Solaris; Dana Riddle Review; AA mag.
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RichConley
New member
You referring to the chiller remark?
Yes, I'm in boston. We have 95-105 degree days here too, we just dont have a ton of them.
The difference is, that when its 95 degrees here, its 75+% humidity, and no one has central AC. We're much less prepared for heat than the areas with hotter average temperatures.
RichConley
New member
So? A 95 degree day in October isnt going to cause any more trouble to a tank than a 95 degree day in July.
(and, FWIW, I had my worst heat problems this year on a day where it was 75 degrees out. It was 95% humidity. On 95 degree days with low humidity, I get evaporation, but temp isnt a problem)
You probably have AC. When its 95 here, its 90' in my apartment.
Ambient doesnt matter though with my point. I dont see any temperature swing over the course of the day. If I turn off my skimmer pump, my tank drops 5 degrees.
I've tested and tested, and a 65w submersible pump has more effect on my temperature than 500w of halides. That being said, my hood is very well designed, and does a great job of moving the heat out.
RichConley
New member
I dont have a chiller, thats my point. Metal halides do not mean needing a chiller.
My point is, the heat issues people talk about from Metal halides are very often overstated.
My point was, if I can run 2x250s on a 58, and not need a chiller in MA, the user who was complaining about needing a chiller in NY with 2x175 on a 120 needs to realize that their lights arent the problem.
My point is, the heat issues people talk about from Metal halides are very often overstated.
My point was, if I can run 2x250s on a 58, and not need a chiller in MA, the user who was complaining about needing a chiller in NY with 2x175 on a 120 needs to realize that their lights arent the problem.
You dont have a chiller because you live in the GD frozen North. It never gets hot enough long enough to affect your tank. I could care less what else you think are factors, thats my opinion which is certainly as valuable as yours.
You are not the typical reefer and thus perhaps the value of a low temp light system maybe greater ( much greater ? ) to others who do have chillers running 24/7 and blowing the heat out into their house and thus having to dial down the a/c to compensate for that too. Sheesh
You are not the typical reefer and thus perhaps the value of a low temp light system maybe greater ( much greater ? ) to others who do have chillers running 24/7 and blowing the heat out into their house and thus having to dial down the a/c to compensate for that too. Sheesh
RichConley
New member
FWIW, the light per watt of these fixtures is LOWER than that of metal halids. THATS RIGHT. They put out more heat, and less light per watt, than a metal halide.
That being said, a properly set up halide fixture imparts almost NO heat to a tank. Take a look at the Lumenarcs with their vent kit. Theyre going to heat your tank LESS than these things will, and provide much more light.
If 5 or 6 days in a row of 90+ degree ambient temperature in MY APARTMENT doesnt cause my tank to have heat issues, a month isnt going to either. Again, if we mapped INDOOR temperatures over the summer, mine is most likely HIGHER than yours.
Fixture temperature, and heat produced have very little relation.
Fixtures that are hotter, in general, are actually easier to remove the heat from. Its a lot tougher to vent the 300w of heat that a 500w T5 system is creating, than the 300w of heat a 500w halide system is producing. This is just another example of people throwing money at a problem, rather than actually figuring out why they have the problem.
It aint a month either, try May to what? today is October 4. And try 105 for the high not a measy sissy 90!!
They may put out less light a point that is supported by several scientific readings. But tell you what I will have you touch which ever you would wish the solaris bulb or my MH bulb after being on for only a hour. What would be your choice?
You blithe to slip from argument to argement w/o any sense of what you have said before. Simple answer for the reefer running chillers, will their energy savings likely outstrip what you think would be your savings? Of course I am prepared for a non-answer but go ahead and surprise me.
They may put out less light a point that is supported by several scientific readings. But tell you what I will have you touch which ever you would wish the solaris bulb or my MH bulb after being on for only a hour. What would be your choice?
You blithe to slip from argument to argement w/o any sense of what you have said before. Simple answer for the reefer running chillers, will their energy savings likely outstrip what you think would be your savings? Of course I am prepared for a non-answer but go ahead and surprise me.
sfsuphysics
Active member
Bottom line about "where you live" shouldn't matter. Light energy is what heats up water much more so than convection from a hot bulb heating up air and air heatting up water, don't buy it? Experiment yourself, put a glass of water in a window or something in direct sunlight for the day, and a glass of water in the same room but out of the sunlight, you'll find the water in the sun is much warmer than the other water. The fact that the thing does "not require a chiller" means that it's not putting as much light energy into the tank either. You can run power compacts over a tank too and not make the temperature rise as much as a couple 250w metal halide bulbs.
i have 3 400w over my 180 and my tank is in a basement durinbg the winter the chiller runs at least 4 hours a day i have a bubbleking and a red dragon return which both produce NO heat back into the tank the sensor for my controller is on the bopttom left corner in a shaded area to get real temp readings the summer forgetaboutit the chiller runs when the lights are off with a big fan pushin cool air intop the room which is ridicoulasly vented for heat exchange so YES tempurture of lights matter
blstravler
Member
Okay so I need for you to explain to me then that when my lights come on (3- 400w MH 10K’s) my temp in my tank rises. My canopy is VERY well ventilated and pushes all heat away from my MH bulbs. As well I have a fan running over my sump. My house during the summer never goes above 75. My chiller comes on twice a day. Also my return pump is 75 watts; it feeds my chiller, skimmer, phos reactor, UV sterilizer and tank. Also important to note my return pump is submersible but in actuality it sits 50% out of the water.
