Philips CoralCare Gen 2 First look.

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Hello everyone. My name is Phillip also known as Reefkpr on Youtube and CC_Reefkpr on IG. Been in the hobby for 26 years and have the opportunity to try and test the new Philips CoralCare Gen2 lighting. Huge THANK YOU to @CoralVue and Philips. I will not be able to provide detailed light spectrum like BRS or Dana Riddle. I will be installing, testing par and posting results comparing corals in my reef over the next several months. Below is a picture of my Red Sea Reefer 525XL that just turned 3 years old. Tank was grown out from frags using 3 Ecotech Radion XR30 G4 pros.

20200421_193240.jpg




On with my initial impressions after unboxing. Build quality is unlike any light I've ever had my hands on. The LED is very industrial feeling but it's also very sleek compared to the Philips Gen 1. The LED measures 18"x16" and weighs 15 lbs. The LED is passively cooled with a very large heat sink so goodbye noisy fans. The fixture ships with a hanging kit. The Power cord is approx 13 ft long. The led cover is frosted, has an IP65-rated, water resistant, easy to clean glass cover. The LED is also available in White.

20200509_070932.jpg


20200509_070941.jpg


20200509_071035.jpg


20200509_071124.jpg


The LED has 68 carefully positioned LEDs...

CoralCare Gen2 LEDs Used:

  • 12x Luxeon C 470nm
  • 22x Luxeon C 450nm
  • 4x Luxeon C PC-Amber
  • 4x Luxeon C Cyan (490nm)
  • 6x Luxeon UV U1 415nm
  • 20x Luxeon V2 6500k


The connection to the controller is very simple. Remove 4 screws on the cover and insert two wires into locking slots.. The controller can control up to 4 LEDs and is also 0-10v ready. Connection to the Philips CoralCare app was flawless using Bluetooth and once inside the app you can switch to a wifi connection. I will update this thread with more information on the app once I have more time with it.



20200509_071006.jpg


20200509_070951.jpg



Once I get the units installed, I will provide par numbers over my Red Sea reefer 525Xl which is 59" long. The manufacture suggests spreads of:

Based on user experience tests with aquaria depths up to 1m / 39.37"/po:

  • Surface coverage SPS reef: 80x60cm / 31.50 x 23.62"/po
  • Surface coverage LPS reef: 90x70cm / 35.43 x 27.56"/po
  • Surface coverage mixed reef: 100x80cm / 39.37 x 31.50"/po
  • Minimum distance between fixture and water surface: 15cm / 5.91"/po

I will continue to update this thread so follow along if you're interested. Reefkpr.
 
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Waynerock

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Hello everyone. My name is Phillip also known as Reefkpr on Youtube and CC_Reefkpr on IG. Been in the hobby for 26 years and have the opportunity to try and test the new Philips CoralCare Gen2 lighting. Huge THANK YOU to @CoralVue and Philips. I will not be able to provide detailed light spectrum like BRS or Dana Riddle. I will be installing, testing par and posting results comparing corals in my reef over the next several months. Below is a picture of my Red Sea Reefer 525XL that just turned 3 years old. Tank was grown out from frags using 3 Ecotech Radion XR30 G4 pros.

20200421_193240.jpg




On with my initial impressions after unboxing. Build quality is unlike any light I've ever had my hands on. The LED is very industrial feeling but it's also very sleek compared to the Philips Gen 1. The LED measures 18"x16" and weighs 15 lbs. The LED is passively cooled with a very large heat sink so goodbye noisy fans. The fixture ships with a hanging kit. The Power cord is approx 13 ft long. The led cover is frosted, has an IP65-rated, water resistant, easy to clean glass cover. The LED is also available in White.

20200509_070932.jpg


20200509_070941.jpg


20200509_071035.jpg


20200509_071124.jpg


The LED has 68 carefully positioned LEDs...

CoralCare Gen2 LEDs Used:

  • 12x Luxeon C 470nm
  • 22x Luxeon C 450nm
  • 4x Luxeon C PC-Amber
  • 4x Luxeon C Cyan (490nm)
  • 6x Luxeon UV U1 415nm
  • 20x Luxeon V2 6500k


The connection to the controller is very simple. Remove 4 screws on the cover and insert two wires into locking slots.. The controller can control up to 4 LEDs and is also 0-10v ready. Connection to the Philips CoralCare app was flawless using Bluetooth and once inside the app you can switch to a wifi connection. I will update this thread with more information on the app once I have more time with it.





20200509_070951.jpg



Once I get the units installed, I will provide par numbers over my Red Sea reefer 525Xl which is 59" long. The manufacture suggests spreads of:

Based on user experience tests with aquaria depths up to 1m / 39.37"/po:

  • Surface coverage SPS reef: 80x60cm / 31.50 x 23.62"/po
  • Surface coverage LPS reef: 90x70cm / 35.43 x 27.56"/po
  • Surface coverage mixed reef: 100x80cm / 39.37 x 31.50"/po
  • Minimum distance between fixture and water surface: 15cm / 5.91"/po

I will continue to update this thread so follow along if you're interested. Reefkpr.
Get that sucker up over the tank!!! I have been waiting too long for this. Do you know how hard it is to hold enough cash for this when there are other good/great options out there. Almost cashed out on the G5’s but luckily the screw issues have kept me at bay. I thought these where Phillips unicorn’s and where never coming to our shores! Can’t wait to see what you think. Back to work!!!!
 
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Man, with such a nice looking tank I would HATE to switch up my lighting “just because”. I understand you’ll be reviewing, but still, a few free products might not be worth the change.

Hopefully all goes well...
Trust me I'm not changing "just because" or for receiving a free product. Now that my tank is growing out, I'm getting tons of shading towards the front of the tank. I've been looking at several options, T5 Hybrid, ReefBrite XHO add ons etc... I have been following the Philips Gen1 ever since Ryan at BRS did a review on the LED and from users overseas.
 

DaneGer21

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Trust me I'm not changing "just because" or for receiving a free product. Now that my tank is growing out, I'm getting tons of shading towards the front of the tank. I've been looking at several options, T5 Hybrid, ReefBrite XHO add ons etc... I have been following the Philips Gen1 ever since Ryan at BRS did a review on the LED and from users overseas.

Makes sense, and appreciate the feedback. Trust me, I am keeping my eye on these lights like many others. If anything, another option in the marketplace always helps. Thanks again.
 

Crustaceon

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I have a few questions:

After running the light for a few hours, how hot does the backside of the fixture get? Lacking fans, I’m wondering if this is something you probably wouldn’t want to put in an enclosed canopy not just for the sake of keeping the display cool, but for fire safety. What do you think?

That is one heavy light. Do you trust the included hardware or do you recommend upgrading it with heavier-gauge hanging hardware or hard-mounting the fixture?
 
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I have a few questions:

After running the light for a few hours, how hot does the backside of the fixture get? Lacking fans, I’m wondering if this is something you probably wouldn’t want to put in an enclosed canopy not just for the sake of keeping the display cool, but for fire safety. What do you think?

That is one heavy light. Do you trust the included hardware or do you recommend upgrading it with heavier-gauge hanging hardware or hard-mounting the fixture?
Great questions. I honestly didn't know about the heat as I have only ran them for a few minutes so far. The last 2 hours I ran all settings at 100%. The heat sink is barely warm to the touch and the glass lens is actually cooler than my Radions running at 58%. The included hardware is definitely sufficient for hanging. I'm going to Hang them in a T5/hybrid setup with the cables mounted to the studs in my attic.
 
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