Getting Started:
In this video, Liam goes over your remotes initial settings.
Recommended Programs
Download this pdf for hour by hour program recommendations by coral type.
Mounting Options
Our Photon V2+ has several mounting options. Every light includes side of tank mounts as well as hanging cables. Additional options available for purchase include back of tank mounts and linking rails.
Side of Tank Mounts:
Every Photon V2+ Includes side of tank mounts that are adjustable in both width and height. They consist of 4 L shaped stainless steel rods with pre-drill holes every 3 inches. You can adjust them to fit the length of your tank, and the height is adjustable as well.
The L shaped rods have a “Long” and a “Short” side. The Long side allows the light to be mounted 11″, 8″, or 5″ above the tank trim. The Short side allows you to mount the lights at 9″, 7″, or 5″ above the tank trim.
Every kit includes 2 plastic U brackets. These go over your tank trim or rimless tank up to 1″ thick, or for wider braces, sit on top. You can use the U shape upside down as well so the flat edge sits on top of your tank trim. 4 thumb screws and 2 acrylic shims are included to secure the U brackets to your tank trim.
The L rods are secured to the U bolt and to your light using additional thumbscrews.
Hanging Cables:
Every Photon V2+ includes stainless steel hanging wires in addition to side of tank mounts. These are adjustable from 6″ above the light to 30″ above the light, and end at a carabiner clip. If you need additional length, small chain link usually fits the bill. We recommend mounting these to an eye bolt or similar hardware. If you are hanging from the ceiling, you must attach the eye bolt directly to a stud. Drywall anchors may work however they are less reliable and are not recommended.
Each hanging cable attaches to the bolts on top of your Photon. You can attach them loosely, then slide them into your desired light position before tightening fully.
In the center, there is an adjustable connector with a thumbscrew on the bottom and a push in fitting on top. To tilt the light, loosen the thumbscrew, and position your light as desired, then secure the thumbscrew to secure its position. To adjust the height of your light, make sure you bear the full weight of the light with your hand or the help of a partner. Then depress the push in fitting on top of the center connector to release the wire. Slowly lower your light to the desired height. To raise the light, simply pull the wire through while lifting the light from below.
Ideal Mounting Height:
We recommend mounting or hanging your light a minimum of 6″ above the water line. Ideally you want your light 8″ to 15″ above your aquarium. The main reason for this is to allow for optimal color blending and light distribution. This also elevates your light above the water and away from salt spray, splashing, and excess moisture. Wider tanks require higher mounting. While 6″ above the water may be suitable for a tank 12″ front to back, a 24″ front to back tank will require 8″ or more for ideal spread.
V2+ Remote Quick Tips:
- It’s easier to program by channel than by hour. Typically going through hour by hour sounds the most intuitive way to go, however the controller only shows you one channel at a time, so it’s easy to get mixed up that way.
Instead, start out by setting all the night time hours to 0% on all 6 channels. ie, if you want your lights to run from 9:00 to 21:00, set 21:00, 22:00 etc. all the way through to 9:00 to 0% on all 6 channels.
Then enter your desired daytime settings for the hour after your start time (in this case hour 10:00). Next, starting from Channel 1, go to the next hour and enter your desired value until you reach your off time. ie, hour 11:00 enter 5% on channel 1, hour 12:00 5% and so on.
Then, switch to channel 2 and work down to your first hour. Then channel 3 and work back up, repeat until all 6 channels are done. - Make sure you use military (24 hour) time. For example, 2pm is 14:00
- Press and hold the up/down arrows at the same time to edit the clock.
- Press OK at any time to save your settings
- Custom mode is the way to go for automatic light cycles- the other settings run 24/7 and are great for temporary use, for example you can set sunny to all blues to show off your corals for guests.
- The controller automatically ramps between hours, so you need to factor that in. For example, if you set channel 1 to 10% at 9:00, it will actually turn on 1 hour earlier at 8:00, and begin ramping up to the 9:00 settings. The opposite is also true. If you set your light to 10% at 21:00 and 0% at 22:00, it will start ramping down at 21:06 and finally turn off at 22:00.
- There is a lightening setting one click to the right of the hour setting in custom mode. If your light is flashing every now and then, it’s likely toggled on. Just press menu, then go to the right of the time setting in custom, and toggle that to off.