PSA: Philips Coralcare

[dz6t]

2 fixtures (380 watts) vs 1 fixture (190 watts)... really!?!

Per the Philips website, the CoralCare fixture is IP65 rated.

I dunno, I see a single LED fixture that can go toe to toe with an 8 bulb ATI Sunpower (widely considered to be the holy grail in SPS lighting) in terms of par and coverage and am pretty excited. Hopefully they address some of the concerns bought up in this video before it's debut on our sided of the pond. Either way, I want one!

Since when ATI Sunpower 8bulb fixture became the holy grail?
ATI Sunpower use bend reflectors instead of parabolic reflectors. You can use less expensive fixtures with ATI bulbs and get the same result. Say a Hamilton fixture or even an eBay t5 fixture for plants.

I don't see any thing exciting about this fixture especially the BlueTooth (?) connection? It breaks no ground and went back to frosted glass plate to get the spread.

Get a frosted glass plate for you eBay black box and you will get the "magic" too.

 

[rtparty]

Since when ATI Sunpower 8bulb fixture became the holy grail?
ATI Sunpower use bend reflectors instead of parabolic reflectors. You can use less expensive fixtures with ATI bulbs and get the same result. Say a Hamilton fixture or even an eBay t5 fixture for plants.

I don't see any thing exciting about this fixture especially the BlueTooth (?) connection? It breaks no ground and went back to frosted glass plate to get the spread.

Get a frosted glass plate for you eBay black box and you will get the "magic" too.

Got any links or PAR readings to prove that an eBay light keeps up with a Sunpower? You're incorrect about bent reflectors as well. They use individual reflectors in the Sunpower last I checked. At least all 6 of them I owned had individual reflectors.

They don't have the same reflector as the Powermodule, that's true. But when tested the PM only put out about 5-10% more PAR than the SP.

ATI units have been the best of the best for quite some time in regards to T5.

 

[drummerboyevil]

They provide some pretty amazing objective info for spread and color blending matching 8 bulb T5 and people are saying they aren't impressed.

I'm so very confused.

 

[dartier]

They provide some pretty amazing objective info for spread and color blending matching 8 bulb T5 and people are saying they aren't impressed.

I'm so very confused.

Because it is a tough crowd. A tough, very jaded crowd

I was interested in the LaniLEDs as well, until I realized how much they would cost for a large tank. I think the Coral Care bring a lot of the same benefits, for (hopefully) a more reasonable price.

Dennis

 

[zooman72]

"We" can't say much about it until a number of "us" have used it over "our" aquariums to determine any success in the metrics that matter: coral growth, coral color, shading, practical applications (i.e. number needed per square foot of tank vs. depth), etc.

The big discussion point should be the use of a "frosted" plate as a diffuser - is it worth the loss of efficiency to gain blending and mimic the appearance of a T-5 fixture? Is it applicable to other form factors and fixtures? It is not a new idea (and now Kessil is offering a form of it), so why didn't it catch on previously?

Is it because one can ameliorate some of the negatives with certain LED fixtures by simply hanging them higher? Is it better to blanket an aquarium with LED's to mimic T-5's, or mimic halides point source effect with clusters, or compromise such as with a halide/T-5 mix by adding T-5's to LED clusters?

Good luck with that...

 

[dz6t]

Got any links or PAR readings to prove that an eBay light keeps up with a Sunpower? You're incorrect about bent reflectors as well. They use individual reflectors in the Sunpower last I checked. At least all 6 of them I owned had individual reflectors.

They don't have the same reflector as the Powermodule, that's true. But when tested the PM only put out about 5-10% more PAR than the SP.

ATI units have been the best of the best for quite some time in regards to T5.

What I mean is that Sunpower has bend individual reflectors. They are not the prabolic reflectors found inside Power Modules.
I use may t-5, the hamilton t-5 with the same ATI bulbs gives the same PAR reading. t-5 is about bulb, ballast and reflectors, regardless who assemble them together, nor about the plastic sticker on the fixture either.

 

[rtparty]

What I mean is that Sunpower has bend individual reflectors. They are not the prabolic reflectors found inside Power Modules.
I use may t-5, the hamilton t-5 with the same ATI bulbs gives the same PAR reading. t-5 is about bulb, ballast and reflectors, regardless who assemble them together, nor about the plastic sticker on the fixture either.

I asked about your claim that an eBay fixture puts out the same PAR as a Sunpower.

T5s have 4 main components that can't be skimped on. Not in any particular order.

Bulbs
Ballast
Reflectors
Cooling

An eBay fixture will lack in in most, if not all, of those areas. You can change the bulbs and maybe figure out a better cooling situation. Without a major modification you aren't going to compete.

I'm not arguing that other T5 fixtures don't work. Most work very well. If I was going T5 today I'd get the Sun Blaze fixtures and retro in some fans if needed.

 

[dz6t]

I am not talking about those crappy Odysea ebay fixture, I am talking about those good quality ones for growing plants. They are much cheaper than ATI as you don't have to pay for that plastic sticker.
If you ever open an ATI fixture, you will know that the ballast, reflectors and cooling fan are not propitiatory to ATI. ATI uses very common components.
I have many ATI fixtures and I repair them too.

 

[dz6t]

Now back on topic, if Coralcare just the same as an ATI 8 bulb t-5, that really has no point to use it. Go t5 instead.

 

[brad65ford]

Did you watch the same video we all did from BRS? Although innovating led frosted plate for better spread, this fixture is bulky, heavy, less efficient, more expensive(2x) with lower par than a damn old ATI T5. It basically throws away most of the so called benefits from leds. Im not here mentioning orphek, at all, stop being so hot buddy chill.
Since you pointed however the atlantik, find a bad review of that light for growing sps tanks anywhere on the net, and please post it here.

