In the article " LED control unit for the automatic regulation of the aquarium lighting ", we introduced you to the options and benefits of the automatic programmes of the JBL LED SOLAR CONTROL and wrote in detail about the settings they have. The data originate from different biotopes around the world and are interpreted to follow nature's model. This has resulted in four themed aquariums (A, B, C and D) and one community aquarium - in other words, five ready-made modes for you to hit the ground running with the Plug & Play LED lighting for your aquarium.
To promote plant growth and prevent algae growth when using the strong light, the maximum lighting time has been limited to 10 hours.
Did you know that your plants are unable to photosynthesise actively during a longer lighting period? This effect can be recognised by the "folding up" of the leaves.
This limitation ensures an ecological balance and takes into account rainy days, cloud phases and hours of sunshine. Your plants will grow healthily without damage. Your aquarium will shine with the most beautiful colours.
The flexibility of an LED app
Every aquarium is different and the earth has seven continents. Each has hundreds and thousands of biotopes, which differ in some features greatly from one another. So it’s not surprising that your aquariums also need a little more individuality than the five biotope-appropriate automatic programmes.
But don't worry, once you have individualised a day, you can easily transfer it to the other days of the week and then adjust it again if necessary. To do this, simply press and hold on the day of the week, done - with a short click on the desired days, the individual setting is then transferred. Another short press will edit the selected day.
The big advantage of the control unit compared to a remote control is that the programmes run automatically and you can determine the duration and effects yourself. You can change the light colour during the day, adjust the brightness and freely set the maximum daytime lighting duration.
The special feartures of the effects are thunderstorms, clouding over and the sunrises & sunsets, which can already be selected with the JBL LED SOLAR NATUR - but without colour effects! This option can be created through the extension with the JBL LED SOLAR Effect and provides the visually beautiful dramaturgy.
Programming the day in manual mode
Sunrise & sunset cannot be removed, but clouds and lightning are optional features. Once you have briefly tapped on the day of the week, sunrise & sunset as well as clouds and lightning can be added.
1. Sunrise & sunset
Use the "Start" tab to define the time for the beginning of sunrise. In the “End” tab, define the light colour to be achieved after sunrise and maintained until a phase with clouds or the sunset begins. In addition, the duration of the sunrise is defined via the time.
How does the sunrise start? The setting is chosen very naturally and, if you only have the JBL LED SOLAR NATUR , it starts with 2700 K. If you also have the JBL LED SOLAR Effect , the colour red is used for the start.
What happens during sunrise? The JBL LED SOLAR CONTROL dims to the selected daylight colour within the period of time set.
How do you set the sunset? It is basically set in the same way as the sunrise. The start colour automatically corresponds to the daylight colour, but can also be changed using the slider. If the start colour does not correspond to the daylight colour anymore, the LED dims to the set start colour before the sunset begins.
2. Clouds
In the cloud phase, you select the start and end time, the light colour for entering the cloud phase and the colour at the end of the cloud phase. These two light colours determine the colour gradient during the cloud phase. At the end of the cloud phase, the LED returns to your previously set daylight colour.
By the way, you can also define a cloud phase after sunset and thus activate the coveted "moonlight function". In nature clouds are also seen at night.
3. Lightning
Thunderstorms also occur regularly in nature, though not every day. You have the option to add thunderstorms to your weekdays at this point. The time period between start and end defines the period in which the lightning flashes randomly take place over the entire period. You define the number of flashes.
4. Acclimatisation
This helps your plants adjust from T5/T8 fluorescent tubes or other LEDs to the very bright JBL LED SOLAR system. Simply use the "Acclimatisation" function: This reduces the brightness in all themed aquariums and in manual mode to 50 % of the programmed value. Over a period of 30 days, the brightness increases smoothly until the value originally programmed has been reached and the acclimatisation is automatically deactivated. Thus the aquarium inhabitants can acclimatise gently and the plants can adapt to the new light.
Don’t forget to transfer your programming changes to the control unit. To do this, press the symbol with the arrow in the upper right corner of the screen in the weekly overview of the manual mode. Your changes are only temporarily saved in the app. Once you have completed programming, you need to transfer the programme to the control unit. This protects you against accidentally deleting or overwriting your settings.
Do you have questions about the settings in manual mode or are you looking for more ideas? Use the comment function to exchange ideas with other users. What is your light setup? Let us know!
