The Light has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!

i just did the math: it would cost me less than $1500 for 10 years including electricity to run my 175w halides, and replacing the bulbs yearly with iwasaki 15k ($90 apiece), AND I get about the same, if not slightly higher PAR with my current bulb.

BUT to each his own. We need a few "guinea pigs" to take the plunge, so that the rest of us can see how things go, and make more informed decisions. I just hope that they DO actually last 11 years at their original intensity, otherwise, a lot of people are going to be very unhappy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8250194#post8250194 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spineshank385
i just did the math: it would cost me less than $1500 for 10 years including electricity to run my 175w halides, and replacing the bulbs yearly with iwasaki 15k ($90 apiece), AND I get about the same, if not slightly higher PAR with my current bulb.

BUT to each his own. We need a few "guinea pigs" to take the plunge, so that the rest of us can see how things go, and make more informed decisions. I just hope that they DO actually last 11 years at their original intensity, otherwise, a lot of people are going to be very unhappy.
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Did you include actinic bulbs and fixture price?
 
I like the programability and hopefully the corals will thrive. If not I have 60 days to exchange it for MH. 60 DAYS !
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If LEDs drop in light spectrum slowly and from what I recall they do so slowly, then 60 days is not enough time to tell if long term success is possible with the system. That would be why there is a 60 day warranty, they know the light will last that long as long as it's not an electrical defect you wont return it and think it's fine. I also know that unless you own a light meter such as this http://www.reliabilitydirect.com/lightmeters/RDI-AR823.htm then you have no real idea how much of a PAR loss is slowly occurring.

Technology is great but I just wonder if the price of perfecting this new alternative will be too high in more ways than just price. Please provide honest reports and try to be as unbiased as you can. I feel that this debate will be as controversial as the T-5 Vs Halide discussions and prob result in the same useless biased data.

By the way in case some are wondering I think I am qualified to speak on this subject, not because I have a Solaris but because I know what LEDs can and can not do (yet). I don't like new companies and products that promise the end all be all in this hobby for thousands of dollars especially when they are based 100% on nothing more than theoretical data and computer models rather than hard bench tested results which take years to achieve. Im pretty sure the Solaris has not been tested for a 1/4 of it's expected life yet, thats what they are counting on the consumers (you) to do for them, so the next generation will be the end all be all in lighting.

That's just my opinion take it or leave it, but I wish you all luck with this new product.
 
Please provide honest reports and try to be as unbiased as you can. I feel that this debate will be as controversial as the T-5 Vs Halide discussions and prob result in the same useless biased data
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Exactly! One problem when people review expensive items is some times they are not honest about the product performing as expected. Nobody wants to look like a fool that wasted their money. I have been bitten by this more then once.

Time will tell how the LED fixtures turn out. If they do turn out to be as good as the claims then, once they come down to prices that aren't ridiculous, I will look into them further.

Right now buying a LED from a savings perspective makes little to no sense to me. In a short couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if the LED fixtures are half what they are today making any savings in bulb replacement/energy usage null (actually costing you more in the long run). I will bet new technology and competition will most likely bring the price substantially down. I believe a few other companies are currently designing their own LED systems.

This is not to say that people should hold off on buying the LED fixtures. If someone has disposable income or just wants a cool toy to play with then this is definitely the item right now. If I had disposable income I would pick one up in a heart beat.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8250907#post8250907 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LtPiper
Well if your not running actinics that make for a huge differrence in price in everything.
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not really, a 65w PC actinic plus ballast can be had for under $100, and since actinic is merely aestethic, the bulb only needs replaced when it burns out, even at an extra $30 a year on top of the 175w halide, its still a lot cheaper than a solaris fixture, assuming the solaris DOES last the target 10-11 years.
 
My 130w actinics are $50 a piece. I kept my original ones for 8 months, but they were barely burning when I replaced them. I love my MH/actinics lighting, I wouldn't want to trade it for anything. The only thing I would like to change is the heat it adds. I do not have a chiller, nor do I plan on spending the money for one. I have decided to take out my SWCD and its aquavia 2300, and use a Tunze 6100 in its place. I think this will make all the difference I need. Anyway, I like my light and the reflections and shimmers it gives. It would be nice to not have to bother with the changing of the bulbs often, also, with having your actinics slowly burn out, it take away from your lighting.
 
a whole new can of worms opens with the "actinic is purely asthetic" comment.........I don't agree but thats JMO.
 
Yeh I agree with fishmon I have heard actinics were aesthetic myself and believed it until I saw actinics failing in my systems with strange results. I decided to test it further and sure enough when I removed the actinics the coral reacted. I do not know if actinic depravation would prove lethal over the long run, my guess is that coral would adapt to the new spectrum. Al I can tell you is that I witnessed "something" happening when the actinics failed and or were removed from the system(s).
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8253619#post8253619 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishmon
a whole new can of worms opens with the "actinic is purely asthetic" comment.........I don't agree but thats JMO.
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most MH bulbs have a spike in the 420 nm range, same as actinic. I used actinics for a while and didnt notice a single difference (other than overall tank coloration, coral color didnt change) when i stopped using them.

spectraldata-line-1.php
 
Im pretty sure it has to do with the individual bulbs, manufacturer etc... Maybe your bulbs were better than the ones I used not sure. My bulbs were Coralife 150s. I will say this it was way more noticeable on the all PC lighting systems.
 
status

status

Its been 10 days since your last post - how is the tank with new lights doing?
 
I'll try and take pics tonight. My orange zoas and Taylor's holy grail zoas are doing good. Actually see a couple of new polyps on the Taylor's showing up. My zoas I got from Chris have changed colors over the past week. Not sure what's going on there. Pocillipora and Montipora no change. Phil's finger leather changes daily like it's trying to figure out what it wants to do. The Pink Tip Mini Anemone from Greg Hiller continue to retreat to the bottom of the rock like they are under too much light and are harassed by the crabs. Again I'll try and take pics tonight and post.
 
Your tiny anemones must not like the light, mine our out and have not retreated. I have 150MH's 10K, must be just right for them.
 
That's considerable less light than what the LED's are rated at. My tank has the equivalent of 2 250 MH 20K on it.

There were three on the rock I think when I put it in the tank and I have only seen two since then. I still think there is a third hiding under one of the overhangs on the rock.
 
yeah, thats what I mean, seems like they like the lower light. When I first put them in mine, I only saw 2 of them, soon they all came out and there are 5. Maybe if you put them in semi shade they would like it more.
 
Umm FYI Nancy. I put the rock they were on isolated out from the main rocks in the tank thinking (that's where I made my mistake) they wouldn't cross the sand to get to the main rock work...... I have one sitting right in the middle of the sand bed up next to the glass now.... So the little buggers could be anywhere in the tank by now.
 
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