Orphek isnt for you, but i was refering to the fact these Phillips came with all the buzz and dissapointed all hype.

Chiming in to say I've had just about every darn led fixture on tthe market these past few years seriously no bs wife will atest , currently I'm running orphek atlantik v3 on my current sps tank and absolutely love them.

Regarding these Philips fixtures they make sense for grow houses that don't care about looks

 

[LQT]

Now back on topic, if Coralcare just the same as an ATI 8 bulb t-5, that really has no point to use it. Go t5 instead.

If it is in fact like an ATI 8 bulb T5 unit, then I'm all about the CoralCare fixture... No spectrum shift due to bulb degradation over time and no more bulb replacement!

 

[ReefCowboy]

Chiming in to say I've had just about every darn led fixture on tthe market these past few years seriously no bs wife will atest , currently I'm running orphek atlantik v3 on my current sps tank and absolutely love them.

Regarding these Philips fixtures they make sense for grow houses that don't care about looks

Atlantik V3+ absolutely rocks. Im a halide and and T5 guy and love that fixture too. In regards to the Phillips, im sure they got the spread right, soon now well see more fixtures with the typical led issues(poor distribution, spectrum) overcome, which is all we need.

Another thing Phillips got right is go away from cluster types. Although G4 Radions did a great job with the new lenses, more and more nowadays we see larger fixtures with more leds, to help cover larger areas better vs betting on tiny reflectors. LupyLed seems like a big contender, along with the already so popular Lani Leds.

 

[dz6t]

If it is in fact like an ATI 8 bulb T5 unit, then I'm all about the CoralCare fixture... No spectrum shift due to bulb degradation over time and no more bulb replacement!

No degradation and bulb replacement? That just no true at all.
In real life test, even the best LED lost their intensity overtime.
The real life lifetime of LED fixture for reef aquarium is about 4 years.
Some LED fixtures even lost 40% intensity after 1 year.
So instead of changing bulbs every 18 month for t5, you toss the whole fixture after 4 years.

 

[dz6t]

Both are priced out of reach for regular folks.

 

[slief]

No degradation and bulb replacement? That just no true at all.
In real life test, even the best LED lost their intensity overtime.
The real life lifetime of LED fixture for reef aquarium is about 4 years.
Some LED fixtures even lost 40% intensity after 1 year.
So instead of changing bulbs every 18 month for t5, you toss the whole fixture after 4 years.

Not many people run their LED's at full power so even if there is some loss in intensity, it can easily be compensated for by increasing intensity. My first LED's were Reeftech Prometheus's and after 3.5 years, they had the same PAR numbers (according to my Apogee) as when they were new. Granted, PAR meters don't read the blue well but even so, if there was a loss, it was very minimal. Under most circumstances, there would be absolutely no reason to replace a good LED fixture after 4 years.

 

[ksc]

Not many people run their LED's at full power so even if there is some loss in intensity, it can easily be compensated for by increasing intensity. My first LED's were Reeftech Prometheus's and after 3.5 years, they had the same PAR numbers (according to my Apogee) as when they were new. Granted, PAR meters don't read the blue well but even so, if there was a loss, it was very minimal. Under most circumstances, there would be absolutely no reason to replace a good LED fixture after 4 years.

Running a 4 year old led fixture would be the same as running a 2-3 year old MH bulb. There are some mh bulbs that will increase their par output as they age and the spectrum shifts. You might want to read "The 50,000 Hour Myth".

 

[slief]

Running a 4 year old led fixture would be the same as running a 2-3 year old MH bulb. There are some mh bulbs that will increase their par output as they age and the spectrum shifts. You might want to read "The 50,000 Hour Myth".

I've seen the threads and while there may be some truth to it, its not always the case and the 4 year number stated above certainly is debatable. The biggest issue is color shift but most high quality fixtures under drive the LED's which results in much greater longevity than running them at their rated power. Good cooling also goes a long way in the longevity and consistency of the diodes. Also, consider that most people with higher quality fixtures ramp the intensity up and down. I for example have a 12 hour photo period but only 4 of those hours are at peak intensity and in my case, my peak is 75%. Cheaper fixtures such as the Chinese ones that use cheaper diodes and don't under drive them as much tend to suffer in terms of longevity much more so than higher quality fixtures.

 

[zooman72]

I've seen the threads and while there may be some truth to it, its not always the case and the 4 year number stated above certainly is debatable. The biggest issue is color shift but most high quality fixtures under drive the LED's which results in much greater longevity than running them at their rated power. Good cooling also goes a long way in the longevity and consistency of the diodes. Also, consider that most people with higher quality fixtures ramp the intensity up and down. I for example have a 12 hour photo period but only 4 of those hours are at peak intensity and in my case, my peak is 75%. Cheaper fixtures such as the Chinese ones that use cheaper diodes and don't under drive them as much tend to suffer in terms of longevity much more so than higher quality fixtures.

This...

Thanks!

 

[alton]

LEDS are not perfect but are getting there. The problem with most is the 1 year warranty, commercial fixtures come with a 5 year. The industry standard is 3% loss per year. There are Radion Gen 1 fixtures in the market still only running at 70% that are 4 years old

 

[dz6t]

I speak from my own experience, I keep my led fixtures for a long time. Such as I am still running 5 years old AI Sol and they are on their 2nd set of led chips.
Radion lost intensity very fast if you really want to know and that is one of the reason I no longer use any Radion.
Kessil as well, even worse, the tiny LED dots burnt out but you wont notice them as they clustered together.