Advanced Aquarists product review for Solaris LED

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/8/review2

Very informative article. I did some calculations to compare a 4' long Solaris vs the other MH/PC actinic lighting units sold by J&L. After you take into account the hydro savings & bulb replacement savings, it was only a couple hundred more over a five year span to buy the LED Solaris than with the older systems (it was a lot cheaper than the Geisemann unit). Also, I only used the 175w MH versions in my comparison, so if it is comparable to 250w MH, then the price difference would be even less.

Still, I will wait for later models before I consider replacing all my MH with LED lights.

Anthony

I think I'll wait for the prices to come down before considering one.Even with savings considered,it's still a large hit on the wallet to purchase.Also unless Im missing something,they didn't give par/pur values for differant depths.So we still don't know how much of a punch they will have on a larger tank.

what a joke of a article. they measured the PAR of the led array at 50mm, thats 2" and then they cooked the results of the XM bulb.. I just lost a lot of respect for Dana.

I get PAR measurements in the 5 to 700 range at the bottom of my tank from a SA bulb and the XM tested about the same output as the SA so right there it tells you that the XM should have the same out put as the Solaris but at 12 X the distance. also they put plexy in front of the bulb, why?? did they use a DE bulb? if so they picked the lower output to compare from the get go and reduced the output even more. Also what ballast did they use?

I don't know to me it looks like a cooked article to push the sales of solarius instead of a real comparison. hell they should send me one and I will test it against several bulbs.. won't be able to do that fancy plotting to make it look better but I can do real life tests at 20" distances through both air, water and a combination.

Steve

question
 

Steve did you post a question to Dana regarding why PAR was measured at 50mm?

im sure that would be an unbiased artical.

nope this morning was the first time I saw the article and was almost lait for work.. hehe.. I maybe overstated my disapointment with Dana as I hadn't had my coffee yet but I am still disapointed with the testing and the article.

I don't even know where Dana does his forum now, if it is RC or reef.org then I don't go to either anymore.

Steve

are you being serious or sarcastic? anything I have posted has been unbiased. If I tested LEDs and they were close to MH output I would probably be one of the first to buy one or try make my own:mrgreen: as I have been fooling around with LED's on my tank for about 2 years now (well not so much for the last year as when I cleaned up I put my box (with 300 LED's and about 500 resisters, away some where and I can't seam to find them :redface: I am now wondering if they made it into a box that went under the house....

Steve

What ever happened to all the love HO T5 was getting? LOLOLOLOL?

Has anyone acually bought one of these yet because i am thinking of buying the 48" PFO Solaris-G 20K LED Lighting Fixture in about a month.