# A Kessil LED Powered Rimless Cube Build



## akpoly (Aug 23, 2011)

those are awesome light fixtures!


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## blink (Feb 22, 2012)

Looks like a nice start but get rid of those green hoses man!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'd love to do a setup with one of those Kessil fixtures.


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## bVo (Jan 24, 2013)

Awesome! I'm doing a same light, but only 12g and the fixture is an inch above the water. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but well see since the height of my tank is high. :x


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

This looks like it is going to be a COOL TANK! 


Those lights are VERY COOL!!! HUGE amounts of light in such a tiny pkg! They are the perfect light for cubes! I am a big fan of cubes, so I am subscribed for sure!

Good Luck!
Drew

p.s. Are there many good Planted tank shops in Houston? I have some family around there, and we will be going to see them in a few months, so I would love to know about any good shops! Thanks!


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## Alastair-T (Jun 5, 2011)

Ditto love cubes myself so will be watching this to see how it progresses. 


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

Hey we have the same setup (I don't have a journal yet). I have the Mr Aqua 25g 18" cube and the Kessil light. I've been setup for over 6 months now and one word of advice, GO DIRECT CO2! Don't make the mistake I made and try for low tech when the light is ultra high tech. It just doesn't work and it's hard to keep the algae in check. I had to learn the hard way and give into getting cO2. I'm a lot happier now and the plants are doing well and algae (specifically bba) is getting back in line.

Not to get down on your fauna but just make sure you don't over stock because 25g isn't huge. Also an angel fish and high grade shrimp might not be the best combo but I'm sure it's been done before. But I'm sure you'll nail it


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## vincenz (Jan 29, 2012)

I'd suggest moving all the lighting and plumbing to the back :thumbsup:

Liking the gooseneck clamp-- I'd have gone for one myself if my tank weren't so deep in width.


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## puopg (Sep 16, 2012)

I just sold my kessil a few weeks ago. It outputs a lot of light, though the falloff is pretty significant about a foot away from the source. Also, the shimmer effect if surface agitation is high is like seizure inducing. And yes, it sounds like a quiet computer on.


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## bVo (Jan 24, 2013)

@puopg 
Call me crazy but I just recently installed one in my Fluval Edge 12g. Maybe you can give me some insights!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=223618


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

akpoly said:


> those are awesome light fixtures!


I agree! Have a lot of positive experience with them over reef tanks and have been wanting to try over a planted since I heard about the Amazon Sun release! 



blink said:


> Looks like a nice start but get rid of those green hoses man!


Haha, yeah it's in the works. Trying to find a glass system that'll work with the 2217.



bVo said:


> Awesome! I'm doing a same light, but only 12g and the fixture is an inch above the water. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but well see since the height of my tank is high. :x


Problem with 1" above the water is going to be coverage, LED's like to be fairly high off the water for best results (I run LED's on both my reef tanks). Oh, and that's not to mention the possibility for water damage 



BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> This looks like it is going to be a COOL TANK!
> 
> Those lights are VERY COOL!!! HUGE amounts of light in such a tiny pkg! They are the perfect light for cubes! I am a big fan of cubes, so I am subscribed for sure!
> 
> ...


Thanks a bunch!! Honestly I got into the hobby as a reefer and really only dabble in planted, so I am not a connoisseur of planted shops and really know more about good coral / reef shops. IME City Pets has a good selection of both FW and SW, as does Fish Gallery (though their prices are wicked high most of the time). 



Alastair-T said:


> Ditto love cubes myself so will be watching this to see how it progresses.


