefer the shadows and shimmering over the very homogenous and uniform look of the aquaskys or T5 quads.


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## BigTom

Looks ace Al.

If anyone is interested in the old a150w and isn't fussed about it being a bit noisy, I see Charterhouse are currently selling them for a reasonable £109 - http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co...ight-amazon-sun-american-edition-p-15644.html


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## Rasmusm

I just wanted to follow up on this, I ordered the 90degree adaptor, that made a nice difference! I think it raised the lamp about 20cm extra.




All the big sword leafes are blocking the light a bit, also a bit dark photo  but I deffently got more light out to the corners

Plenty of light for 74l


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## foxfish

That must be a very dark photo! It looks like 5w with a dimmer in use! Nice sword though...


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## Martin in Holland

the lights look great....


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## GHNelson

Hi Alistair
Where  did you purchase the New version Kessils?
hoggie



BigTom said:


> Looks ace Al.
> 
> If anyone is interested in the old a150w and isn't fussed about it being a bit noisy, I see Charterhouse are currently selling them for a reasonable £109 - http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co...ight-amazon-sun-american-edition-p-15644.html


That's a bargain....paid £250...about 18 months ago for the original!
Cheers
hoggie


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## GHNelson

Kessil.....plant!
Blyxa sp japoncia

hoggie


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## Rasmusm

foxfish said:


> That must be a very dark photo! It looks like 5w with a dimmer in use! Nice sword though...



Yea I know.. But its not  running full power hehe, the new sword leafes have a nice red tan when they grow up


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## Stu Worrall

hogan53 said:


> Hi Alistair
> Where  did you purchase the New version Kessils?
> hoggie



Evolution Aqua are the new UK distributors which is where Im getting mine from.  

http://evolutionaqua.com/acatalog/Kessil_LED_Lighting.html

They have a distributor list below

http://www.evolutionaqua.com/acatalog/Master_Dealers.html


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## sanj

Can you buy direct from Evolution Aqua? I can't find any shops selling the new series.


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## GHNelson

stuworrall said:


> Evolution Aqua are the new UK distributors which is where Im getting mine from.
> 
> http://evolutionaqua.com/acatalog/Kessil_LED_Lighting.html
> 
> They have a distributor list below
> 
> http://www.evolutionaqua.com/acatalog/Master_Dealers.html


Look above!


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## sanj

Sorry I meant selling online, but I get the impression they are not properly out yet, hence the pre-ordering. Interestingly they seem to have at least one distributer who has long time gone out of business


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## Alastair

sanj said:


> Sorry I meant selling online, but I get the impression they are not properly out yet, hence the pre-ordering. Interestingly they seem to have at least one distributer who has long time gone out of business



Alot of the distributors also seem to be koi and pond related..strange


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## TallDragon

Does anyone have experience with the new Kessil A160WE Tuna Sun lights?


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## BigTom

I really wish they'd release an a360n Tuna Sun (narrow beam version for mounting high above tank). I'd buy one right away.


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## TallDragon

BigTom said:


> I really wish they'd release an a360n Tuna Sun (narrow beam version for mounting high above tank). I'd buy one right away.


BigTom, How about getting a A160WE, then shipping it to custom optical company like this or this, and giving them a spec of what you need. Then you can start selling the replacement lenses on ebay.


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## alto

BigTom said:


> I really wish they'd release an a360n Tuna Sun (narrow beam version for mounting high above tank). I'd buy one right away.



Just give Kessil a call & discuss options ... (I thought they'd played with the option & then moved to wider angle)


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## UllavL

BigTom said:


> I really wish they'd release an a360n Tuna Sun (narrow beam version for mounting high above tank). I'd buy one right away.


Hmm, do you know how close to the tank you have to mount them BigTom? I was thinking of buying them for my shallow tank which is only 120 x 32 x 22 cm. I don't want them too close to the water surface...


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## BigTom

UllavL said:


> Hmm, do you know how close to the tank you have to mount them BigTom? I was thinking of buying them for my shallow tank which is only 120 x 32 x 22 cm. I don't want them too close to the water surface...



Ideally I'd like it about 120cm above the substrate, for which I need a roughly 60 degree beam angle (edge to edge). The WE variants are more than double that, but the N would be pretty much spot on.


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## UllavL

Thanks @BigTom! How do you calculate which angke you need?


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## BigTom

Trigonometry!


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## UllavL

Haha, yeah just about 15 years since I studied that  I'll look it up, thanks again!


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## RynoParsons

Still love the kessil leds. Just dont get the reds on the plants like I want to


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