I believe you could set it to very low intensity for a lunar effect but I do not do this and I don’t believe it’s built into the app. I’ll take a closer look after work.
Here is my current schedule, which was made to replicate my Radion schedule.
Philips CoralCare Gen 2 - my tank journal
- Thread starter pharazon
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I believe you could set it to very low intensity for a lunar effect but I do not do this and I don’t believe it’s built into the app. I’ll take a closer look after work.
Here is my current schedule, which was made to replicate my Radion schedule.
Here’s a shot of some corals during the “whitest” part of my schedule, which isn’t very white at all but enough that the sandbed is white.
And a shot under very white lighting:
And for those blue lovers like myself, blues only:
And a shot under very white lighting:
And for those blue lovers like myself, blues only:
Macc
New Member
What do you use to edit a picture like this for the par map? I like this...it's much better than my first attempted pencil and paper strategy...Here’s a quick PAR map I put together during the blue part of my schedule. Measurements were taken with the light 8” from the water surface
When I set the light up, I essentially aimed to “mimic” my Radion schedule. Since I don’t have a spectrometer, I used an Apogee 210 and eye-balled it. The result: the top 1/3 of the tank is receiving a very slight bump in PAR, while the lower 2/3 received a significant boost.
Please note that I am aware the 210 is not the best tool for the job, but it’s what I have. I used the same device to measure PAR from my previous light, so the comparison should be pretty fair.
nico12
New Member
whats your light settings of the philips hereHello!
With the highly anticipated release of this new light, I figured I would start a thread chronicling my experiences with it. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to test this light and look forward to providing y’all with some honest feedback. I will be updating this thread with info such as light schedule, PAR map, coral progression, and general feedback.
My tank is just over two years old and is SPS dominant. Dimensions are 20x20x20” - a little overkill for a nano, but it will soon be going on my 50 gallon upgrade. My previous light was a XR30 G4 Pro, which I enjoyed very much. The CoralCare G2 has big shoes to fill, but so far I am very impressed.
My initial impressions:
- Very well built. This thing is a TANK. All metal body with a glass panel.
- Excellent coverage/spread. Getting much more PAR in the corners of the tank versus the Radion.
- Awesome color rendering. The coral do not appear “washed out” even under full blues.
I’ve only had the light over the tank for three days, so you’ll have to stick around to see how well it grows and colors coral. For now, here are some quick pics I’ve snapped since I got the light mounted.
Please feel free to ask any questions you have and I will answer them to the best of my ability!
Four months in with the CoralCare! The only adjustments I’ve made are:
- running whites an hour longer (6 hours vs 5)
- increasing intensity gradually (still working on it, I’d like to hit 100% one day
)
Other than that, it’s pretty much set it and forget it. Pick a spectrum you like looking at and watch it grow coral.
Here’s a progress shot on one of my indo Tenuis. Had to tile it when it started growing off the plug. You gotta love when they grow vertically and encrust at the same time!
- running whites an hour longer (6 hours vs 5)
- increasing intensity gradually (still working on it, I’d like to hit 100% one day
)Other than that, it’s pretty much set it and forget it. Pick a spectrum you like looking at and watch it grow coral.
Here’s a progress shot on one of my indo Tenuis. Had to tile it when it started growing off the plug. You gotta love when they grow vertically and encrust at the same time!
U
User1
Guest
Remember this guy?
This is him now.
Needless to say, growth has not been an issue with the CoralCare.
No, I wouldn't expect any issues with the light other than sticker shock
Ignoring that it is nice to see the coral growth shots as there are a few threads asking about these lights and ATI's new panel. It doesn't help with a few videos come out and say the light is best suited for mixed reefs rather than SPS focused. Bugs me, no idea why.Hopefully people find the thread and see your success with it and your reef husbandry.
No, I wouldn't expect any issues with the light other than sticker shock
Hopefully people find the thread and see your success with it and your reef husbandry.
I suspect it has to do with the PAR numbers people are reporting, especially since a lot of people run very blue schedules and this light in particular has a lot of non-blue LED’s on board.
The problem is (at least in my opinion) that people mount the light, test par, and immediately conclude that it’s insufficient for SPS growth.
That’s why the focus of my post has been on SPS growth and color. Well, that and because I only have five or six LPS in my tank compared to countless SPS.
With my dimensions, I could be pushing much higher PAR from the light. But I’m not because I never have. Even with the Radion before this, my max PAR was just barely 300.
But it is the same thing they said when we went form Halides to T-5.. People started bleaching corals under t-5 and they could not understand why because it was less par.
