solaris = ugly tank
- Thread starter A.T.T.R
- Start date
RichConley
New member
Yes.
Going from 2x250 to 300w of solaris LEDs is going to probably cut your heat by 50%.... but its also going to cut your PAR by 80+%. In almost every case, you'd be better off running a smaller MH fixture, because theyre more efficient.
I went from 2 250 watt MH pendants over my 90 gal. to the H4 Solaris and my tank looks much brighter. I have it turned down from 20k a little bit (15%) and I love the way it looks. Nice glitter lines, awesome color and I can see consistent SPS growth. Nothing is brown, clams look great. I have not seen the flashing effect, but I'm going to play with the color temp this evening to see if I can get it.
P.S. no chiller!
P.S. no chiller!
villious
Member
***???? I have a Solaris system and it puts out VERY minimal heat. My old MH's were house heaters compared to the Solaris. You can cook an egg under MH's. I assume you actually have a Solaris to make that claim??!! Not sure where you get your info, but it's dead wrong.
I love this light, and I'm not trying to justify the money. I'm very pleased with it.....
RichConley
New member
Villous, this is simple science.
The LEDs the solaris uses are in the range of 10% efficient. MH bulbs are in the range of 50% efficient.
That means, LEDs waste 90% of the electricity they use as heat. MHs waste 50% as heat.
If you dont believe me, go look at the specifications for the LEDs the solaris uses. Theyre on Lumileds.com.
Your solaris doesnt feel hot because its only 75w, and its spread out over a large area. A metal halide bulb is 250w, and very small.
You solaris people sound like religious zealots: "GO AWAY SCIENCE, YOU'RE NOT REAL!"
villious
Member
In dealing with these lights, you can't think in terms of PAR. It's not the PAR that makes the corals so happy under the Solaris, it's the blue spectrum.
PFO recommends that you dim the Solaris to 60% when you first put it on the tank. I didn't do that. Well, if a few days I sure did!! It started bleaching the crap out of my corals. Now the corals are happy, and I'm slowly raising the power back up to full.
It's not all about the brightness anymore. Technology changes....thinking must change as well.......
PFO recommends that you dim the Solaris to 60% when you first put it on the tank. I didn't do that. Well, if a few days I sure did!! It started bleaching the crap out of my corals. Now the corals are happy, and I'm slowly raising the power back up to full.
It's not all about the brightness anymore. Technology changes....thinking must change as well.......
RichConley
New member
And on that I'm done. Cognitive dissonance rears its ugly head. If you can't justify your purchase, you'll invent new scientific principles to back it up.
If you want a real LED fixture that is actually efficient, buy an Aquaillumination that uses the Seoul Semiconductor LEDS at 100 lumens per watt. The solaris is less efficient than running PCs.
villious
Member
Quote all the science you want. All I know is I actually HAVE a Solaris unit. I used to HAVE dual 250w MH's. Same tank, same room, same room cooling, etc. I had to run a supplemental A/C in the room to keep it at a decent room temp. The room stayed close to 80 when the MH's were on. The MH's just heat up the room too much. Now with the Solaris, I don't have to run the supplemental A/C and the room stays in the low 70's. I know this first hand because I see it, I feel it. If you ask my wife, she's happy I got the Solaris because the room stays so much cooler and I don't run the little A/C in the room now. My wife can grasp this and she's not even a rocket scientist.......imagine that.... :eek1:
In my opinion, this is one of those "looks good on paper" situations. Someone is giving an opinion in a vacuum. Some of you Solaris bashers just sound like it's "Solaris envy". Since I don't have what you have, I'll find fault with it and it will make me feel better. Believe what you will........scientist also said the sound barrier was just that...a barrier. But, the science was proven different and it was broken. Reel to reel tape is gone now, we actually have cd's and dvd's :lol:
villious
Member
I've got it!!! RichConley must own stock or work for Aquaillumination! Ok, I'll bite. The Solaris may be "less efficient" than MH, but it sure produces a h*ll of a lot less heat than the MH's do...... Let me go double check that with my 10 year old and see if I can get him to agree with you. But he probably won't because he's ACTUALLY seen/felt it too. Good thing all scientist are not so narrow minded, or we'd still be in horse and buggies....... Oh,and don't forget your slide rule on the way out.... :rolleye1:
RichConley
New member
Of course it does. Its a 75w unit as opposed to 500w of MH.
The problem is, a 75w Solaris produces less light, and more heat than a 70w MH.
Narrow minded? No, I'm just not an idiot who believes everything a company selling him a $2k piece of junk tells him.
villious
Member
Ok, I'll completely go with you on that. A Solaris produces more heat than a 75w MH. I'm sold
But to get the same effect that I have with my Solaris, I can't run a 75w MH. So in my little brain, it's a mute point. I don't have to justify the money I spent to myself. If I couldn't have afforded it, I would not have purchased it. I like it.....it's that simple. Other people like it too, and some don't. Opinions are like...well, you know. I like MH too. Used them for years. I just like the Solaris better. But then again, it's just MY opinion. Sorry for getting so heated. It's just that I know what I see/feel and what a piece of paper says doesn't disprove that to me on this subject. Again, just my opinion
villious
Member
No, your one of those "know it all, jealous, my way or no way" idiots. Actually, I have another word instead of idiot, but I wont go there. Don't be bitter RichConley......don't be bitter. Maybe you used to be an engineer for PFO and they fired you for sleeping on the job. Maybe your ex-wife works there.......who knows??? But don't be bitter
And to quote Mr Gump....."That's all I got to say about that...."