Thanks a bunch!! I'm personally a huge cube fan myself, I love the unique look and scape possibilities that come with all that additional depth.



fusiongt said:


> Hey we have the same setup (I don't have a journal yet). I have the Mr Aqua 25g 18" cube and the Kessil light. I've been setup for over 6 months now and one word of advice, GO DIRECT CO2! Don't make the mistake I made and try for low tech when the light is ultra high tech. It just doesn't work and it's hard to keep the algae in check. I had to learn the hard way and give into getting cO2. I'm a lot happier now and the plants are doing well and algae (specifically bba) is getting back in line.
> 
> Not to get down on your fauna but just make sure you don't over stock because 25g isn't huge. Also an angel fish and high grade shrimp might not be the best combo but I'm sure it's been done before. But I'm sure you'll nail it


Thanks for the feedback!! I'll have to look into the angel / shrimp combo, I didn't know it was a possible issue. I'm still mixed on CO2 though. The first planted tank I setup for someone about 2-yrs ago has been low-tech from the start and grows plants faster than I can keep up with pruning. Never any algae, just good growth and happy fish. Given that success doesn't motivate me to add the extra clutter to this tank, but we will see what happens with time 

My first planted tank:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=136581&page=2



vincenz said:


> I'd suggest moving all the lighting and plumbing to the back :thumbsup:
> 
> Liking the gooseneck clamp-- I'd have gone for one myself if my tank weren't so deep in width.


Haha, as I noted in the OP the paint was still drying on the back hence everything being setup on the sides. As of today it's all cleaned up and moved to the back  And honestly the cube choice was mostly driven by the choice of light, a rectangle just wouldn't have gotten the right coverage. 



puopg said:


> I just sold my kessil a few weeks ago. It outputs a lot of light, though the falloff is pretty significant about a foot away from the source. Also, the shimmer effect if surface agitation is high is like seizure inducing. And yes, it sounds like a quiet computer on.


The 18" cube is honestly perfect for coverage due to this fact, the Kessil is good for about 20-22" of coverage on X-Y-Z axis. I honestly chose the light first on this build and made tank choice based on that  Shimmer definitely has more "disco ball" to it than the nice smooth shimmer of an MH (and lack of shimmer with T5), but the Kessil is actually very good in this respect for LED. I've seen some fixtures with spread LED's that make me want to throw up. I've been running LED's on my reef tanks for about 1.5-yrs now so the shimmer doesn't bug me anymore, though it did take me about a month to get used to originally. And as far as the noise, I don't even notice it compared to skimmers, chillers, powerheads, etc in a reef tank, LOL!  This cube is dead quiet to me


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Anybody have recommendations for a clear setup for intake / output that works with Eheim 2217 hose sizes?


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Thanks for the info on the LFS!!!

I would thing you probably won't have a problem with the angel's and shrimp till the Angels start getting big! Then the Angels will more then likely eat the shrimp!!! When I had Angels in my 55g and added Ghost shrimp as well as a few Bamboo shrimp the Angels went straight after them!!! The angels were about half dollar body size, and made quick meals of the Ghosts then picked on the Bamboo shrimp till they got them flipped over and proceeded to eat them! BUT if the Angels are small when the shrimp are added you might have a better outcome! I salt water terms, my Angels went after the Ghost shrimp like a Undulated Trigger will go after a Camel Shrimp!!! LOL 

Anyhoo I can't wait to see how the tank progresses!!!
Drew


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Haha, thanks for the SW analogy, that helps 

Decided to go with the Cal Aqua lily pipes in 13/17mm to match the Eheim 2217 hose sizes. Should ship in this week from GLA and really improve the look of the tank.

And browsing through that Cal Aqua stuff makes me want to run CO2 just so that I can utilize their awesome inline diffuser!! 

I added some fish and got some plants in, but unfortunately the driftwood is still floating so Im waiting for it to waterlog and sink before I can finish the final scape.


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Had a few jumpers already!! Both neon swords took the leap on the first night, and a long fin white cloud was crispy this evening. Bummer! Though it was probable some of this would happen.


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

For the plant situation, the glassostigma are shooting long stems already and the rotala wallichii are turning a wicked pink under the LED.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Tank is looking VERY GOOD!!! 

Man those led pendants are SWEET!!!! Sorry to hear about the jumpers! Don't they make special lids/tops for the rimless tanks? I thought I have seen one with a glass piece that sits on clear "holders that mount on the rim of the side glass panes. The lid itself sits flush so you really cant see it IIRC. I would think with the amount of light you have the glass lid wouldn't hurt too much, and it would for sure save the fish and cut down on the evaporation factor too! 

