Solaris Led lighting systems

[Pirate@40]

Been following this thread off and on for awhile. It seems pretty clear to me that you can get at least similar and perhaps better results with coral growth and color as you can with halides. The people who suggest you want to be as close to sunlight as possible need to go to the ocean and dive 20' down. It ain't white anymore down there. White stopped a lot higher. So as close as you can match the spectrum of light that grows coral, the better. That isn't pure white hot light. With Solaris you definitely will produce less heat. But, you'll definitely will pay more. So I think it comes down to cost doesn't it? If you got the cash, Solaris is a great option. If your more budget conscious, halides might be the best solution, at least in the short term.

[Str8baller]

I am looking in to buying a Solaris light. At the moment I am in the research phase. This thread is exactly what I need and was looking for. A little side note: I am kinda lazy and hate reading . So if any of you nice reefers, would be willing to summarize this 46page thread for me I would be very very grateful. And I bet I am not the only one that would be grateful for a summery .

So if it is not to much to ask, a short (or detailed) summery would be amazing . Also if anyone of you out there is willing to go above and beyond, and be my savior send me a PM summarizing it .

[mcclandy]

I have decided i am going to go with one of the Aqua Illumination LED lights for my 29gallon tank when they come out in a few weeks. I know AI light isn't out yet, but that gives me a few more weeks to save. I just like the fact i won't have to deal with heat issues during the day, bulb replacement, and the costs. I think AquaIlluminatinon uses different brand LEDs than Solaris, if i remember right too.

[cindyolson]

Originally posted by Str8baller
So if any of you nice reefers, would be willing to summarize this 46page thread for me I would be very very grateful. And I bet I am not the only one that would be grateful for a summery .

Some folks think the new technology is not a good thing, some folks think bleeding edge technology is a great thing. IMO, I love my light and think that my major investment was well worth it. BTW, this thread was split, so there are bunches and bunches heated debate over this solution.

[Untamed12]

Originally posted by Pirate@40
Been following this thread off and on for awhile. It seems pretty clear to me that you can get at least similar and perhaps better results with coral growth and color as you can with halides. The people who suggest you want to be as close to sunlight as possible need to go to the ocean and dive 20' down. It ain't white anymore down there. White stopped a lot higher. So as close as you can match the spectrum of light that grows coral, the better. That isn't pure white hot light. With Solaris you definitely will produce less heat. But, you'll definitely will pay more. So I think it comes down to cost doesn't it? If you got the cash, Solaris is a great option. If your more budget conscious, halides might be the best solution, at least in the short term.

I think the reason that one would want all spectrums of light in one's tank is mainly visual. As I diver I can tell you that my photos look a whole lot more beautiful because I use an underwater strobe to supply full spectrum light. Red/yellow light doesn't penetrate very deeply at all. As a result, any object that is red or yellow appears to have little or no colour when viewed at depth using natural light only.

So while you might get good coral growth with limited wavelengths, you might not like how the tank looked.

I'm not, in anyway, trying to suggest that Solaris is lacking in any spectrum. I'm just making a personal observation as a diver and a photographer.

[Amphibious]

mcclandy,

When PFO came out with the Solaris LED light fixture, I saw the advantages immediately and hold the dubious distinction of having placed the first order with Pat at IMAC in April of last year. No one knew whether this new technology was going to do all that Pat was toting that it would. Saving 40% over MHs, no heat added to the tank, higher PAR readings and coral growth, etc. My trust in PFO as a company was already established. When I met Pat at IMAC his sincere attitude and personality convinced me to take a chance on this new LED light of his. In other words, I believed in him and that convinced me to buy into the LED light technology he engineered.

You are doing the same thing, in away. You have decided not to trust in a new technology, because PFO pioneered it, but a new company. In my opinion, you are taking a bit more risk than I did. PFO is an established company with a varifiable track record of great products and outstanding customer service. Personally, I wouldn't be so eager to go with a NEW company without a track record to look at, bringing out a copycat product. That's more risk than I care to take on. I'll let other people, like you, lead the way.

I know there will be other LED manufacturers eventually but I would hope that it would be a current lighting manufacturer not a totally new company. I also hope that AI hasn't plagiarized the PFO Solaris unit. That could lead to trouble.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts on the subject. I'm sure many of us are interested in your experience with AI. Keep us posted, please.

Dick

[Amphibious]

cindyolson,

I'm with you on this, Cindy. I love this light. I'm doing some frag farming and can't wait for the 400W version to come out. I've already ordered a 72" unit to see and test that unit. Got to get rid of the MHs and lower my energy cost.

Untamed12,

You are absolutely correct about reds and yellows not penetrating far into the depths that you dive. I'm not sure that a diver's perspective means much to us reefers because we deal with depths that divers would find difficult to explore, generally a couple of feet. We don't experience the light loss that you would find, "at depth".

Dick

[Untamed12]

I think that the suggestion was that since corals grow well at depths that red/yellow light don't reach, that these wavelengths aren't needed in order to grow coral in an aquarium.

