Solaris Led lighting systems

Hey folks, can we PLEASE restrict this to LED specific issues? Chiller or no chiller with MH has been hashed and rehashed elsewhere. Flow discussions???

Rich, when I get a couple of minutes, I'm going to go back to your figures - it's just plain common sense that in order to get to the "claims" numbers, LEDs NEED to be about twice as efficient (efficient being light/heat ratio) to work in this application. If they can't put out the same light with 1/2 the heat of MH, this entire discussion is moot.

Thanks,
 
also the other things that is bothering me right now is you keep saying I don't know physics...but you say the lights are 35 lumens....but there are two different colors involved...white and blue....and we all know white leds have far greater lumens per watt...I AM DISAGREEING WITH YOU TOO THAT THE LED IS 35 LUMENS per watt...i am on the site now.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10119937#post10119937 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stimpy4242
i have, have you ever heard of false advertising...they are submitting facts just like you...but i guess they don't know.
Click to expand...

Why would hte manufacturer of an LED list the efficiency significantly lower than it is?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10119947#post10119947 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bstreep
Hey folks, can we PLEASE restrict this to LED specific issues? Chiller or no chiller with MH has been hashed and rehashed elsewhere. Flow discussions???

Rich, when I get a couple of minutes, I'm going to go back to your figures - it's just plain common sense that in order to get to the "claims" numbers, LEDs NEED to be about twice as efficient (efficient being light/heat ratio) to work in this application. If they can't put out the same light with 1/2 the heat of MH, this entire discussion is moot.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS51.pdf

Theres the specs. 3.4-3.6 is typical forward voltage. Typical numbers are 1.0 amp produces 75-130 lumens.
 
I don't care either way. LED or MH... you can buy PC's for all I care....

But I think the point is that "right now" LED lighting fixtures put out less PAR than a proper MH fixture/set-up or whatever...... So in order to make up for that lost PAR, you must add more lights, which in the end means that you use more electricity.

Now, your fixture may be using less electricity to currently run right now, and thats why you are saving money on your electricity bills. However, at the same time, you are getting less light. Does this make sense? You're using less, but getting less as a result.

Now... how does this affect your livestock? Who really knows 100%???? Your livestock may be doing just fine with less light. It also may not overtime. But one thing is for sure, all creatures on this planet are here for one reason, their ability to adapt, and overcome environmental adversity. So some may experience success with less light a solid husbandry, some may not.

LED's are an evolving industry. They will continue to get better, and better. Especially for this application. But in order for that to happen, there must be a market. PFO needs people to buy these things so they can keep putting more and more money into R&D. Thats why they are marketing these they way they are. I bet thats also why they are so pricey. PFO (and everyone else who plans to get into LED lighitng) has alot work ahead of them and don't plan to eat the whole ticket.....

Cheers,

Jim
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10119746#post10119746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stimpy4242
I am not saying it is impossible...but look you are running four or five fans extra...i am not...regardless of cost for those fans...its still a cost...and a noise i might add...maybe not much....also you are running lights that are using more energy...so i guess I am saving money
Click to expand...

No your running a $3,000 light with fans built in.

My Fans are 1.68 Watts Each. That is a TOTAL of 6.72W. Lets add power supply waste in. That is 10 Watts.

10 Watts x 100 Hours = 1kWh. Lets shoot high and say $0.15 per kWh.

There are 720 Hours in a month. That is a WHOLE $1.08 to run my fans. Noise? There is none. The loudest part of my tank is the NW skimmer.

You never (or I missed it) posted exactly what equipment you are running and what you were running before.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10119927#post10119927 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stimpy4242
can you answer this question? My BGE elec is much less now...my corals are doing just as well as before...why is mine not better?
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THE POINT is that you have LESS LIGHT. YOUR CORALS would do well with LESS MH or LESS FLUORESCENT. You and OTHERS keep trying to equate LESS LIGHT to MORE EFFICIENCY. That is where MANY OF US are having the issue. If I go from 8 T5s to 6T5s and still have decent growth, I will have LESS heat and use LESS energy. There will be LESS UV in the tank, etc.

It is great that you like your new fixture. It is also great that your are pleased with the growth it is providing. Just don't confuse that with "better" than... unless you fully understand what you are comparing.