Anyway keep up the great work!!!
Drew


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Tank is looking VERY GOOD!!!
> 
> Man those led pendants are SWEET!!!! Sorry to hear about the jumpers! Don't they make special lids/tops for the rimless tanks? I thought I have seen one with a glass piece that sits on clear "holders that mount on the rim of the side glass panes. The lid itself sits flush so you really cant see it IIRC. I would think with the amount of light you have the glass lid wouldn't hurt too much, and it would for sure save the fish and cut down on the evaporation factor too!
> 
> ...


Thanks a bunch! This tank actually came with a glass top, but it just takes too much away from the clean look that I am going for. In my experience the jumpers have a way of weeding themselves out, eventually it'll stop and everybody will be safe


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Tank is coming along and the jumpers for now have stopped. Fish include a total of:
* 10 small neon tetras
* 4 small longfin white clouds
* 2 medium neon rainbows
* 1 TINY BABY albino bushynose pleco
* 1 small hitchiker cherry shrimp

I'm honestly not sure what the plants are, but the red in the bank has nice pink growth tips under the LED and both the red and green are showing stem spouts at the base and vertical growth. The forground plant is rhizoming like crazy and will carpet the foreground in no time. 

Also bought a betta today, with possible plans to put it in this tank or perhaps just keep it in a separate betta tank. I've developed a bit of a fetish for them to be honest, so much diversity and color, all at a cheap price with SUPER easy care. I used to have a clown fetish and spent ungodly amounts on specially bred rare clows, which I dont regret to this day and still have after 2-yrs, but still I am starting to see the appeal of FW over SW 

Latest tank pic









New crowntail male betta:









And the beloved clowns, just to mix things up:


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Had another jumper, a neon tetra this time. Going to have to restock on fish pretty often at this rate!!

Had a pretty nice algae bloom, but it appears to have subsided now. Still getting really great growth out of the glossistigma, and the background plants are starting to get some real height now. Updated tank pics coming soon. 

Got some new toys in today, really looking forward to the new look and getting rid of that surface scum. Cal Aqua Labs lilypipes that I ordered from GLA:

13mm Outflow:









17mm Inflow:









And CRAP!! Looking at this just now I realized that GLA accidentally swapped my order, invoice is right but the inflow/outflow pipe sizes were swapped. Bummer...


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## kwheeler91 (May 26, 2009)

Those clowns are awesome. Whats the name of them?


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

kwheeler91 said:


> Those clowns are awesome. Whats the name of them?


Thanks!! They are Sustainable Aquatics "Fancy Snows".


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Not sure now I missed your journal but this is great! Can't wait to see how things turn out.

Pretty sure you just made me want to find a reason to buy a Kessil fixture. Is it okay if I blame you a little bit for extending my multiple tank syndrome? 

That's really a ton of light for such a tiny fixture. Impressive.


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## Rehype (Jan 20, 2012)

Hey ange I didn't know you had a planted tank as well! Looks great so far.


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## PinkRasbora (Jan 22, 2005)

glass tubes ! I am jealous!!!!!

Are you gonna put anything for the background?


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

How is the heat emitted by the kessil? Does the fixture get too hot to touch?


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Not sure now I missed your journal but this is great! Can't wait to see how things turn out.
> 
> Pretty sure you just made me want to find a reason to buy a Kessil fixture. Is it okay if I blame you a little bit for extending my multiple tank syndrome?
> 
> That's really a ton of light for such a tiny fixture. Impressive.


Haha, thanks!! This actually isn't my tank, but I'll be keeping up the journal as I'm doing 99% of the work on it. This was kind of my "build something you really want without paying for it" gig, lol! And sure, blame away. I blame this tank on setting up my own 2g planted betta tank, lol!



Rehype said:


> Hey ange I didn't know you had a planted tank as well! Looks great so far.


