The LED Solaris Lamp PAR Comparison by PFO - Page 3

glassbox-design · 03-04-2008, 11:17 AM

Matt,

I'm not surprised at all by the PAR comparison. It was only a matter of time. With that said, I still am not completely sold, based on PFO's other PAR comparison "tricks"... I am also not convinced on the construction and design of the unit given the pricetag.

The G and H Series used lower output LEDS, that were not efficient or worth the money, but the I and AI units are starting to show useable application. Not that the G and H Series cant grow coral, but the same can be done using less electricity, better spectrum, and less expensively with Halides and or T5's.

The biggest downfall is their narrow spectrum and because of that I still dont see them as a complete replacement of Halide and T5... but do find them valuable as supplement (e.g. spotlights). IME using other blue LEDS and seeing the G/H in action the Blue LED's do make oranges and Greens really pop, but they lack the spectrum to bring that same pop to blues and purples.

With that said it's nice to see new technologies making their way into the hobby

inwall75 · 03-05-2008, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Rogers

Interesting debate, but what do you all think of the PAR comparison to halides? Does that surprise you?

I'm not shocked by this as I have had a PAR meter and spectrometer for a long time and I did my own independent testing a long time ago.

Quote:

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Cool. What size aquariums do you have the light over? Do you have SPS in the aquarium? Where? Thanks for jumping in inwall.

Typically over a 400 gallon acrylic tank that is 26 inches deep. I experienced the same thing that Yellowbelly did, newly arrived brown SPS colored up quicker. The already colored up corals seemed to have more intense coloration but that is obviously highly subjective. (I regularly order in browned out SPS because they want to get rid of them quickly and I know that I can color them up which increases profits susbstantially). Planet Reef doesn't have one right now as people keep buying them from me used. The lack of heat is very nice in my situation. To give you an idea, yesterday it was 25 degrees outside and all of the lights in my shop put out so much heat that I don't even turn on the heat in the store.

Notturnia · 03-05-2008, 03:33 AM

in my tank with 2x250W+1x400W i removed the heater 3 years ago..
when i have 5° outside and 18 in the room the tank is still at 25° (celsius) w/o heaters.. .. nice in winter..

a bit trouble-maker in summer when i have 35° in the room with A/C working.. and the chiller killing itself reducing the 1KW lightpower..

this is why i'm watching at them..

Matt Rogers · 03-05-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inwall75

I'm not shocked by this as I have had a PAR meter and spectrometer for a long time and I did my own independent testing a long time ago.
Typically over a 400 gallon acrylic tank that is 26 inches deep. I experienced the same thing that Yellowbelly did, newly arrived brown SPS colored up quicker. The already colored up corals seemed to have more intense coloration but that is obviously highly subjective.

Very interesting. Thanks C. So have you noticed any diff in the spread of light from the LED as compared to a halide?

inwall75 · 03-07-2008, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Rogers

Very interesting. Thanks C. So have you noticed any diff in the spread of light from the LED as compared to a halide?

Hard to say Matt. I run and/or have run so many different MH/reflector combinations and I would have to install each of them to compare. If you look at Dana Riddle's and Sanjay Joshi's research, there is a huge difference. When you throw in the differences in the bulbs and the ballasts it's apparent that you can't say MH's as a group. It would be the equivalent of saying that both A and B are dogs so they are the same. Well, a Chihuahua and an Great Dane are both dogs but most people would not say they are the same. When you throw in the fact that most hobbyists have their MH's turned the wrong way, then you add a whole other complication to your question re: light spread.

Matt Rogers · 03-07-2008, 11:28 AM

Good point Curtis on halides.
So let's put it this way, do you think the spread from the Solaris is sufficient for the aquariums it is sized for?

YellowBelly · 03-07-2008, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Rogers

Good point Curtis on halides.
So let's put it this way, do you think the spread from the Solaris is sufficient for the aquariums it is sized for?

What do you mean by size? They cover the length of the tank well but if you have a wide tank (wider than 18") you will need two of these fixtures to prevent dark spots.

Matt Rogers · 03-07-2008, 12:55 PM

I just was trying to follow up on someone's concern earlier about the light spread from these fixtures. It's not my personal experience and I don't want to dwell too much on it as the more important thing in this thread is the PAR numbers.

YellowBelly · 03-07-2008, 06:46 PM

Gotcha. I'll try to bring my camera (Canon 5D with two a fixed 100mm lens and a 24-78mm lens) to work with me and get some pictures of the Solaris on the 90g.

coral reefer · 03-10-2008, 11:53 PM

I think the LED's have promise and the numbers did catch my attention as does the price. I have been such a firm believer in halides that to switch to something else, makes me feel like I am a disloyal patron(hahah)! Hey if they ultimately afford my live stock bett results in terms of both color and growth plus are able to thrive under this new style of light, in its infancy, then so be it and I will have to do some serious thinking about switching from halides to the LED's!
Electric bill(continual cost now and in the future) and heat generated issue are are also big issues that have to enter the equasion!
Thanks Matt and all who have responded to this thread!