(upbeat music)
- Hey, it's Thomas here,
and today we're doing a quick review
on the Kessil A360X Tuna Blue.
If you're looking for an led light
that is super simple to set up for your specific reef,
has what is widely considered to be
the best shimmer available,
closely resembling metal halides,
is a longstanding favorite of the BRS team with a spectrum
that is nearly identical to the gold standard ATI Blue Plus,
and as a part of Ryan's new platinum standard
for the BRS 360
then check out the Kessil A360X Tuna Blue.
I mean, thousands of reefers
have been growing awesome looking corals under Kessils
for a very long time.
Quite the resume.
There is no doubt that choosing the right light
for our reef tanks can make a tremendous difference
with coral health, growth, and coloration.
Finding a light with optimal spectrum par intensity
and distribution that is easy to set up
and get right the first time
while still providing flexibility
and control is the ultimate goal for any reefer.
Kessil is one of the titans of led lighting for aquariums.
They began their reef lighting journey back in 2009
and have spent the last decade
helping many a reefer achieve the tank of their dreams
filled with amazing looking corals,
dramatic metal halide like shimmer in a tiny package
with their unique dense matrix led spotlight approach to
reef lighting.
The A360X Tuna Blue is one of if not the favorite
when it comes to LEDs at BRS.
Due to its wide spectrum offering using Kessil logic
to make sure your corals always get what they need
while allowing you to tune the light visually
to your preference with simple dials on the light
for both color and intensity.
Making it one of the easiest
plug and play led options out there.
while still being able to provide more complex control
of desired via Kessils wifi, dongle and app.
But most importantly,
because it has proven time and time again
to reliably grow stunning show-quality coral colonies.
In the box, you'll find the A360X Tuna Blue,
the power adapter, AC adapter cable, DC extension cable,
hanging ring metal, screw hooks and hanging brackets.
The A360X is a 91 led fixture
and compared to its predecessor
has a much sleeker form factor.
Thanks to the new cooling design, being much shorter
and only a touch wider while still having all
of the same fantastic mounting options.
So if the included hanging ring or brackets
and hooks aren't for you, the gooseneck
and A series mounting arms are great options.
If you have an aquatic life hybrid fixture, there are also
brackets specifically tailored to the new A360X
that you can pick up.
Personally, I find that the, A series mount
is the nicest it's really, really light
while being super robust.
It also has an internal cord routing channel.
So you don't have to look at the cables
or anything hanging around it, which is really,
really sleek, holds the light at a perfect 90 degree angle,
which is really nice especially
if you're going to have a few of them on there.
They can all look absolutely perfect.
Goosenecks can be a little bit tough.
Yeah, just really solid mounting option.
When it comes to spectrum, the A360X has one of the
widest spectrum offerings available
and comes incredibly close to the reefing gold standard
the ATI blue plus with a very wide band in the
blue spectrum between 400 and 500 nanometers
while also including a true near UV peak
around 380 nanometers coming together
to generously cover the essential peaks for chlorophyll
and carotenoid production.
Which ultimately means excellent coral growth
and coloration.
The A360X also has big improvements
over its predecessor when it comes
to showing off coral fluorescence with a lot more color pop
thanks to that wide blue spectrum and splash of near UV.
Kessils dense matrix led array
tucked behind a single optic
continues to produce a very even spread of light,
especially for a spotlight style fixture.
Along with what is still regarded by most
as the best shimmer in the industry
and the closest replacement to that classic
metal halide look.
What's new with A360X is its ability to go from its
standard wide 130 degree beam angle
down to a 55 degree beam angle with the use
of the optional narrow beam reflector
that clips on magnetically in seconds.
No tools, just (clicks tongue).
Just, yeah, just like that.
Making it one of the few, if not the only led fixture
with more than one optimal mounting height
and ability to penetrate effectively
in both shallow and deep tanks.
Out of the box
the A360X has onboard control through two knobs
one for intensity and the other for color
which makes setting it up for use with a timer
extremely easy.
Set the color to what looks best to your eye
and then adjust the intensity to the needs of your corals.
Kessils logic makes sure that no matter where
the color knob lands your corals are going to receive
the spectrum that they need in order to thrive.
Which means there's no way to get it wrong.
The A360X is also compatible with the Kessil app
when paired with the optional wifi dongle,
giving you access to advanced features for spectrum,
custom schedules, moonlighting and acclimation modes.
You actually get three extra points of control
for dialing in your preferred spectrum.
In addition to the white and blue channels
you can individually control the red, green
and violet channels, which is great.
Personally, I wish Kessil had wifi and app control
as a standard feature, like most led options out there
rather than it being an add-on.
But I can see the appeal of only paying for
a single wifi dongle that can control
up to dozens of these lights
linked together with K-link cables.
Instead of say, having to pay for a wifi chip
that's built into every single light
that's going to bump the price up.
It makes sense, especially if you're going to put this on
a digital timer and just use the knobs that are on top
because that is so easy to do.
Yeah, I get it.
Now beyond the specs and features.
What makes this light a favorite at BRS
is the very simple fact that it produces awesome results.
Kessil lights have been used on many BRS tanks
including the BRS 160 and are a key ingredient
of Ryan's gold standard of lighting
when paired with T5s.
And they've performed so well, so consistently
Ryan's going to be using them as a part of his new
platinum standard of lighting.
Pairing them up with XHO reef brights
instead of T5s for his BRS 360 build.
So that says a ton.
If you're wondering about that narrow beam reflector
and whether or not you need it, it's going to depend a lot
on how high you want to mount your Kessil
or have to depending on your setup or how deep your tank is.
To find out exactly how it's going to affect your part
and spread, Randy has an amazing video that goes over
just that topic.
You can check it out right here by the end of it
you will know for certain whether or not
that narrow beam reflector is something
you're going to want look at.
Does a really good job, like remarkably good job
but only if you need to mount it higher
or have a super deep tank.
So check it out.
(upbeat music)