I've been saving for a Solaris LED light ever since they came out. Even though I didn't really have it all saved the price on the refurbished units was just too good to pass up. I've promised to be VERY good and not buy any more toys for a LONG time. My light got here today! :dance:

I've taken some pictures for comparison. These were all taken tonight with the same settings on my camera. If my tank looks like everything is just thrown in there it's because it is. I'll re-aquascape when I move it back into the living room (hopefully) this weekend.

PC
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_3448.jpg

Solaris 100% Power
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_3454.jpg

Solaris 50% Power
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_3465.jpg

You could see the lights getting dimmer when you were reducing the power but I can't see much difference in the photos. Solaris recommends lighting at 50% but I may reduce it further as 50% appears far brighter than the PC lights.

The light was easy to set up right out of the box. The touch pad controls are easy to use and the menus are pretty intuitive. Sometimes it seems like you double click and go past what you are looking for but it is easy to go back. I want to set it up on a solar/lunar cycle but I think that I need to acclimate my corals to the stronger light.

In an odd coincidence, I took the picture with the PC light on and then walked out of the room to get something. When I went back into the room 5 minutes later the PC's were out but the fan was still running. I don't know what happened but it seems unlikely that 2 PC bulbs that are just 3-4 months old would both burn out at the same time.:unsure:

Very cool Carmie, Good luck with it and keep us updated on it :)

Niiiiiiiiiice!

I'm totaly green with envy.

I love the new blue look!!

I'm so excited that I can't stand it! I

didn't have any idea of how big the LED's were. I was thinking something the diameter of an eraser but instead they are the size of a quarter.

I also have shimmer lines!

Shimmer is awesome! Congrats... very jealous.

BTW, there is no doubt that The Cultured Reef (http://www.theculturedreef.com/index.html), Amphibious' business, has the best price around on the Solaris lights.

Carmie, congrats, looks great..
nice to see the before and after images.. it really helps to show the difference

BTW, there is no doubt that The Cultured Reef (http://www.theculturedreef.com/index.html), Amphibious' business, has the best price around on the Solaris lights.

He sells refurbs?

Yes, Dick had a post about the refurbs a few weeks ago. There were only a couple of the 24" ones available when I ordered mine about 10 days ago. I think that Solaris had a few problems with their early units and these were ones that were returned and refurbished. They still carry the 2 year warranty. The discount on the refurb coupled with the already low price made it too good of a deal to pass up.

Wow,
What a difference. I checked em out on the web. Still so expensive! What a difference though... and they are supposed to last and last and last! Beautiful photos!

Thanks Technowledgy. They are expensive and since I am replacing a PC light I probably won't see any energy savings in the cost of running the fixture. The fixture itself has a temperature readout and the hottest I've seen it is 86 degrees. I think that most of this dissipates before it reaches the surface of the water, I can't feel any heat when I put my hand under the light. Thinking about it, I haven't heard my chiller come on since I got my Solaris. It uses nearly 400 watts when it runs so there are savings there.

Of course, like every other reefkeeper I have found that I want better growth from my corals. That would have meant upgrading my lights to MH, which would have used more electric and produced more heat.

Very,Very Impressive.Now,I'm never one to Rain on anyone's parade :rolleyes:
However,my local fish dude tells me that there may be 2 situations they are currently looking into as far as LED's are concerned.
First off some people are reporting a red hue in the spectrum,or even turning corals a reddish color.That last part just my be what the human eye sees.
Second,and really Important,is that some corals are "reaching" during exposure to LED's.I can only assume a need for a certain specrum of light is not being met.
Now...that said,Erring to the side of caution,I'm gonna give it 6 months or so before I consider a major ($ 2,149 for my 55g)investment and let others find out the yay's & nays'.
Man oh Man...Can't wait 'till the price drops !! :agree:
All the best,
Larry.

Larry,

Dana Riddle had a good review of the Solaris. Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Product Review: A New Horizon in Lighting: PFO's Solaris LED System (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/8/review2)
His tests did not show a red shift in the spectrum but he does note that Pocillopora meandrina will morph to their red/pink coloration.

I am in the Project DIBS P. damicornis breeders challenge. My colonies are all red/pink. One of my colonies came from a local reefer who uses MH. He said that his parent colony had morphed from green to red. It will be interesting to see if the Solaris causes any change.

Very Nice! There really is a noticable difference. Thanks for sharing with us.

Larry,

I am in the Project DIBS P. damicornis breeders challenge. My colonies are all red/pink. One of my colonies came from a local reefer who uses MH. He said that his parent colony had morphed from green to red. It will be interesting to see if the Solaris causes any change.

Hey Carmie,

Great looking lights :) I do like the blue look to the lights. Are you saying your P. damicornis colonies are red/pink now under the new lights or they were that color BEFORE the new lights?

Brian

They were that color before the new lights.

Looks Great!

I recently made the big purchase and am currently waiting for my 72" unit to show up. I waited for the new 400W compatible units (Solaris) to be released and even though it literaly cost me an "arm", the power bills from my (3) MH lights are killing me so at least there is some justification (to my wife)

Very excited! Thanks for sharing........

Hi Kyle and :welcome: to TR.

I'll look forward to seeing your pictures when you get your Solaris.

