Well, things are progressing with the new tank concept. Got the Orphek Atlantik V4’s and got them up on the tank today. Wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped, but all was eventually worked out. One of the lights wouldn’t turn on, but it turned out to be a loose wire that was easily fixed. Also had some trouble getting it to pair with the “Gateway” base station, that controls them all. Ended up upgrading the software (firmware??) on the gateway, and all has been fine since. Lights are very responsive through the iPad app, and I have already enjoyed watching the sun set on my tank without a jarring / sudden shut down of all the lights.
First impressions..............Very nice looking, and feeling light. Feels high quality and well thought out. It really makes the tank BRIGHT!! The kessils always felt a little dim, compared to other lights......not in a bad way at all, just not as glaringly bright. However, as the day went on, I started enjoying the look more and more. Just need to get used to it.
Definitely has a disco effect.......more so than I had read about. So far, it’s not bothering me.......a couple spots were kinda cool....almost looked like the reflection from a prism on the rocks. Neat, but not very natural. As I played with the lights, I found several very nice combo’s that give a crisp / high def look. Corals look very good and happy under them. I will be watching coloration very closely to see if they fade, or maintain good color. I would have to say on first impression that I prefer the look of the Kessil light output. It’s just a bit sharper.....maybe it’s the disco effect? Not sure, but these are certainly not bad at all. Just different. Shadowing is MUCH less and the fish look better in this light, as they get shadows over their eyes and when they are high up in the tank from the single point light source. This brighter look really shows them off.
The mount is obviously temporary, but will do fine until I can build another custom canopy. Hoping to do one in some sort of metal this time. We’ll see. I’m going to add one kessil on either side of the overflow, as it doesn’t cover the back wall of the tank. This will allow me to spotlight some stags and hopefully get them huge!! Not sure if I’m gonna use the narrows, or the wides. I’ll try both and see how / if they blend with the Orphek. Might actually make it better.
Anyway, here are some shots from today. I’ll let you know how the corals respond, and any issues that might arise. Happy New Year to everyone. Happy Reefing!!
