LED lighting
- Thread starter boozeman
- Start date
Raf
Active Member
This is EXACTLY the main issue I found...... no spread. It is very pinpoint light, so not only is there little spread of light on either side of the fixture, there is limited spread between the LED banks. Just my observations...
Opsanus tau
Member
I own 4 of the original Solaris units, but all of my new systems are either Nat. Sunlight or MH......they just don't look good,... We all create these systems because they are visually stunning, however, IMO the LEDs take that "POP" away, that you get with MH, and fluorescent lighting,...IMO.:updown:
willmiller82
New Member
Has any one tried the Lights from AquaIllumination. Ive been reading around and they sound like they are supperior to the sollaris
I was wondering where you were? I knew if someone typed "Solaris" it would set off the big "LED in the sky" (Like the Batman Emblem over Gotham City).
Thanks for the input bro!! Much appreciated! I still would like to hear back from someone who has one over their tank. I'd really like to see/do a LED to LED test run
Hey I'm a nerd and I like TESTS & DATA! Show Me the DATA!!
I wish I had the SOLARIS on my tank. I offered to do a "Test & Review" for them but it would be even BETTER if I had the Solaris so I could note the differences and similarities! I could do a KILLER write up and review (Data Nerd here) with charts and notes! We'll see.
rmlevasseur
Active Member
I own a Solaris and can't recommend it currently to anyone. Not that its not a great light - it is. It just has too many problems. Read my chronicle.
And I also agree the spread can be difficult. My 180 has 2 feet depth and I find that with the light centered the corals in the front don't get enough. They need to make the thing another 6-12 inches wider for sure.
With that said, I disagree with the poster who said the corals don't "pop". I think the actual color of the light is fantastic, and it adds ZERO heat to my tank. I like MH, but they have always scared me with their heat and proximity to water. IMO all metal halide fixtures are safety risks. They are not a risk I will take in my home.
And I also agree the spread can be difficult. My 180 has 2 feet depth and I find that with the light centered the corals in the front don't get enough. They need to make the thing another 6-12 inches wider for sure.
With that said, I disagree with the poster who said the corals don't "pop". I think the actual color of the light is fantastic, and it adds ZERO heat to my tank. I like MH, but they have always scared me with their heat and proximity to water. IMO all metal halide fixtures are safety risks. They are not a risk I will take in my home.
Re: LED lighting (technical review, homepage)
This is a concise technical review: Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Product Review: A New Horizon in Lighting: PFO's Solaris LED System.
This is Solaris' home page (http://www.solarisled.com/). 72" are about $4K. There's also a Galileo system ("for soft corals") that's about 1/2 price and doesn't have a controller or fans. The Solaris has the controller built in, and fans, too, as far as I can tell.
Noticed the post from Opsanus tau about the dull light from LEDs. There're reviews and forums out there saying the new ones, the "I" series, are more powerful and closer to MH. This user review has a pic of, supposedly, a Solaris "I" Series illuminated tank: forbiddenreef on HubPages.
The eco-math from the first article is pretty persuasive. The hubpages.com site gives some other details, e.g., 25 4-watt LEDs per 12" of lighting.
This is a concise technical review: Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Product Review: A New Horizon in Lighting: PFO's Solaris LED System.
This is Solaris' home page (http://www.solarisled.com/). 72" are about $4K. There's also a Galileo system ("for soft corals") that's about 1/2 price and doesn't have a controller or fans. The Solaris has the controller built in, and fans, too, as far as I can tell.
Noticed the post from Opsanus tau about the dull light from LEDs. There're reviews and forums out there saying the new ones, the "I" series, are more powerful and closer to MH. This user review has a pic of, supposedly, a Solaris "I" Series illuminated tank: forbiddenreef on HubPages.
The eco-math from the first article is pretty persuasive. The hubpages.com site gives some other details, e.g., 25 4-watt LEDs per 12" of lighting.
brooks93
Member
Video of Solaris - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
do you have blue lights in the light? from what I can see and the reflections that all look like white LED's
do you have blue lights in the light? from what I can see and the reflections that all look like white LED's
rmlevasseur
Active Member
I can try to snap a pic, but I don't think it will show the problem. One of the ways I can tell though is by my huge frogspawn. I actually can't get the entire thing under the lights. Whatever heads are on the fringes don't open up as full. This isn't necessarily all bad, as it does create some shadowed spots for low light corals.
rmlevasseur
Active Member
Yes, there are blue lights and a few green lights which produce the full spectrum. They are very evident when you look at the fixture but the whites must overpower the camera.
Here is a night vid with the blues on. It really looks fantastic in RL, my camera just has a hard time with the low light.
Wolfgang8810
Active Member
are teh "bulbs" replacable in a solaris? 50,000 hours will eventually run out.