Does anyone have experience with the Solaris LED's?

AndyH5512 · #1 06/23/2007, 08:16 PM

Does any one have any experience with the Solaris LED lighting system? I am considering one. The thought of long life, less heat, less energy use and no bulb replacement is very appealing. Thanks.

Andy

Fishdude1984 · #2 06/23/2007, 09:44 PM

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...5&pagenumber=1

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1080494

that should tell you everything you want to know

SWSaltwater · #3 06/23/2007, 11:04 PM

Best light I have ever owned( I own 2 of em now and have sold a lot of them to very happy customers). Low heat, low energy use, saves money over time. In fact one tank had a heater go out and in the dead of summer in Tucson AZ the tank was at 74 degrees. It's only about 105 outside and the house was at 74, so no heat transfer to the water. My only complaint is for wide tanks, the light spread using any LED source is limited. The light is a beam straight down and does not spread too much. IMO any tank 30" or more should have 2.

Sadly that Solaris thread has been tainted with numerous post from 3-4 members that have never owned a Solaris and seem to have some kind of vendetta against PFO/Solaris.(only way I can explain it) You can read the long thread to find the real info though, there is a ton of good knowledge in there from Solaris owners and the manufacturer.

AndyH5512 · #4 06/24/2007, 10:25 AM

I skimmed over the first 10 or so pages of the big post. It seems that the concensus is that the system works well. It also seemed like there was going to be a RC Civil War between the Solaris proponents and opponents, LOL.

SWSaltwater · #5 06/24/2007, 10:34 AM

yeah, what's funny is the opponents never owned one. It's the Dang that newfangled car a horse and wagon is better mentality. I only saw one owner that did not like it on there as I recall. Forget his reasons though.

plancton · #6 06/24/2007, 11:06 AM

I have seen it in my LFS corals look great, seriously is better than MH, H.Manificas which are very light demanding anemones seem to prefer it over MH, that's what I have seen.

However they have an incredibly weakness, the lamp is very narrow and the light is very flat, meaning: if your tank is 23 inches wide, the light will cover only half of that width unless you place it higher but sacrificing intensity.

And since these are very pricey units, you would have to buy 2 of them, a small fortune.

AndyH5512 · #7 06/25/2007, 10:16 PM

I'm wondering when they will fix the narrow light beam problem so refinancing my house (to buy 2 units) wont be necessary to light my aquarium. I am sold minus that exception.

aclos3 · #8 06/25/2007, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SWSaltwater
yeah, what's funny is the opponents never owned one. It's the Dang that newfangled car a horse and wagon is better mentality. I only saw one owner that did not like it on there as I recall. Forget his reasons though.

Those "opponents" have a great understanding of lighting technology for this hobby. They have done far more for this community than the Solaris owners who can do nothing more than regurgitate misleading manufacturer comparisons and say things like “I love my light, it is really cool.” I highly suggest reading that whole thread before making a decision. The people posting facts in that thread have nothing against LED technology, they are lighting junkies who see through the advertising claims and are adamant about informing the public (with facts!)

Solaris is cool if you have tons of money to burn, and want all the controls. If you just want to grow corals and have nice light in the tank, you can spend about 1/5 as much money.

pjf · #9 06/25/2007, 11:52 PM

A promising newcomer to the LED aquarium lighting scene is www.aquaillumination.com. It claims to use the Seoul Semiconductor P4 LED that generates 100 lumens per watt - on par (or PAR) with T5 and metal halide lighting. Its modular design implies that it can be upgraded in the future with even more efficient LED's.

villious · #10 07/27/2007, 10:06 AM

All I can tell you is what I've seen with my own eyes. I have run MH for many years. Great lights, lots of heat. My Solaris produces no heat, the SPS, LPS, softies and my anenome seem to love it just as much as the MH I had. I have a 24" x 24" x 48" 120 gallon and my Solaris covers the tank just right for me.

When I initially installed it, I bleached two SPS's because I didn't turn down the light intensity. Same corals I had under my MH. I turn the light down to 65% and slowly raised it back up. No problems what so ever after that.

I'll say it again......this is what I've seen and what I can attest to. Beyond that, grab an opinion. The "facts" that people seem to be spewing out add up to look an awful lot like opinions is my book, but that's just me :-) I do agree that the new AL fixtures look promising though.

RichConley · #11 07/27/2007, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AndyH5512
The thought of long life, less heat, less energy use and no bulb replacement is very appealing. Thanks.

If you want those, then the solaris isnt the unit for you. Its all marketing hype.

RichConley · #12 07/27/2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SWSaltwater
yeah, what's funny is the opponents never owned one. It's the Dang that newfangled car a horse and wagon is better mentality. I only saw one owner that did not like it on there as I recall. Forget his reasons though.

You dont need to own one to get a Par meter under one, and see that they put out less light than 65w PCs.

theatrus · #13 07/27/2007, 12:36 PM

My main beef with them is their "long life" claim. Yes, LEDs last a long time. They also drop in intensity noticeably, in a linear fashion, throughout their entire life. So one week in, its no longer as bright as it once was. Granted all bulbs drop in intensity, but other bulbs are cheaper to replace than Solaris LED panels