AquaIllumination Light Programming in Mobius
 

Learn how to set up, customize, and edit your AquaIllumination light schedule using the Mobius app.

Getting Started

When first adding your light to Mobius, you’ll be given the selection of the following programming options (note: this can always be changed later):

• Signature Series templates – Pre-made professional lighting schedules (e.g., David Saxby).
  
   
• Build a template from scratch – Build your own template using the Schedule Builder (located under the User tab).
   
• Saved template – A custom template you’ve previously saved.
   

 The “David Saxby” template is the most popular, but any template can be customized to your preferred time and color specifications.

Once you choose a template, you can activate it at 100% intensity or a lower percentage. This can always easily be changed later within the app if you’d like to do so.

Creating a Custom Schedule

If you choose to build a template from scratch, the Schedule Builder offers three curve types:

On this screen, you can edit:

• Start and end times (as shown by the circular sun and moon icons under the daily schedule example)
   
• Color spectrum (via the Kelvin slider or individual channels)
  Tip: We recommend 8–12 hours of light daily, depending on your ramp time and coral type. Corals grow well under a range of color temperatures (10,000K–20,000K), so focus on balance and appearance.

Editing a Schedule

Step 1:

From your Mobius Dashboard, select your lighting group.

• By default, it appears as “Lighting” in yellow, but could also be listed as your “Current Intensities” widget.

Step 2:

Tap the Edit button in the center to open your expanded schedule layout, where you can make changes to features such as:

• Ramp time
• Start/End time
• Color intensities
• Schedule points

Quick Access Icons

• Adjust Times: Change start/end times by sliding sun/moon icons clockwise/counter-clockwise around the large Edit circle.
• Lighting Groups: Select the icon with the 3 small Boxes stacked upon each other to access your lighting groups.
• Fan settings: Access your fan settings to adjust them through the gear icon (Pic 2).
• Lunar & Acclimation: Toggle these modes on and off (Pic 3).

Group Settings

To rename your lighting group:

1. Tap the three small boxes icon.
2. Select the current group name.
3. Enter a new name (e.g., Main Display or Refugium).

You can also use this screen to move your lighting around into different/the same groups.
The new name will now appear on your dashboard widget.

Lunar and Acclimation Modes

🌕 Lunar Mode

Simulates real moon phases:

If the Lunar Setting is enabled, your moonlight points will automatically adjust to reflect the actual lunar phases based on your location. You can also add the Lunar widget to your dashboard to easily view the current moon phase and see how much your moonlight is dimmed during that phase.

 Acclimation Mode
By turning on this feature, your lighting increases over a set amount of time, which is ideal for new corals or freshly installed lights. Set your starting intensity and duration, and Mobius will automatically ramp up the brightness over time.

Customizing Points on the Schedule

Inside the schedule editor:

• The vertical orange line = currently selected point
   
• The vertical teal line = current real-time position
   
• To move a point, press and hold, then drag it to a new time. Use the arrows near “Selected Time” to navigate between points.

Wherever the orange line appears on the schedule represents the Selected Time shown at the top. When a point is selected, the bottom of the orange line becomes a circle with two triangles inside it; when no point is selected, it appears as a simple line. Once a point is selected, you can click and hold the circle to drag it to a different time as needed.

The colored points on the schedule indicate different times: 

• Sunrise (small sun icon)
• Daytime points (orange dots)
• Sunset (small moon icon)
• Moonlight points (dark blue dots). 

Moonlight points are influenced by the Lunar settings if they are enabled. When the Lunar setting is active, lights will operate at 100% of their programmed power during a full moon, 50% during a half moon, and will be off during a new moon. The Lunar setting widget on your dashboard displays the current percentage reduction for the lights.

Schedule Tools (bottom icons as displayed on the graph image below)

To navigate between points, you can use the arrows around the Selected Time to move sequentially, or simply click on any point to edit it directly.

Adjusting Color Channels

Each colored line in the schedule represents an LED channel (available lighting channels vary by light model).

For example, a Prime 16HD includes:

• UV
• Violet
• Royal Blue
• Blue
• Green
• Red
• Cool White
• Moonlight

You can:

• Adjust individual channel sliders, or use the Kelvin scale to shift all channels at once if you’re looking for an automated lighting temperature output.
  
   

Understanding Kelvin

• Warm (5,000K–10,000K): More yellow light
• Cool (14,000K–20,000K): Whiter to bluer tones
  The outer circle adjusts color temperature, while the inner circle adjusts intensity

.


 

Power and Performance

The circle at the top shows current power usage.

• More active channels = higher power draw.
   
• HyperDrive Technology: Traditional LED lights limit each color channel to a fixed maximum output. With HyperDrive, AquaIllumination lights dynamically redistribute power between channels.

This means if one channel (for example, red or green) is set lower or turned off, the light can redirect that unused power to other channels, such as blues or whites, allowing them to exceed the standard 100% output when needed.

Benefits of HyperDrive

• Greater Output Flexibility: Boost intensity on certain color channels without increasing total power consumption.
   
• Improved Efficiency: Maximizes available wattage for your specific color mix.
   
• Enhanced Customization: Lets you fine-tune your lighting spectrum for coral growth, coloration, and aesthetic preference.
   
• Once edits are complete, tap OK to save your changes.  

Saving and Previewing

After finalizing your schedule:

1. Tap the ⭐ Star icon to save it as a User Preset (great for backups or transferring to other lights).
    
2. Press the ▶️ Play button to preview the full 24-hour cycle (runs in about one minute; not available for Blade lights).