Kessil A360XE settings: Recommended color settings seems wild!

[ksliech]

I'm running a pair of Kessil A360XE's with the following settings at peak:

• Intensity: 40 (with this pair, I get about 300 PAR up top and around 75 PAR on the bottom)
• Color: 100
• Violet: 20
• Red: 0
• Green: 0

I prefer more natural colors (I used to run 6500k 400W MH's with 110W VHO actinics and thought that was perfect, 10k-ish), and haven't been totally happy with my Kessil settings. I searched all over, and kept finding the same BRS recommendations in their videos and in use by folks here and on other forums:

• Intensity: 100
• Color: 20
• Violet: 100
• Red: 20
• Green: 0

I just tried these settings out and it looks absolutely wild - neon blue/purple. This picture doesn't even do it justice:

What am I doing wrong here with these settings? I can't imagine this is the recommendation, but maybe I'm just an old fuddy-duddy not in touch with today's lighting style.

I'd love to see folks that have more natural daylight-ish with a little pop tanks chime in with their settings.

 

[Reefer Matt]

You can adjust the color to what pleases your eye. Kessils have a built in ability to keep the correct spectrum to grow coral despite the color setting. (Kessil logic). Mine ramp in color and intensity throughout the day. They are at 100 color when the Reefbrite fixture is on, and go toward 20 at night. The violets are up to you if you want them on.

 

[ksliech]

You can adjust the color to what pleases your eye. Kessils have a built in ability to keep the correct spectrum to grow coral despite the color setting. (Kessil logic). Mine ramp in color and intensity throughout the day. They are at 100 color when the Reefbrite fixture is on, and go toward 20 at night. The violets are up to you if you want them on.

Now this is exactly the color I'm looking for! When you took this picture, you had 100 for color (presumably because you're getting the blue from the Reefbrite), but what about violet, red, and green?

Serendipity: When you replied to this I was re-watching your video on how to set up the Trident for just a single test at a good time instead of the (insane, inflexible) 4 tests a day at non-configurable times! Thanks for figuring this out and posting it, it's a big help. I set it up last night but didn't see any results this morning, but I think this is because I still had it in 'manual' mode. I changed it to 'automatic' in the UI and configured it again. I'm a little surprised that mattered, given the 'if time' but who knows. Am I missing something?

 

[minus9]

Set the color to what you want and match the violet channel to your intensity. For a more natural look, I use 10-15% red and green during peak hours.

 

[TX_REEF]

I use the kessil ap9x on both of my systems, and have both tuned more towards a daylight setting visually. Kessil supposedly has "kessil-logic" which means no matter how you set the color visually, there is useable spectrum for coral growth. Everything grows happily in my tanks, but I do find that turning up red and green spectrums too high does spur microalgae growth.

 

[minus9]

I use the kessil ap9x on both of my systems, and have both tuned more towards a daylight setting visually. Kessil supposedly has "kessil-logic" which means no matter how you set the color visually, there is useable spectrum for coral growth. Everything grows happily in my tanks, but I do find that turning up red and green spectrums too high does spur microalgae growth.

For my LPS system I'm only using 5% red and green during peak, but for my nano clam lagoon, they get 15% during peak. Red and green are mainly for aesthetics, so you don't need a lot to do the job.

 

[ksliech]

Set the color to what you want and match the violet channel to your intensity. For a more natural look, I use 10-15% red and green during peak hours.

Will do - but what's the reasoning behind matching intensity and violet settings? 'Color' and violet increases look visually similar to me. I understand that 'all settings grow corals' with Kessils, but Is there some spectral benefit to violet besides aesthetics?

 

[minus9]

Will do - but what's the reasoning behind matching intensity and violet settings? 'Color' and violet increases look visually similar to me. I understand that 'all settings grow corals' with Kessils, but Is there some spectral benefit to violet besides aesthetics?

Violet is there to give your corals that “pop”, there aren’t enough diodes to add to the overall spectrum, but they provide a “visual” aesthetic to your corals. I’ve always matched the violet channel to my intensity.

 

[oreo54]

Kessil supposedly has "kessil-logic" which means no matter how you set the color visually, there is useable spectrum for coral growth. Everything grows happily in my tanks, but I do find that turning up red and green spectrums too high does spur microalgae growth.

Not "exactly" true. If you listen to Kessil you will note they say the core spectrum uses "Kessil logic".

My interpretation that does not include the purple/ green/red ancillary channels.


I assume they are relatively weak though
As usual no idea of " what" nm they are.
Red 640,660?
Purple contains " violet and indigo" (410/430?)

 

[minus9]

Not "exactly" true. If you listen to Kessil you will note they say the core spectrum uses "Kessil logic".

My interpretation that does not include the purple/ green/red ancillary channels.


I assume they are relatively weak though
As usual no idea of " what" nm they are.
Red 640,660?
Purple contains " violet and indigo" (410/430?)

This is true, the violet, red and green only work with a controller or their WiFi dongle. The “core” spectrum utilizes a “full” spectrum compared to others. It does include uv in that “core”.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Now this is exactly the color I'm looking for! When you took this picture, you had 100 for color (presumably because you're getting the blue from the Reefbrite), but what about violet, red, and green?

Serendipity: When you replied to this I was re-watching your video on how to set up the Trident for just a single test at a good time instead of the (insane, inflexible) 4 tests a day at non-configurable times! Thanks for figuring this out and posting it, it's a big help. I set it up last night but didn't see any results this morning, but I think this is because I still had it in 'manual' mode. I changed it to 'automatic' in the UI and configured it again. I'm a little surprised that mattered, given the 'if time' but who knows. Am I missing something?

I just use the violet, red, and green for my eye, and not for any effect on the coral. The lights go to an insane bluish violet at night to make the coral pop, but the rest of the day they are as pictured. Yes, the Trident has to be in Automatic mode to test automatically. Otherwise you can test only when you want to. When the Trident first came out, they said the reagent would thicken and plug up the tubes if the schedule was lessened. Four years later, I’m still waiting for that to happen. But I have always tested at least once per day.

I don’t suggest using Trident controlled dosing with a custom schedule less than the factory default. It may cause big swings in alkalinity, depending on which coral are kept.