My point was that this may be true, but you wouldn't like how the aquarium looked if you only supplied those wavelengths of light.

[Amphibious]

That makes what you wanted to convey clearer, thanks.

[bstreep]

Dick,

I'm also on the list for Aquaillumination, for a 72" fixture. Am I uncertain about the company? Absolutely. But it's not his first business, either. In any case, there are a few things that weigh in favor of Aquaillumination:

A 2 year TRANSFERABLE warranty. The poor folks with the original Solaris fixtures that they've had for a few months, that they now want to upgrade to the 400w fixtures have to sell their fixtures that are nearly new, without a warranty. That single item will probably cost them 25% of the purchase price. I just think a non-transferable warranty on a new/changing technolgy item is nearly a deal-breaker.

Built in the USA, AND a 24 hour burn-in/test before shipping.

Price: It's 20% cheaper than your price.

Power: It should exceed the Solaris 400w fixture. Time will tell for sure.

As for copying/plagiarizing, I would guess that Aquaillumination is aware of the pending patents. It sure looks like they've gone out of the way to use entirely different components.

[bstreep]

I just noticed that Aquaillumination has published some lab tests:

http://www.aquaillumination.com/par.html

And some FAQ:

http://www.aquaillumination.com/faq.html

[thirschmann]

How accurate do we think that data is concerning the "equivalent" to Solaris lighting? The data on the site shows considerly more output compared to the Solaris models (both G and H series). Does anyone know now accurate this information might be?

They also have an interesting idea that takes upgrading into consideration. Is this a feature that might be possible with the solaris system? LED technology evolves quickly so it would be useful to do complete system upgrades in the future.

I am still sold on the Solaris system for the time being but the competition is getting intense quickly and I would like to see what the competitors come out with.

[thirschmann]

Sorry if I wasn't clear... the website shows that the PAR output is significantly lower on the Solaris models.

[Gobie74]

The more manufacturers who get into the LED game and try to "out-feature" each other, the better off we are

Looks to me like they are claiming more PAR than the Solaris models, one of us must be reading the charts wrong.

[bstreep]

Gobie, I LOVE your signature!

I think you and thirschmann are drawing the same conclusion?

Like I've said before, the single best feature of the Aquaillumination is the TRANSFERABLE warranty.

[PFO Lighting]

Since we try to give the best customer service we possibly can, we have decided to change our policy on warranty being with the unit rather than with the original purchaser. The unit will have a two year warranty from the date of shipment from PFO Lighting. This warranty of course is retroactive to all our Solaris units.

Patrick Ormiston
PFO Lighting Inc.

[bstreep]

Wow. Did I have anything to do with this? I've been harping on it long enough.

Pat, it's the RIGHT thing to do... I'm glad you made the change.

[thirschmann]

Just wanted to let everyone know that a store near me has put up a 60" G series on their soft coral tank and it looks really good. The store also has a zero edge aquarium with a 14" G series on it. Both tank look great and the corals seem to really enjoy the light. The zero edge has acros and clams in it that are going really well also.

I'm planning on getting 4 of the 60" H series on my new SPS dominated reef tank and can't wait to see the results.

[LarryW]

Originally posted by PFO Lighting
Since we try to give the best customer service we possibly can, we have decided to change our policy on warranty being with the unit rather than with the original purchaser. The unit will have a two year warranty from the date of shipment from PFO Lighting. This warranty of course is retroactive to all our Solaris units.

Patrick Ormiston
PFO Lighting Inc.

Very nice.

It doesn't really matter to me, I don't plan on selling my 400w solaris unit that I have already preordered, and I eagerly await its arrival. but it's nice to see that policy changed for G users how want to step up to the H.

[Gobie74]

I think you and thirschmann are drawing the same conclusion?

You're right, I read "lower than" rather than "lower on". My mistake.


And good call on the warranty Pat.

[Amphibious]

PFO Lighting, Pat,

Thank you for clearing that up about the warranty. I wanted to make a statement about a sale of a 250W person to person that you extended warranty coverage to the new owner. But, I didn't want to be setting Company policy for you even though we had talked about it awhile back. Good move.

Dick

[Wolverine]

Originally posted by PFO Lighting
Since we try to give the best customer service we possibly can, we have decided to change our policy on warranty being with the unit rather than with the original purchaser. The unit will have a two year warranty from the date of shipment from PFO Lighting. This warranty of course is retroactive to all our Solaris units.

Patrick Ormiston
PFO Lighting Inc.

Pat,
Kudos to you. From a customer point of view, that's extremely helpful, and the flexibility you've shown in your policies shows the quality of your company.

Dave

[LarryW]

man I can't wait till my H4 shows up.

[Amphibious]

Hi Larry,

The latest word, as you already know, is they are in stock. PFO is going through the process of opening them and testing each one. Shipping should start next week.

I can hardly contain my enthusiasm for this new 400W LED fixture.

Dick

[LarryW]

yeah, I really love the part about them testing each one. I just didn't know if I should post that info or let you or pat post it.

I can't wait to sit it on top of my 120!