Change in plans! Aqua Illumination Sol Led worth it?

I am thinking of either going with 6 Par30's from Boostled or the 36" kit with 3 Sol fixtures with controller.

It's a lot more expensive than the 6 Par30's and also uses more energy. 225 watts compared to 60 watts.

I do like the idea of a fully controlled and dimmable features of the Sol fixtures and only plan on running 2 of them over a 40 breeder with two island scapes. Possible use the third over a pico ;D

Also less cords to run. 4 cords for the Sol fixture compared to 6 and then all the timers for Par30s.

Is the Sol fixtures worth the hype? I want to keep energy consumptions low but also want a simple setup. I think a single fixture has enough to grow anything under it after looking at the charts.

;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D

The change in plans! Instead of continuing a full blown reef, I have contemplated on tearing it down and redoing the 40 breeder into a dwarf lionfish/scorpion fish tank. All that will change is selling off the corals and going with a center scape similar to Lion King's Pride Rock and just do zoas.

So I think that one AI Sol in the center of the tank will be sufficient in lighting the tank and providing enough light for the zoas.

On a side note, what do you guys think of doing 2 fuzzy dwarves and maybe 2 leaf scorpionfish?

 

I dont think you even need the 36 inch ai sol on a 40 breeder. 1 light can cover my cube and it is 20x18. I think two ai sol fixtures would do it. I do believe that AI SOL is worth the extra cost because of the ability to control everything. and i mean everything.

 

You only need one sol over your 40. They are great lamps. But you are paying for controllability and packaging. You will get comparable results from the Pars for less money. Personally, I went with the Sol Blue led... but they are still on back order so I don't actually have them yet. So this is all based on my research, not experience.

 

I run two over my 56 which has the same footprint. I can't tell you how much I enjoy these lights. They look awesome.

 

I will defiantly need two because I have an island on both side of the tank. I thought I would go with the 36" kit because the railing would fit on the tank and comes with the controller.

So I'm guessing 2 Sol fixtures, 36" rail, and controller? Would I need to get cables as well?

 

What animals are you planning on keeping?
Is an upgrade in the future?
Is controllability important to you?

 

My wife and I bought the 36" kit but did the hanging cords DIY. $10 worth of bits at Ace and the things look perfect... my wife is picky about really clean finishes on that sort of thing and she loves it.

 

Going for a mixed reef, hopefully mostly SPS dominated, if not then few SPS and zoa dominated.

Not looking for any more upgrades. Just finding something that will get the job done and last.

Control is an absolute. Great for acclimating and also change the look when I want.

 

I would honestly love to hang it. But apartment/dorm ceilings are not the sturdiest. So hanging is out of the question unless I make a cage setup to hang the lights.

 

Do the fixtures come with the data cables to link the two together or do I have to get those separately?