Have a great day!!!! Happy 4th
RichConley
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10264975#post10264975 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by villious
No, your one of those "know it all, jealous, my way or no way" idiots. Actually, I have another word instead of idiot, but I wont go there. Don't be bitter RichConley......don't be bitter. Maybe you used to be an engineer for PFO and they fired you for sleeping on the job. Maybe your ex-wife works there.......who knows??? But don't be bitter
And to quote Mr Gump....."That's all I got to say about that...."
Have a great day!!!! Happy 4th
Oh grow up.
The Solaris puts out less light per watt than a metal halide fixture. Thats what it comes down to. If you can't seem to fit your mind around that, then you deserve a solaris.
For anyone looking for real information, check out the manufacturer of the Luxeon LEDs that the solaris is using. The spec sheets for the LEDs should show you all you need to know.
http://www.lumileds.com/pdfs/DS45.PDF is the data sheet. They produce 60 lumens, at 700mA and forward voltage of 3.7v. Thats a spectacular efficiency of 23 lumens per watt.
Compare that to 15 lumens per watt for incandescent bulbs, 40 for PCs, 50ish for VHOs, and 100 for T5HO and MH.
These things simply are not efficient. The LEDs aren't capable of competing. I keep pushing the Aquillumination unit because it uses 100lumen/watt LEDs, which should be competitive.
tangyreefer05
New member
I agree, he is going to back up his setup no matter what because it's his way/the best way. Maybe using a bunch of small bulbs that don't put out a lot of heat is what villious needs.. your math doesn't really apply here. What can't you grasp about the fact that LEDs put out less heat vs MH? It's a fact you know, science aside. Seem bitter to me. However I am not quick to say that these LEDs are the way to go either. Just they do put out less heat. I don't care that 1 single LED bulb isn't as energy efficient as a huge 500w MH. I think it's funny how you say "And completely not relevant, as these things put out MUCH more heat per watt than MHs...." When this guy has one and it has dramatically lowered the heat in his room. MAYBE he doesn't have as much PAR as a huge 500w MH bulb but he is not having to deal with the heal issues they can cause..
tangyreefer05
New member
MH you have 1 single bulb, LED you have many, it's really a different comparison you don't seem to grasp that. Clearly bitter to call the solaris a peice of junk as if it is useless. It just MAY be the model light for the future of reef keeping. But you'll still be defending your metal halides because it looks good on paper.
RichConley
New member
What does that have to do with anything?
You could run multiple 70w'ers if you want.
How does this have anything to do with heat, or amount of light?
RichConley
New member
Are you under the impression that a group of LEDs is more efficient than a single LED? Because thats simply not the case. I bring up the efficiency because its what matters.
Comparing 500w of MH to 75w of solaris is silly. Compare the Solaris to a 70wMH. You'll get less light, and more heat out of the solaris.
Of course you'll get more heat from a pair of 250w halides than a 75w LED fixture... but you'll also get TONS more light.
RichConley
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10265145#post10265145 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tangyreefer05
MH you have 1 single bulb, LED you have many, it's really a different comparison you don't seem to grasp that. Clearly bitter to call the solaris a peice of junk as if it is useless. It just MAY be the model light for the future of reef keeping. But you'll still be defending your metal halides because it looks good on paper.
No, I wont. I'm pushing the Aquaillumination fixture because it IS as efficient as MH lights. It is the point where LEDs become worth investing in. The Solaris is WAY behind that point.
Buying a Solaris is like buying a 2003 Honda Hybrid. You'll never save any money because they only get about 38 miles per gallon, and theres older technology that works better. (the low end civic got about 45). Buying an aquaillumination is like buying a 2009 Toyota Prius, that gets 100mpg.
one is investing in the technology for no good reason. The other is investing in the technology because it has evolved to the point where it is viable. The solaris is not viable, the Aquaillumination is.
villious
Member
Thank you Tangyreefer
I'm not trying to push the Solaris. I'm just saying what I've experienced and I like it. Just because a light source is bright doesn't mean it's ideal for corals. With new technology comes new thinking and Rich just can't seem to get that big brain head (reads ego) around that.
Like I said, we once thought breaking the sound barrier was impossible. I bet Rich was one of those guys standing there on the ground as Yeager took off screaming "It's not going to work....I'm telling you, it's not going to work. I have the documentation to prove it!!!!"
I'm not a smart*** by nature, but people like him just get me roweled up. It's just too much fun to mess with them...... I showed this thread to my co-workers and they arnt rocket scientist either, and they are having a ball making fun of him...LOL. You can't buy entertainment like this
I'm not trying to push the Solaris. I'm just saying what I've experienced and I like it. Just because a light source is bright doesn't mean it's ideal for corals. With new technology comes new thinking and Rich just can't seem to get that big brain head (reads ego) around that.
Like I said, we once thought breaking the sound barrier was impossible. I bet Rich was one of those guys standing there on the ground as Yeager took off screaming "It's not going to work....I'm telling you, it's not going to work. I have the documentation to prove it!!!!"
I'm not a smart*** by nature, but people like him just get me roweled up. It's just too much fun to mess with them...... I showed this thread to my co-workers and they arnt rocket scientist either, and they are having a ball making fun of him...LOL. You can't buy entertainment like this
