Solaris LED what tha?

[SnowManSnow]

I'm a little confused about these things. Given... they are wicked cool and offer LOTS of lighting options.

I skimmed through Dana's review in AA as the solaris vs MH. Am I correct in stating that the Soloris produced %89 PAR and actually more PUR than the MH counterpart?

Would this mean that the solaris actually produces more USABLE light for corals?

Also, I was looking at the 24" Solaris. In descriptions it states that it produces light = to 250w MH, but it only puts out about 155w. How does that work? Or am i just reading it wrong?

Any help understanding these things would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

B.

 

[brandonberry]

It is just a lot more efficient than a metal halide. Basically that is saying that it produces the same amount of PAR as a 250w halide but uses a lot less electricity. That is why people are willing to pay so much for them. Read some of Sanjay Joshi's articles and you'll get a pretty good idea of what all this is about.

 

[Entacmaea]

Yeah, I suppose it is just more efficient- based on the numbers you provided (if my math is correct, which is dubious!), it is about 43% more efficient, producing 89% of 250 watts PAR, with only 155 watts. Basically the MH bulb is dissipating a lot of its energy input (electricity) as heat, whereas LED's are more efficient, putting out more of each watt of energy input as PAR...

 

[SnowManSnow]

So... if that's right.. my corals would be just as good off with 150w of the solaris light as 250w of MH??????

Just doesn't add up to me.

B

 

[Anonymous]

So... if that's right.. my corals would be just as good off with 150w of the solaris light as 250w of MH??????

Think of the compact fluorescent bulbs everyone is pushing now, they all say "replaced 100 watt bulb" or "replaces 60 watt bulb". A compact fluorescent bulb puts out the same amount of light that we see with, as an incandescent bulb that uses 4 times as much power. Same deally.

You're comparing an LED to a MH, you're going to have efficiency issues.

 

[Unarce]

The way that it was explained to me by PFO is this (the 24" models consists of 2 blocks of LEDs, which are comparable to one MH bulb):

G Series
Each block is equivalent to the output of 125 watts of 20K metal halide

H4 Series
Each block is equivalent to the output of 200 watts of 20K metal halide

I4
Each block is equivalent to the output of 200 watts of 15K metal halide

2 blocks are needed to match the spread and output of a single MH bulb, but at about 40-50% less energy usage.



I came very close to buying these, but they are designed for narrow rectangular tanks. I would need a 24" and 36" G series fixture to do what my single 400W MH bulb does in a Lumenarc over my cube. I also can't do reefing without shimmer lines

 

[brandonberry]

I'm thinking I'll go to LEDs one day, but I'm definitely waiting until they get a lot cheaper than they are now. Sure you'll save money on electricity, bulbs, cooling, etc, but when you throw in the cost of the fixture it is still not worth it yet in my opinion. I see this as the plasma TV of the reef hobby. Several years from now, they probably won't cost much more than halide fixtures. I like the shimmer lines too. Maybe by then they'll be able to make LEDs powerful enough to cause shimmer lines. If not, why not go with a couple of 150w halides instead of 400w and supplement it with the LEDs. That might be a good option. I think that would also be good in a lot of fixtures on the market now instead of trying to cram a bucnch of T5s or power compacts in the same fixture with halides.

 

[SnowManSnow]

Every review i've seen states that they DO create shimmer lines i the tank.

B

 

[Mthompson]

There is also a newer LED fixture that was reviewed in the Oct. AA (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/10/review). I think this one has a better controller, and it can be upgraded (or downgraded) if your requirements change.

 

[Unarce]

Every review i've seen states that they DO create shimmer lines i the tank.

B

That's what I thought, too, but after seeing a few in person, shimmer lines are almost as faint as fluorescent lighting.

 

[SnowManSnow]

hmmm

I do like the 24" solaris ... it would look great on my 24x24x24 cube. Now I just need around $1,500.00 to buy it

B