OMG I'm trying $OLARI$...
 

I've hummed & I've hawed & I'm taking the plunge. I'm ordering the Solaris 48" 20K LED system for my new set-up from J&L. Overtime here I come!
I will post progress as I'm very excited about this new tank.
Aquascaping is going to be a major consideration, I'm foaming out the tank with a black aquatic foam used in pond construction. I'll keep you updated.
Anyone else have a Solaris system running?
Wish me luck.

What size tank you gonna put it on?

90gal.

24" high then. Interesting .. Good luck, hope you like it!

at that price, me too!

Oh wow Sushi that's awesome :)

What are you planning on keeping the tank? I haven't read too much about these lights, I've been seriously wondering how good they are. I've been really interested in LED lighting for years now... can't believe it's taking this long to get out...

Hey Sushiman thank you for posting keep us informed on how you like it etc.
Good luck

Gonna watch this thread.

I've checked the Solaris Site a few times.......I always say, Someday, one day, the price will come down. You're lucky.

Cool, when do you expect it?

Just tagging along... if you don't mind. :lol:

Well guys I'm going to be the lab rat! I understand that the units are backordered but I'll talk with J&L today & find out /make the order.
I am moving to my new home at the end of the month so tear down of the current FOWLR is the priority. I'll go pic intense on both the lighting & aquascaping for everybody not to worry.
The new set up will be a deep-water community (south pacific) so Softies, LPS, filter feeders & a decent fishload is the rough plan. I will try some SPS & clams, although they will not be the main focus of this system (SPS tanks are great, but I'm a sucker for so-called "soft" corals).
I want this set-up to be low maintenance & quite frankly stunning to look at. I'll be utilizing aquascaping techniques found in Reef Aquarium Vol III using eggcrate & black expanding pond foam + live rock on PVC frames so it should be pretty cool. I'm also going to try to camo necessary equipment (this tank is not drilled!) so the scape' should be a fun challenge.

I am very interested in what you find out about this new technology "Solaris". I have been told that J&L do not keep these lights in stock and order from the MFG on a per customer basis.

These lights would solve the heat and space issues I would have on my tank if I used a PC Halide system.

I cannot wait for your future posts.

Will

I'm a sucker for softies/LPS too :)

for those interested, advanced aquarist has a good review of the 14" solaris fixture here, comparing it to a single MH bulb:

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

here's a chart showing it's output, comparing it to an xm 250W 20000k bulb (a very good 20000k bulb that outputs better than most 13-15000k's)
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006...variant/medium

this is going to be a good thread. i'm dying to see someones tank with this lighting on it.

I wanna see what all the different dusk/dawn and whatnot options look like! And of course, follow the growth, that's the deciding factor.

Your whole project sounds cool :cool:

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Me too Me too.

I talked with Jeff at J&L and he has several units on the way so he tagged my name on one, good, no long delay! Lordy, these things are pricey!

they are definitely pricey. the hype is so huge on this lighting but its hard to find anyone actually using it with success on sps and corals. all the info i have found has been from the manufacturing and PAR testing. this is one reason i'm hooked on this thread to see how it works for you. good for you taking the plunge though.

There are several reports of sucess with sps on RC and growth photos to back up the claims, one system has great shots of Acro & Monti growth. PFO has a high output 400w model coming for 2007 apparently.

yah, ther eare a couple of VERY long threads on RC about these units. A couple of serious detractors who seem to have a grudge against the manufacturer trying to spoil the fun, but seems like a good product overall.

Just a bit pricey,imo.

Who here thinks I've lost my mind? I could buy a Geisemman Eco 250MH (x2) +T5's & a Euro-reef rc180 for less than this fixture.

Not me...if not for the fact that I needed 2 of the 6 foot fixtures, I would have gone with LED for sure.

I think your crazy, doesnt seem worth the money to me, i could get better proven lights for my tank for way way less. But if i was rich and had money to burn i might try somthing new.

and then there are some people who will stand in a line up all night just to buy a PS3 :razz:

...I'm starting to feel like one of those poor frozen fools. Well, I priced out a wishlist for upgrading my system. I sure can do an awful lot for the same amount of $$$. I need to sleep on it.

You are not a fool to me !
You are just one who gets what he wants, new staff is always in question and people do Not like to change especially thouse who allready spent money on infirior systems.
When you scubadive you see that there is not That much light down at 60 feet. Flow, food and clean water is more imortant. I have Millipora growing in 6 gal Nano, under 18Watt PC that doubled in size in less then 9 month.
I am sure you will love your new light system .
Good luck!

Yes but that playstation 3 makes me money.

wow someone touched a nerve :)

Honestly, I am personally waiting until at least next year when they launch their "400w" version of the led lighting. That should drop the price on these "250w" units... plus I read that they will be coming out with lower end units without all the fancy lcd displays and controls.

There, slept on it. I'm in. It's high time I invested in my system instead of continuously trying to stretch my buck. This is the wrong hobby for that and I should know better after all of these years. Yes, this thing costs like some gold & diamond plated toiliet seat Britany Spears might have, but for me the pro's out weigh the con's.
I'm sick and tired of having second-rate stuff.
Dec.1st I'll pick my unit up if it has arrived.
Merry Christmas to me.

You GO dood! And keep us all informed too! :mrgreen:

Lucky Ba$%#rd!

Thank god. I have wanted the 72 inch for a long time now. I just wanted to get some feed back, on coral growth before investing 3thow on a light. I will keep checking up , hope you post some before and after tank pics. I feel the same way about getting cheaper stuff, when really there should be no cutting corners for your fish. I take better care of my fish than myself, half the time they eat better than me too:biggrin:

Hope you wont sacrifice the quality of other equipment, like a skimmer, for this though, but good luck and let us know how well it works.

Ok talk a real hard look at that picture below.. it doen't put out anywhere near the amount a MH would BUT of what it does put out 87% is in the PUR range compared to the 78% of usable light the MH puts out..

Now to put this into proper perspective If the solaris puts out 100 units of light, 87% will be in the PUR range or 87 units of light. Where if the MH puts out 600 units of light 78% will be in the PUR range or 468 units.

no where in that graph does it say how much light is put out, only how much of the output is usable.. it is a very nice marketing ploy though..

Steve

I got a pretty nice euro reef, i just need a good light.

Doesn't this quote from that link address the PAR issue?

"Using the data shown in Figures 2 and 4, plus standardized surface area, the 75-watt Solaris produced 89.4% of the PAR generated by the 250-watt XM 20,000K lamp.

This equates to totalized PAR (µmol·sec) over a normalized surface area of 113 µmol·sec per watt for the Solaris, and 38 µmol·m²·sec per watt for the metal halide lamp."

It sounds to me like the 75w Solaris produces more PAR per watt, but less PAR in total. But not substantially less... 89.4% of the MH PAR.

that was my understanding.

My ETSS Reef Devil works really well actually (now that it's overdriven it positivly howls), but I'm upgrading to a Euro-reef rc180 very soon. I see a wave box & calcium reactor in the not too distant future as well...I want this to be "tank of the month" quality.