New SOLARIS Lights by PFO

[MUCHO REEF]

Has anyone tried them out yet? I saw a demo in person last week and the top down and side view was ab-so-lute-ly stunning. The actinic-sunrise/sunset affect is very sweet. I hear that softies have shown the most favorable results. Does anyone concur or have an opinion?

Mucho

 

[Debbie C.]

Really pricy. I was looking if the bulbs could be replaced? I am thinking of buying one for my Zoanthid tank.

 

[sambo123]

I dont think you ever have to replace the bulbs, thats why they are so expensive. They are supposed to be pretty bright, almost as bright as a 250W MH, not sure though. It be interesting to see how good they make zoanthids and palythoa look, and if it grows them very well.

 

[Debbie C.]

Back to MUCHO's ? Any Zoanthid people have one of these? I need food for thought. Or the push over the edge

 

[gflat65]

The bulb life is expected to be around 7-10 years, but they really don't know for sure yet. LED's usually have a nice long life. I haven't seen them over zoas, but all the functions are pretty cool (sunrise/set, different spectrums, etc.). After 7 hours of use, you can touch the bulbs and there is no heat. They are pricy, but with savings in bulbs replacements and electrical use, the ROI may not be too bad. They measured par at our frag swap and they were decent, but don't compare to my 250W DE 14K Phoenix's (seems like the Solaris varied from ~400-700 photosynthetic photon flux, depending on a number of things) The par meters change readings dramatically depending on distance from light just through air, which I thought was interesting since air isn't a medium that dramtically reduces light. They drop alot more once you go underwater (expected that).

 

[edwing206]

I read somewhere that they only cost around 300$ to make!!!
And sell for 10x that. It's crazy. Very cool lights though.

 

[rabid frog]

New lights things can go wrong, too many i dont knows, and way too over priced. Wait until the hype settles down and get them at a reasonalbe price.. Kind of like the ps3 for the Saltwater community.

 

[jessp]

someone was selling a used setup for like 1800. they have run very cool from what i hear which would negate the use of a chiller.

 

[sambo123]

they might work good, but way to expensive, I think its best to let the price lower in the next few years and allow them to fix any problems that develop with them. They might be worth it though with less bulbs and heat.

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9479537#post9479537 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gflat65
They measured par at our frag swap and they were decent, but don't compare to my 250W DE 14K Phoenix's (seems like the Solaris varied from ~400-700 photosynthetic photon flux, depending on a number of things) The par meters change readings dramatically depending on distance from light just through air, which I thought was interesting since air isn't a medium that dramtically reduces light. They drop alot more once you go underwater (expected that).

I considered buying a Solaris fixture after MACNA last year... I was more concerned about the width of the fixture than the price... IMO, I would compare the Solaris fixture more to a t5 fixture like the TEK light than a MH fixture... As gflat pointed out their PAR ratings aren't all that impressive... And the width of the fixture is about 12" total, probably closer to 8" in bulb coverage... Considering paying $2000+ for a lighting system for my tank was one thing, paying $4000 for the 2 lights I felt it needed was a WHOLE other beast I just as soon let lie... On the Solaris website, they claim they cover 21" of width at 18" of depth... http://www.solarisled.com/FAQTechnical/SolarisLightSpread/tabid/64/Default.aspx
I'm not sure these stats are all that accurate with their PAR ratings... But all that is just my opinion...

When talking about price, you have to consider that the price of development is built into their costs... PFO lighting is just about S.O.L. because other companies are going to proffit off of what they pioneered... Current is supposed to come out with their version of LED lighting and I'm sure others will follow shortly...

 

[chrisstie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9480225#post9480225 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rabid frog
New lights things can go wrong, too many i dont knows, and way too over priced. Wait until the hype settles down and get them at a reasonalbe price.. Kind of like the ps3 for the Saltwater community.

Quite possibly, but people actually want to know more about the lights.. To heck with the ps3


I wasn't around when it happened but didn't T5s get the same sort of welcome? But its been a while and they're being used a little more and more?

 

[Azurel]

Your supposed to be able to choose what K value you want to, by the amount of blue LEDs compared to white....The actual life of a LED should be well over ten years, but who knows when you have that many combined into one fixture. There are even better discoveries coming in the LED lighting arena......Scientist have been doing a lot of research on and with LEDs....

 

[Debbie C.]

There is alot of feedback on RC and other forums. But nothing seems to be convincing me to buy yet. Anyone else have some positive feedback

 

[jessp]

they say bulb life is 50,000 hours.

 

[Debbie C.]

Thanks jessp! I am just going to call PFO and have them try to talk me into buying. There going to have to give me good reasons to spend $$$$.

 

[Azurel]

50,000/12hrs a day=4166 days

4166/365d/y= 11.41 years per bulb.....

I don't think there is Par/spectrum fade with LEDs either unlike all bulbs we use today......Still very expensive, but figure how many MH or T-5 bulbs you will go through in that same amount of time and it might save you money. Not just in energy cost either....

 

[Debbie C.]

Well I had a conversation with a Customer Service peson at PFO. The first question I asked him was if he had a saltwater tank. Which he does. Then I asked him if he had Solaris lights over his tank and he replied "NO, too expensive" He told me that he has a MH with t5 over his tank. HMMMMM

 

[jessp]

he probably gets paid like most other customer service reps. maybe he can get us the employee discount and ship it to us lol

 

[Debbie C.]

If he can. I'm in! I would love to hear from someone that has it over a Zoanthid/Softie tank still before I make the leap.

 

[Rovert]

Re: New SOLARIS Lights by PFO

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9478471#post9478471 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MUCHO REEF
Has anyone tried them out yet? I saw a demo in person last week and the top down and side view was ab-so-lute-ly stunning. The actinic-sunrise/sunset affect is very sweet. I hear that softies have shown the most favorable results. Does anyone concur or have an opinion?

Mucho

An LFS near me has one installed over a mixed display tank.

There are a number of advantages to this type of light. Longevity is one, lower heat generation is another, and LEDs are especially good at emitting very specific wavelengths of light, meaning that the assembly can be tuned for spectrum.

IMO, they're very nice looking, and I like the idea of having different lighting cycles, but the characteristic of the light is a nothing like my 2x250 XM lamps. They lack the 'punch' that you get from a point source light such as a Metal Halide arc lamp. I'd characterize it more as a cross between flourescent and MH in terms of how it looks lin the tank.

So, if you're hoping to keep clams or other light-thirsty animals, and like that 'shimmer' effect you get from MH, I don't know if this array would get you where you want to be. But for LPS and softies, I think it would serve you very well.

Just my two cents.