Fact of the matter is t-5 is a blanket of light and lights all sides of a coral so it was actually getting more par over all.
Leds are very directional and focused they are mainly a point source.
It goes like this with pucks or clusters. If you put something to the right of a puck the left side get lit mainly. Now with a blanket of light the corals is getting light on all sides. It is getting more light from all sides.
It also eliminates allot of the shading so now corals are getting light in places that were shaded which mean more light again.
I work in the lighting industry and for led fixtures in offices we started using light panels more often for the same reason. Yea you take a light meter directly under and it is less light but not 2 feet out there is more. No more cave affects on the walls. Philips is basically doing the same.
I also use the flashlight analogy where you can focus the light. You turn it one way and the beam gets smaller and brighter. You turn it another way and it lights more area but looks dimmer. It is not putting out less light it is just spreading it out.
Fact of the matter is t-5 is a blanket of light and lights all sides of a coral so it was actually getting more par over all.
Leds are very directional and focused they are mainly a point source.
It goes like this with pucks or clusters. If you put something to the right of a puck the left side get lit mainly. Now with a blanket of light the corals is getting light on all sides. It is getting more light from all sides.
It also eliminates allot of the shading so now corals are getting light in places that were shaded which mean more light again.
I work in the lighting industry and for led fixtures in offices we started using light panels more often for the same reason. Yea you take a light meter directly under and it is less light but not 2 feet out there is more. No more cave affects on the walls. Philips is basically doing the same.
I also use the flashlight analogy where you can focus the light. You turn it one way and the beam gets smaller and brighter. You turn it another way and it lights more area but looks dimmer. It is not putting out less light it is just spreading it out.
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Precisely! And it works marvelously to grow coral.
For the record, I am still a big fan of Radions. And T5’s. And LED bars. And AI Primes. And a whole slew of other lights. They all grow coral and they it do it very well. There are very few lights commonly offered today that I would say aren’t suitable for growing SPS, or any coral for that matter.
It’s just the fact that such has been said about this light in particular, makes me eager to show otherwise.
U
User1
Guest
It’s just the fact that such has been said about this light in particular, makes me eager to show otherwise.
I agree as one of the bigger bad actors in this case was the BRStv series on this light. I really think it did a disservice to this light as you noted above they are partial to the blue look and this light at the core is designed for a more natural look. So while they are correct less power due to the shutting down or reducing power to the whites to achieve the blue look design for design and watt for watt it is more than capable of supporting any tanks and coral bio types.
Instead they did a blanket statement by dialing it to their spectrum and saying it is only good for this as a reason when that couldn't be further from the truth.
The BRS response to the light was indeed a huge blow. Which is a shame, because I really like Ryan, Randy and crew, and what they’ve done for the hobby.
Would like to see them strap it to a tank (like I did) and observe the changes and progress. I understand there’s only so many tests and experiments they can run, but I am positive the results would be in conflict with their estimations about the light.
Ryan always talks about simplicity as being a huge bonus to any reef product. I don’t think it gets much simpler than this light. While Kessils may be just as “set and forget,” they still have moving parts that should be serviced. This one does not.
U
User1
Guest
Funny as you say that about Kessil. The a360x is actually an amazing light and it has nothing to do with the shimmer that everyone talks about but rather the flexibility of mounting options and the narrow lens. I use them along with my custom DIY chips from blue acro. Anyway as you noted they do need servicing as it relates to frequent dusting. This isn't just a hobbyist thing but rather one noted by Kessil in their FAQ. If you do not do this and depending on air flow they can, and will, flicker. The longer you leave it in this state the more damaging it becomes. Now on the other hand Kessil has some amazing support as I've had to use it once and they replaced my unit quickly as in next day in the early c-19 delays.
But back to this light. I've added a pair to my Christmas list. Not going to lie. I'd wager 2 would be more than enough for 210 gallons even at 30" tall (54 x 30 x 30). We shall see. I do not need to upgrade or side grade or replace but as it relates to clutter and the possibility of removing 4 power bricks?
That seems well worth it on that alone.
I hope I didn’t come across has hating on Kessil. I merely meant it as a comparison of simplicity. I think Kessil comes closest in this category. Kessil makes a great product, and they are backed by a great team.
I actually started this tank with an A360WE. I had amazing results with my LPS. Ironically, it is the shimmer I miss most lol. I’m building a larger tank right now with a hybrid lighting setup, and I plan to include a single A160 for that unrivaled shimmer.
It’s another interesting parallel that there’s long been some controversy over Kessil’s seemingly low PAR numbers - at least for the A series. Yet they still manage to grow coral just fine.
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