Dood, it's funny to see all my reef buds around here!! I've currently got one personal tank, and 2 that I set up for friends / family that I basically own without the day to day chores (still get called for pruning, filter changes, etc). You should PM me a link to your planted tank(s), didn't know you were involved either!!! Given your reef nano's, I have super-high expectations lol! 



PinkRasbora said:


> glass tubes ! I am jealous!!!!!
> 
> Are you gonna put anything for the background?


Heck ya!! The correct sized ones should be here Friday and really look awesome as well as add functionality (some protein buildup on the surface using the stock spray bar). No background plans besides plants. I've seen incredible tanks with a white background that really creates an infinity look. Once the current plant layout grows out it should accomplish this. All good things in time!


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

chris.rivera3 said:


> How is the heat emitted by the kessil? Does the fixture get too hot to touch?


Heat into the water is none, the fixture gets hot but not too hot to touch.


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## Aquaticus (Jan 7, 2013)

I just saw one of these tanks at the LFS last night, and they are a great size. I really wanted to get one, but the wife would have killed me.


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## Rehype (Jan 20, 2012)

ange062 said:


> Dood, it's funny to see all my reef buds around here!! I've currently got one personal tank, and 2 that I set up for friends / family that I basically own without the day to day chores (still get called for pruning, filter changes, etc). You should PM me a link to your planted tank(s), didn't know you were involved either!!! Given your reef nano's, I have super-high expectations lol!


 
That's awesome to here. This is actually my first freshwater planted tank so im learning alot as I go along...it doesn't look great but hopefully it will look better with time. Im currently growing everything emmersed and plan to flood it in a month.


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Rehype said:


> That's awesome to here. This is actually my first freshwater planted tank so im learning alot as I go along...it doesn't look great but hopefully it will look better with time. Im currently growing everything emmersed and plan to flood it in a month.


Sweet hype, I subbed over at your thread!! Look forward to progress. 

Here are some updated pics of the tank from today. Just crappy cell pics, but will bust out the DSLR once there is more to show. Still going through the end of the algae bloom. Glossostimga growth is great, as are the rest of the plants. The "hitchhiker" shrimp is still alive but mostly stays under the driftwood out of sight. The correct Cal Aqua lilypipes will be here on Friday. 


Topdown:









Full Setup:









Left Side:









Right Side:









FTS:


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

The correct sized Cal Aqua lilypipes showed up today, can't wait to get them installed!


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

And installed, really cleaned up the look of the tank! And even after a few mintutes have noticed a big difference i the amount of surface film.


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Tank has come a long way. Had a couple algae problems which ended up in a total rescape. Have added a bunch of new fish, though most of the originals are still around. The 3 cherry shrimp have multiplied and are now well over 20. The glossostigma was replaced with baby tears without much expectation, but surprisingly they have really taken off despite no CO2. 

Added a handful of red goldflake shrimp today, hoping they will take off and multiply as well.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks great! I remember this tank from last spring.


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## husonfirst (Sep 12, 2009)

Nice tank. How many bags of aquasoil did it take to fill the 25g?


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

Are those Sulawesi shrimp in there with your rainbows? If it is that will end up turning into an expensive meal for your fish.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Wow that kessills doing good for your HC. Whats the measurement from the light to the substrate? Im wanting to try these on a 120g build and was wondering.


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## Hopkingreenfrog (Feb 1, 2013)

Great looking tank Ange!

I have a question in relation to the CAL Lily Pipes. I'm thinking of grabbing a set of these and just wondering if they are able to create a vortex like the traditionally shapped lily pipes? Or do you have to have it sitting slightly above the surface in order to eliminate surface film?


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> That looks great! I remember this tank from last spring.


Thanks!!



husonfirst said:


> Nice tank. How many bags of aquasoil did it take to fill the 25g?


I'm pretty sure it was just the majority of one of the ADA 30# bags, but it may have been bigger as I also used it to fill a couple planted betta tanks since. It's whatever their standard size is for the Amazonia. 



ua hua said:


> Are those Sulawesi shrimp in there with your rainbows? If it is that will end up turning into an expensive meal for your fish.