I am wondering why my return pump does not heat up my tank all night long while my canopy fan and sump fan is off? Shouldn’t my chiller be coming on at night?
What am I doing wrong? Maybe you have come across a reason in all of your testing.
RichConley
New member
Yikes. So touching a metal halide bulb and having it being hotter means it puts out more heat than a solaris array?
No, not at all. How hot something is, is basically a measurement of how much heat per unit area there is. The halide bulb is smaller, so it is much hotter. Its also much more wattage...again...more heat..but more light.
Think of it like this: A soldering iron is hotter than a car engine; Does it produce more heat?
You keep bringing up outdoor temperature. Its irrelevant. What is the temperature inside your house?
RichConley
New member
And how is that any different with the solaris?
The only difference is the solaris will heat less, because theres LESS LIGHT.
RichConley
New member
Have you ever tried to run 500w of power compacts over a small tank?
I'll tell you this, my tank runs a lot cooler now than when I was running 4x96w PCS. Why? Because halides convert MUCH more energy into light, than heat.
RichConley
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8276063#post8276063 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tanya72806
i have 3 400w over my 180 and my tank is in a basement durinbg the winter the chiller runs at least 4 hours a day i have a bubbleking and a red dragon return which both produce NO heat back into the tank the sensor for my controller is on the bopttom left corner in a shaded area to get real temp readings the summer forgetaboutit the chiller runs when the lights are off with a big fan pushin cool air intop the room which is ridicoulasly vented for heat exchange so YES tempurture of lights matter
Are the bubbleking and the Red dragon running internally or externally?
If theyre running submersed, theyre not returning no heat, theyre dumping heat exactly equal to the wattage they use.
Is your tank temperature above, or below ambient temperature when your lights are off?
You keep bringing up outdoor temperature. Its irrelevant. What is the temperature inside your house?
No you keep bringing it up as a red herring. The issue is a simple one. Utility usage or more specifically utility savings by using the Solaris system. If I am running a chiller due to the MH lights that increases the utility cost. If I am running my a/c to reduce the heat that the chiller puts into the house or to simply ( but very inefficiently ) cool the tank down some, that is additional costs that would not be seen with Solaris.
I have seen amazing SPS tanks including one about two weeks ago, that are running on T5 lighting only. So maybe just maybe you dont need the output of the MHs to be successful?
I am done arguing with you because you will not acknowledge the obvious. Good day.
No you keep bringing it up as a red herring. The issue is a simple one. Utility usage or more specifically utility savings by using the Solaris system. If I am running a chiller due to the MH lights that increases the utility cost. If I am running my a/c to reduce the heat that the chiller puts into the house or to simply ( but very inefficiently ) cool the tank down some, that is additional costs that would not be seen with Solaris.
I have seen amazing SPS tanks including one about two weeks ago, that are running on T5 lighting only. So maybe just maybe you dont need the output of the MHs to be successful?
I am done arguing with you because you will not acknowledge the obvious. Good day.
Travis
10 and over club
Anyone else that has actually seen and felt both the solaris and a mh will know that the solaris is a LOT cooler. It is literally cool to the touch. The PAR of the solaris I saw was lower than a 250w XM 15k. Now I would like to see someone put their hand on a 250w XM 15k that is running.:lol: So the point that the solaris is cooler because it is putting out less light is simply false.
It is a different kind of light and it puts that light out very efficiently, which means less heat. Heat is the product of wasted electricity that is released as heat. A MH is inefficient and that is why it puts out a lot of wasted heat.
Also, it is false to say that MH's don't heat up your water. Sure, pumps will heat up your water but so do MH's. I only run 3 x 250w MH on my tank. The bulbs are in an enclosed canopy that exhausts the heat outside. And still, the lights add heat to my tank.
If you are currently running MH's without a chiller than you certainly won't need one if you switch to solaris. But if you are currently running a chiller, it will most likely run a lot less after switching... and there is a possibility that you won't need it at all.
I am still not convinced on the solaris yet. But I am convinced that this setup will add NO heat to your tank. I've ran NO fluorescents, VHO's, PC's, and MH's. All of these add heat with the NO's being the least and the MH's the most. But I have seen and touched the solaris and it does NOT put off heat.
It is a different kind of light and it puts that light out very efficiently, which means less heat. Heat is the product of wasted electricity that is released as heat. A MH is inefficient and that is why it puts out a lot of wasted heat.
Also, it is false to say that MH's don't heat up your water. Sure, pumps will heat up your water but so do MH's. I only run 3 x 250w MH on my tank. The bulbs are in an enclosed canopy that exhausts the heat outside. And still, the lights add heat to my tank.
If you are currently running MH's without a chiller than you certainly won't need one if you switch to solaris. But if you are currently running a chiller, it will most likely run a lot less after switching... and there is a possibility that you won't need it at all.
I am still not convinced on the solaris yet. But I am convinced that this setup will add NO heat to your tank. I've ran NO fluorescents, VHO's, PC's, and MH's. All of these add heat with the NO's being the least and the MH's the most. But I have seen and touched the solaris and it does NOT put off heat.