As for the calculator on the website? It is like any other marketing. It is a VERY over optimistic sales tool based on assumption and variables. It is based in the same "junk science" as the claim that the fixture puts out as much light as a 250W MH. I can find a "race car" that my hybrid will beat. Does that mean that Hybrids are faster than "race cars"?

Enjoy :)
 
My 150 watt sunpod claims it can put out light equivelant to a 250 watt MH, true? Of course not its marketing, if you want to know how good a light is dont ask that lights manufactorer.
 
I think I have subscribed enough to this thread. I got enough information to know there really is not enough documented information on the new LED's. Until we get some actual readings from current LED owners/sellers, there is nothing really more to see in this thread.

I agree Metal Halide is right now a more mature technology. I also think that you are really ingorant if you do not think LED has the capabality to surpase them.

No pro-Halide people in this thread have ever given the nod to the obvious built in benefits the Solaris offers. Those benefits being the built in timers, moon controls, cloud controls variations, sunrise and sunset controls. Something that simply does not exist on Metal Halides by defualt definitley not built into any system that I know of.

I can only assume Halide may give of more lumens and PAR per watt after reading through this, but also when looking at the PAR that Solaris system puts out right now, I think it would be sufficient for most systems up to soft corals (depending on your setup, depth, ect..).. so really we are only talking about hard coral support, which you can minulize by getting few and putting them in higher areas under the direct light of the Solaris. If you want more hard corals, you probably should go MH right now.

I also think as Solaris and other LED continue to grow and get better light output (which they will only matter of time) on par with MH, really there is no reason to go MH anymore after that. The timers built in, better heat dispursion, and other benefits of LEDs are surpase anything MH can offer.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121086#post10121086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dez Nutz

No pro-Halide people in this thread have ever given the nod to the obvious built in benefits the Solaris offers. Those benefits being the built in timers, moon controls, cloud controls variations, sunrise and sunset controls. Something that simply does not exist on Metal Halides by defualt definitley not built into any system that I know of.
Click to expand...

Theres nothing the Solaris does that a Sfilgoi ACLS doesnt do.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121248#post10121248 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stimpy4242
i paid 2100 for my light not 3000 stop assuming things...i have the 48" solaris...
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Everyone needs to stop assuming many things..... Im off this thread, i am not anti led pro mh, i am just saying that Mh lights dont need chillers, i never said anything about MH lights being better than led, i just said MH lights are cheaper initially. Stop assuming that MH cant have a dawn dusk etc effect since there are ways of doing this with MH (although you would need other lights besides MH like fluorescent). Stop assuming that MH lights need chillers, stop assuming many things.

The 72" solaris is 3199.99 at marine depot.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121342#post10121342 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Musho3210
Stop assuming that MH cant have a dawn dusk etc effect since there are ways of doing this with MH (although you would need other lights besides MH like fluorescent).
Click to expand...

No, you dont need fluorescents. There are dimmable metal halide ballasts. Theyre just expensive.
 
The Sfiligoi system is actually even more expensive than the Solaris ... :) But once again, I agree very cool.

Tip #2 - the night light is too strong for a lot of people. You can reduce the moonlight intensity by going to Auto -> Light Intensity -> Lunar Blue and reducing it to 2-3. As always, adjust to taste.

Spleen
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121635#post10121635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spleen93
The Sfiligoi system is actually even more expensive than the Solaris ... :) B
Click to expand...

It should be. Its more efficient, and produces much more light.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10121106#post10121106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
Theres nothing the Solaris does that a Sfilgoi ACLS doesnt do.
Click to expand...

In regards to timing, maybe not, but heat dispursion? Even if LED use the same watt and generate the same heat as metal halides, the difference in heat dispursion is definitley a benefit in LED's. Plus all the benefits of accomplishing all the timing built into LED's which (as pointed out) cost less than achieving similar results with halides, are LED positives.

The LED negatives right now appear to be inability to reach same PAR / lumens readings as higher watt and top end halide setups right now.

the LED unkowns are bulb and output life specifically. Nobody has really used these 10 plus years so that data simply does not exist.

That being said it is easily forseable that LED will meet halide watt/output and achieve similar PAR readins in future, although watts may go up, they will still have the other benefits.
 
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