It’s more than light,
because it’s

more than an aquarium

Philips CoralCare LED fixture

The unique features of CoralCare Gen2 are:

Wide spectral range - For excellent coral growth, and natural reef appearance.
Perfect light balance - Unique homogeneous light distribution and color mixing solution. Our innovative design features 68 carefully positioned LEDs to mimic the optical effect of sunlight.
Easy to control - Control your CoralCare easily and wirelessly, with control over two distinct lighting channels, and preprogrammed schedules.
Quality & reliability - The new, slimmer design is energy efficient, has passive cooling and a long lifespan.

Easy to control

A controller is required to control and dim CoralCare fixtures. The controller is sold separately and includes a USB cable, universal power adapter and regional plug adapters. The USB cable is used for supplying power to the controller (in combination with the power adapter) when it is working as a stand-alone unit, but it can also be used to connect the controller to the PC for programming.

With the new generation, the CoralCare fixtures can also be programmed and controlled wirelessly via the CoralCare app.

The controller can control up to 4 CoralCare fixtures of the same generation.

CoralCare controller for LED aquarium lighting

The CoralCare controller Gen2

Modes

The controller supports two modes:
“Program mode” and “0-10V mode”

Fig. 2: The CoralCare PC software application

Program mode

In program mode the reefer can define a 24h light schedule that can be programmed using a PC application or mobile application. The user is able to define 20 individual light settings (color point and intensity) and the controller will automatically calculate a smooth transition between the various light settings. This makes possible fluent sunset and sunrise sceneries.

Fig. 3: Setup of color point. Time, color temperature and light intensity can be set

The software is user-friendly and can be downloaded from the Philips CoralCare website. The CoralCare app is downloadable via the Google Play Store and iOS App Store.

One of the unique features of the CoralCare software is that the aquarist does not have to worry about the settings of each individual LED channel. You only need to define the overall color tone and intensity of the light. This drastically simplifies the definition of the light schedule. It also means that you do not have to worry about the “correct” light spectrum. Philips has introduced spectral boundaries to prevent incorrect spectral content from being selected, which could harm the health of the coral.
But the software still includes enough flexibility to allow the light settings to be customized to your own taste.

Within the color range we provide excellent color rendering of natural tones as well as fluorescent rendering during bluish “evening” tones.

Morning/evening
Enhances phosphorous effects of corals

Daytime
Natural look of corals and fish

Fig. 4: Two examples of color tones that are commonly used

When the application is started and the controller connected, it displays the active schedule. The user is able to choose one of the predefined schedules (Shallow Reef, Natural Reef, Deep Reef or Overcast Reef):

• shallow reef: mimics the natural behavior of sunlight at shallow water depth and maximizes light output

• natural reef: mimics the natural behavior of sunlight at average depth. Ideal for a mixed reef.

• deep reef: mimics the natural behavior of sunlight at deep ocean depths. Ideal to highlight the fluorescence of LPS corals.

• overcast reef: mimics the natural behavior of sunlight while simulating an overcast sky during noon. Maintains a more constant light output over the day while changing color point.

These schedules can be loaded via the CoralCare application and still allow you to change time, color, intensity to your specific wishes.

The user can also define a new 24-hour light schedule, which can be saved to 1 of the 2 custom schedules and shared with fellow reefers via the app or via a text file on your PC.

Fig. 5: Connecting 0-10V interface

0-10V mode

The CoralCare controller can easily be programmed via a Windows PC or wirelessly, but is also compatible with most 0-10V aquarium controller interfaces.

The controller can be set to a 0-10V mode, meaning that it will no longer react to the programmed schedule, but to the two 0-10V input channels on the CoralCare controller. By applying the correct voltages to these input pins, the CoralCare controller can be directly controlled by a 3rd party interface. This can come from an aquarium computer or any other 0‑10V interface compatible devices such as Profilux and Apex (proven by user tests).

Direct control

The CoralCare Controller Gen2 includes direct control allowing you to overrule the running schedule and directly control the light settings. It is for example a handy option for quickly checking your reef inhabitants during the night. You can save your direct control settings to one of the four presets.

Demo and live mode

The CoralCare interface and controller support a demo and live mode. With the CoralCare app or when the controller is connected to the PC the live mode can be activated. Each setting stored in the user interface can be transferred directly to CoralCare fixtures to see how it would look in your reef tank. It is not mandatory to program the controller with all fixtures connected.

In demo mode you can start a procedure whereby the 24h schedule is shortened to a 2min demonstration. During this demonstration the light schedule will be sent to the fixture.

Acclimatization phase

When installing new CoralCare fixtures or when adding new corals, it is wise to gradually increase the intensity of your schedule. The acclimatization phase allows you to define the number of days during which you want the intensity to increase slowly to the level that you have predefined.

Power backup

When the power supply to the controller is interrupted, the time schedule will be retained for a maximum of 48 hours. If the supply is not connected within this period, the user will need to reprogram the controller.

The controller supports daylight saving time so it will keep running correctly in all regions throughout the year.

Fig. 6: 48-hour settings backup after power interruption

Fig. 7 Installation Instruction

Easy to install

The CoralCare fixture includes a hanging kit for easy installation. The hanging kit can be attached to the luminaire using four fixations.

The height of the luminaire above the aquarium can be adapted by using the front and back length adjuster. The luminaire can also be tilted this way.

The CoralCare fixture contains 2 integrated, highly reliable and efficient drivers. Two dedicated 3-meter cables, a mains cable and a communication cable are directly attached to the fixture.

In systems where the driver is not integrated, additional cables and space below or next to the aquarium are required. The Philips LED fixture is a single-box system, allowing easier and quicker installation.

Philips CoralCare supports a standby mode which makes a mains switching timer redundant. Standby mode can be enabled via the CoralCare controller (scheduler and 0-10V interface).