High End Lighting Recommendations and Reasons

[snorvich]

I am in the process of trying to research high end lighting options for at least one or possibly both of my tanks. My kitchen tank is 20 inches high, 24 inches wide and 96 inches long. My family room tank is 30 inches high, 30 inches wide, and 84 inches long. The kitchen is primarily LPS and the family room is primarily SPS and some LPS.

I have been looking at Sfiligoi and Giesmann. Is there another brand I should consider?

Is there any dealer in the USA or Canada that one can recommend?

I am intrigued by the Giesmann moonlight system. Anyone with experience?

The Giesmann suggest 13K bulbs (rather than 20K). Is there a reason for that?

Thanks ever so much for any ideas, thoughts, recommendations.

[dirtyreefer]

Sfiligoi all the way, but you have to get the ACLS system though. It's honestly the coolest light I've ever seen, can totally simulate natural conditions on the reef. It's pricey but if you got the means, it's the one to get :D

[snorvich]

Price is not a real issue. The ACLS concept intrigues me. What size do you have? How deep is your tank? Are these quiet running or are they noisy? TIA.

[dirtyreefer]

I have a 30x30 cube, 24 deep. It is as quiet as can be, since it is an electronic ballast. It is the coolest light ever though, I only have the 1x250W Infinity model, but a 2 or 3x HQI would be really cool since you can have the ACLS synchronize to dim each bulb from east to west etc.

I have a thread created which is sort of my review of the ACLS, do a quick search for it. I still haven't gotten any pics posted yet, but will try to get some up soon.

As for the arguement of being able to dim T5s or dim MH, dimming MH is the way to go. Dimming T5s is like saying you would like dimmable moonlights, it just isn't worth it IMO.

[McCrary]

I would go with the LED lights that PFO has out. A LFS near me has a setup on their 210 show tank and they're pretty cool. They can simulate cloud cover and things like that, not to mention that you can dim them like other high end lighting systems.

[snorvich]

What is the intensity equivalent? On my SPS tank, I need 400 W equivalent. What color temperature do they emulate? I have heard of the PFO LED lights but have not seen them.

[McCrary]

The lighting that the LFS uses is a 20K and the tank supports a range of corals including SPS. There are those with far more knowledge than me about LED lights, but the 10K system should be similiar in intensity. You may want to talk directly to PFO and ask them any questions you have.

[dirtyreefer]

There's no way the PFO Solaris can provide a 400W MH equivalent by any means. I have seen posts for this and it is probably only suitable for softies/LPS tank, and possibly the odd SPS. If you want to grow brown SPS, it would probably work ;)

[McCrary]

Really, thats good to know. When I saw the tank it seemed to look like a less intense light than halides, but I was assured by the owner that it would be able to handle an SPS tank just fine.

[pjf]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8629911#post8629911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dirtyreefer
There's no way the PFO Solaris can provide a 400W MH equivalent by any means. I have seen posts for this and it is probably only suitable for softies/LPS tank, and possibly the odd SPS. If you want to grow brown SPS, it would probably work ;)
Here's what was posted on 10/30/06 in the Solaris LED thread of this forum:

"The current model uses 3W LEDs the 400W will be using 4.25W LEDs.

The 400W model is not expected until after the first of the year. Perhaps not until later in the year."

The same thread shows pictures of SPS that proportedly is thriving under LED illumination.

[dirtyreefer]

Ya but is that post by PFO or by a non-biased customer? :)

[McCrary]

I have seen the PFO LED system supporting SPS among other corals. Whether the LED's can support SPS that demand high light I can't tell you, but I have heard that a 5 watt LED system using an upgraded LED from Phillips may be available in the future. It may be worth it to wait and see what happens with LED's.