Yup! The bigger rainbow committed suicide just after adding them, and the smaller one (female) is too docile to eat them. Have had two jump, but the rest are doing OK so far. Will see what happens. The cherry shrimp have multiplied like mad, counted 26 babies last time plus the couple grown ones. 



chad320 said:


> Wow that kessills doing good for your HC. Whats the measurement from the light to the substrate? Im wanting to try these on a 120g build and was wondering.


It's an 18" tank so assuming about 22" from light to substrate. They have taken off, I was shocked. 



Hopkingreenfrog said:


> Great looking tank Ange!
> 
> I have a question in relation to the CAL Lily Pipes. I'm thinking of grabbing a set of these and just wondering if they are able to create a vortex like the traditionally shapped lily pipes? Or do you have to have it sitting slightly above the surface in order to eliminate surface film?


They make three different designs, but the one I have (F2) definitely needs to be above the water to stir the surface and get the scum down to the filter. It does make it somewhat sensitive to water level on an open top tank (due to evap and water level change) but this tank still makes it several days before needing a topoff. The pipes themselves are insane build quality, beautifully packaged, and work like a charm. Never had a second guess about the money they cost.


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Well the tank is still running but has been neglected for a long time. Made the decision to restart today. 

How it looked after I started to drain it:









Spent some time gathering materials in the mock-up box at Aquarium Design Group (ADG) in Houston and came up with this:









I removed all livestock and moved over to a temporary holding "tank". Or a 5g bucket with an eheim 2217 and a bubbler 









After a full clean out, bleaching, and scrub I started on the new scape. It didn't fit together quite the same as the mock-up, but it's similar. I started with a fine pH neutral white pebble / sand. I wanted a "beach" at the front, and needed to build substrate height towards the rear without using a ton of planted substrate. 

After a handful of attempts and a bunch of tweaking, I settled on this:









And filled in with the planted substrate for the final hardscape. 









Excited to get it filled and planted! And will also most likely be running a CO2 setup this time around. 

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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Looks good. Warning that keeping the soil out of the sand may get super annoying in the future.


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Picked up a bunch of tissue culture plants at the LFS today and got to planting. I ended up using the below:
Heteranthera zosterifolia
Bacopa Caroliniana
Hygrophila Siamensis
Potamogeton Gayi	
Sagittaria subulata	
Littorella uniflora	
cryptocoryne crispatula	
hygrophila araguaia	
Helanthium quadricostatus	

This was based on availability and I am not personally familiar with any of the species. I did some research to plan out the planting, and ended up with this:









I'm sure it'll take a bit of adjusting over time as the plants begin to grow in, but that will keep it interesting. 

The picture was taken just after filling, so it's still a bit cloudy. Really wish I could run CO2 on this from the start to get the most out of the plants, but it's not going to happen right now.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

I love the scape. It's going to look tremendous when it fills in a bit. Perfect scale


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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

The Dude1 said:


> I love the scape. It's going to look tremendous when it fills in a bit. Perfect scale


Thanks for the compliment! 

As I stated before, this isn't my tank I just have been helping a friend with it. Unfortunately a full blown CO2 setup isn't in their budget right now, but I am thinking about throwing on a Fluval 88g CO2 kit to get this growing and filled in. My main concern with that kit is lack of a solenoid and associated pH swings, but I think it may be worth that compromise to have CO2. 

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## ange062 (May 9, 2011)

Well, the tank is filling in well, even with only limited use of CO2. The PPS fertilization method has been used fairly stringently, so that's got something to do with it. 

Most plants are doing good, except the crypts seem to have melted away. I was concerned when planting them due to the condition of the roots, so not totally surprised. The littorella uniflora is super slow growing, so likely will add something else as a carpet. I have a bunch of s. repens out of another tank I could use, or thinking about glossostigma or elocharis parvula. Would also like to add some anubias or buce to the driftwood.










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