SB Reef light App issues

Fishin Fool · Nov 3, 2020

Recently,I purchased a new sb reef light - ultra 34 and am having issues with the Aquatic Light Smart Controller App that is supposed to control the light. I've downloaded the most recent one the company provided me after posting on a facebook support group for the light, but I cant get it to recognize the light. I have an android running 8.1 and appear to be able to connect to the lights wifi. After that I open the app and it wont recognize the light and there are no options to try and force link. Has anyone experienced this and found a fix? I have reset my phones network settings and turned off mobile data as was suggested by the company, but no luck. Right now the less light when i turn the unit on, but there is no option to adjust or control the light and makes it unusable for me. Any help to get it working correctly would be appreciated. Thanks

Ron Reefman · Nov 7, 2020

Fishin Fool · Nov 13, 2020

Update, I am still trying to get this worked out with the company. So far we haven't got it fixed. The app did partially for a minute or two then went back to not linking to the light.

Kal93 · Nov 13, 2020

I've found that closing the app/disconnecting from the wifi, turning the lights off for ~15s, and then quickly turning the light back on/reconnecting to the wifi/app works about 30-40% of the time.

Download your lighting schedule as you work FYI; I've had the app disconnect from the light while programming my light many times and had to restart. The app is a PITA to work with.

vetteguy53081 · Nov 13, 2020

You may try to reach them via Facebook but they have been hard to contact and poor in responding to customers

Fishin Fool · Nov 13, 2020

I have reached out on the sbreef lights support group on facebook and they respond frequently on there. Unfortunately, even with their attempts to help, I have not gotten anywhere with getting the light to link up through the app.
I've restarted the light, forgotten wifi networks turned off mobile data, reupload the app tried being closer and further from the unit. Nothing has worked... For a brief moment, I was able to partially connect a d have some of the features work, but not all. Thought I uploaded a programmed schedule to the light, but checked later and no such luck. Went in to check the app and it would not link again. Very Frustrating!

I have a fluval light on a freshwater tank and that light is controlled by bluetooth/app and it works flawlessly. Makes me annoyed that I cant get this to work correctly.

Fishin Fool · Dec 1, 2020

Update: the company sent me a new wifi controller and it appears to have resolved the problem. Everything appears to work as it should now. Just need to send the non working one back.

Brooke24 · Dec 15, 2020

Kal93 said:
I've found that closing the app/disconnecting from the wifi, turning the lights off for ~15s, and then quickly turning the light back on/reconnecting to the wifi/app works about 30-40% of the time.

Download your lighting schedule as you work FYI; I've had the app disconnect from the light while programming my light many times and had to restart. The app is a PITA to work with.

Do your lights grow sps well? Lps? Soft coral?

Kal93 · Dec 16, 2020

Brooke24 said:
Do your lights grow sps well? Lps? Soft coral?

I started growing SPS after a year of use (light is 8" high over an 18" tank). One potential issue it that to get high PAR, you need to greatly increase your whites. With 100% blue/violet and 80-100% white, I could increase my PAR to ~250-300 at 4-5" deep in my tank. My nutrients were moderately high (15-25 nitrate and 0.05-0.1 phosphate), so this combination caused a huge algae outbreak; my SPS were not happy. LPS and softies fared very well though.

Brooke24 · Dec 16, 2020

Kal93 said:
I started growing SPS after a year of use (light is 8" high over an 18" tank). One potential issue it that to get high PAR, you need to greatly increase your whites. With 100% blue/violet and 80-100% white, I could increase my PAR to ~250-300 at 4-5" deep in my tank. My nutrients were moderately high (15-25 nitrate and 0.05-0.1 phosphate), so this combination caused a huge algae outbreak; my SPS were not happy. LPS and softies fared very well though.

Gotcha. Thanks