Side By Side SOL LED vs MH
 

Just for those wondering about LEDs vs MH. The SOL is @ 100%
250w 14k Pheniox
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...aangel/016.jpg
14k Pheniox and SOL Blue
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...aangel/017.jpg
SOL Blue
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...aangel/018.jpg

Holy crap, it's your tank! You never post photos!

Did you buy 2 Sols or just the one? I'm thinking I might put one on my nano to try it out. Thanks for posting comparison photos, I am using the same halide bulbs, so it is a good comparison for me. Don't roast your corals! I think most people making the switch are starting at about 30% coming off 250 watt halides.

My tanks a uber secret mindy LOL im gonna post a bunch of pics when I get all the LEDs up and running for a growth diary
I am still running the halides till I get the other 2 then I will be running 4 SOL Blues total

Very nice tape job :lol:, do you think having the sol closer to the water is causing the increased brightness or does it appear much brighter in person?

Good old canadian chrome will fix anything!!!
Its WAY brighter then MH! There is only the thickness of the unit in difference between the 2. My MH bulb is 1/4" away from the glass with my custom reflector

Do run your SOL at a greatly reduced setting. The LED are producing a crap load of PAR and it's so intense even settings as low as 50% will cause photo-shock in many coral. I started my custom LED at 20% and ramped it up over 2 months (increased 10% a week) and I still bleached some of my SPS that were up higher.

Ya im prob gonna start around 15-20% as I will be running 4 blue modules and a few of my SPS are like 6" under the surface

That is sweet dude, I just bought ai sols for my 300 but havent had a chance to put them up yet as I am still in the transition period from the 210 to 300. I was hesitant on the units but from your pictures it really solidified my concerns on light coverage. Thanks for posting.:biggrin:

Looks like The SOL is a clear winner! in brightness and efficiency!

Where can you get the AI's in Canada?

you can order them online from Martin @ modularled.ca other wise most real SW stores get them in from time to time :razz:

talk to Martin at modular led, 399 each 5% tax, you just can't beat. When I got my order from Martin it came with an extra chocolate bar. You just can't beat that. Thanks Martin.

might as well wait for boxing day.

i got mine for 300 for the first one and 340 for each additional one during the store tours

Oceans Aquatics for those in B.C. they are a vendor on here. Was'nt listed on their site so I just called them. Gave me a good price and service was great.

Ditto to Martin http://www.modularled.ca/
Also Martin will match pricing if you find them cheaper and has free shipping for yall.

what size of tank and how many MH now?

.

Sure...now lets see the growth...That's the real deal.

Ive seen noticeable growth over the last days with the sol that I've never seen before with 250watt 14000k mh

There are thousands of posts out there showing plenty of growth with Sols and other LED fixtures.

Pro photographer? why not post some growing sequence? and show the coloration under LED?

Because I only have little frags here and there. Nothing really worth anything. Plus I'm still waiting for 1 more fixture

And just because I'm a photographer doesn't mean anything. I specialize in weddings and sports. Just like you can't ask a dermatologist what's wrong with your hearing

Really? I thought there was a $399 MSRP that retailer aren't allowed to go under. No?

I don't think so. I know apple does that. But my lfs defiantly sold them at that price and sold so many that they're on major back order

Many of your bigger manufacturers will set MAP (Min Advertised Price) which just means you can't advertise lower prices but you can sell it for less. I work in retail and have to adhere to different rules from different vendors but many of them now have MAP. We just don't advertise low prices but if you call or come into the store we can sell for whatever we like.

This is 100% exactly how it works! I notice also most of the deals way below MRSP also are hush hush deals where the dealer doesn't want you broadcasting the cheap price which is understandable. I have yet to pay anywhere close to msrp/map on most of my major purchases.

Those prices are awesome as the guy I deal with told me $360 when I checked for a Canreefer the other day.

But that's when it's fun to take photo of growing sequence. You take your small frag and in one month you take them again, each month or every second month and you check the growth.

I was surprised when I saw my photos 8 months later. I have some that are growing 1" per month so you can imagine after 8 months. It's fun to do and help you keep track of the growth and color.

I am a wildlife photographer...I understand photography well enough to do some little shots of corals :) I was assuming that you know a bit about photography and exposure, focal etc..that's all it takes :)

YOu really can't compare this to medicine... Photography does not require 6 years of university + and the same base apply to everything...it's only the lens that change. I don't see much difference between doing corals, bugs or a moose, or even a bird in flight.

Well my biggest problem is that I took apart an expensive tripod to put the head on my monopod. And now I can't remember how to reassemble the tripod and can't justify another 500 for a new one.

And I agree that it's not hard to just take shots of frags. I'm really picky and selective with my photos. And unless I can make them look really good I probably would never post them

Great comparison... I hope your not leaving the LED taped up like that for too long though, Being against a flat surface like that is likely obstructing the heat sink.

Cheers,

Chris

so i got a message from AI today

they finally moved their production plant and are producing units again

should be available in stores in the next couple weeks

There is no need for a tripod, beleive me.

He took a pic of his moorish idol and it's a great pic! Happy? Get off his case already.

I dunno about that... there may not be a need for one... but they improve picture quality by a heck of a lot! My photos are MUCH more crisp when I use a tripod.

*Edit: Just saying that I feel there is definitely an improvement in my shots from use of a tripod - While adding in the disclaimer that I know not a thing about photography :lol:

It all depends what focal length you use. I like shooting telephoto to compress the background. And when shooting at 400mm you need at least a 1/400 of a second shutter spee; which is impossible when using off camera flash cuz the sync speed is only 1/200. So the only way to avoid camera shake is to use a tripod

I don't see how any shot wouldn't be at least a little better shot from a tripod?

Unless you are trying to do an 'action' (read: Blurrrrrry) shot :razz:

Chris please don't challenge me in public. Imagine I took enough offense to negaRep you...

Yeah I should shut up - you got that fancy badge next to your name: ' Photo X-pert'!

Forgive my sins, Lord Brett!


(aside from the fact that my post was sarcasm and agreeing with you :lol: )

Haha. I'm slow to pickup on that stuff!

Fear the badge. I beat out countless (if you've got the counting ability of say an infant) photo submissions to get where I am today!