BTW, there is no doubt that The Cultured Reef (http://www.theculturedreef.com/index.html), Amphibious' business, has the best price around on the Solaris lights.

That is who I ordered mine from............CarmieJo is right about the best prices!

Please help me understand. To me, the top photo (under PC light) looks a lot nicer -- there's lots more color and detail. In the bottom photo, everything just looks... blue.

I'm new to all this, and *really* want LEDs to be the answer, but to my eyes these photos aren't encouraging. Is this the 20,000K version? Anyone have Solaris photos at 10,000K or 6500K?

Hi bonwick and :welcome: to TR.

First of all the color of your lighting has a lot to do with what you want to maximize and what you like to see. Photosynthetic corals grow best under lights that produce more PAR. Conventional wisdom, when using MH lamps, says these are more yellow, around 6.5K. But with MH they color up better under lights that are more blue (20K). Many people want better coral growth but they don't like how their corals look under the yellower light. According to PFO, the manufacturer of Solaris, their lights produce the most PAR at 20K. I read the review by Dana Riddle and in his tests he did not show more PAR but more PUR. Since PAR is a measure of active radiation and PUR is the measure of usable radiation

I took both the original shots with the same settings on my camera. The bluish lights mess with the white balance of the camera and the shot is also a little overexposed. I wasn't trying to take a good picture, just show the difference.

My light is the 20K and they also have a 13K. Since the 20K can be colorshifted to 6.5K I didn't see the benefit of the 13k light.

Here are 2 more shots that I took tonight. Once again I used the same settings in my camera so any difference you see is a function of the color of the lights.

Blues 50%
Whites 75

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_3521.jpg

Blues 0%
Whites 100%
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_3524.jpg

Carmie -- thanks for the updated photos! Very cool that you can vary the color temp. I could give the tank more blue during the day and switch to white for nighttime viewing, assuming the critters don't mind...

Jeff

I love toys and the whole computer control makes this a great toy. Not only can you control the color, you can have a complete solar/lunar cycle that simulates the seasons of the year, sunrise/sunset and add cloud cover.

.... yes... very cool... and all for a mere 2k! That is what my 125g acrylic cost me! Yikes. The Ferrari of lighting systems. But, yes, very cool toy!

Like everything in this hobby...

But, we have the windows open and it was in the mid 80's today. When I got home it was 79* in the house and my tank was only running at 80* with the lights on. I can guarantee with my PC lights the chiller would have been running just to keep the tank below 82*. To provide some perspective, during the winter we keep the thermostat set at 68* and my tank was running 79* with the PC lights on.

So, I can justify my toy :) because I am saving electricity.

... just keep telling yourself that. If you had a big ass solar array sitting on top of your house next to your wind mill I might buy it, but I am not "saving" electricity. I am looking for ways to use less of the more that I want to use. Pretzel logic!

....wonder how much that wind mill is? Could I run the LEDs off of a solar panel? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

True that. To that end (using less) we do use all CF lamps and Energy Star appliances in our house. We have lived in the same house for several years and are on an equal payment plan with the power company. Each year, based on the previous year's usage, your rate is re-evaluated. In a normal year you might see a $5-10 increase. The last time we were evaluated it included 10 months of my tank and the bill went up $40. There ought to be some way to use the flow from your powerheads to spin a turbine and help defray the cost!

I actually thought about that. The water falls 6-7 feet to the basement.... could I put a turbine thingie in the pipe and use the water flow to actually make electricity... man.. think of the money I could spend saving money!

I used to work in the lab at the waste water treatment plant. Even with the tremendous volume of effluent it would have not been cost effective to install a turbine. :) But it would have been cool.

Yeah, the technology is coming. Just a matter of time. I saw some plans for a photo voltaic system that had the units actually built into roof tiles on a house. Here in Sady Eggo San Diego Gas and Electricity is SO EXPENSIVE. I hate those guys. San Diego Graft and Extorcion is more like it!

Now that's clever.

Clever would be a way to install such a system and then have to sell power back to them! ....well..... back to work on the warp drive with the fusion engine.

Hey Carmie, nice discussion you have going here on the Solaris unit. I'm happy that you like it. I've been busy and haven't been around much the last couple of weeks. I learned a new skill, SCUBA, that along with all the other things that keep me busy I just haven't been around.

Thanks for the plug above, I appreciate it.

My 400W Solaris is due to be delivered tomorrow, Friday, and I can hardly wait. I see KyleO mentioned above he ordered from me, too. Kyle now has his unit and I hope he starts a thread on the new 400W.

Thanks again, Carmie.

Did you enjoy the lessons? SCUBA is something that is on my list of things to learn to do. I've even talked with my optician about getting a mask with my prescription in it. I know, most people would look into lessons first but my eyes are really bad and I don't think it would be any fun if I couldn't see.

I see KyleO mentioned above he ordered from me, too. Kyle now has his unit and I hope he starts a thread on the new 400W.


Yes I did..............and yes I will. Taking lots of pictures. Will be installing in the next few days. Very nice unit!!!

What you didn't install it the day it arrived? :eek: Man that would have been a national holiday in my house.

Did you enjoy the lessons? SCUBA is something that is on my list of things to learn to do. I've even talked with my optician about getting a mask with my prescription in it. I know, most people would look into lessons first but my eyes are really bad and I don't think it would be any fun if I couldn't see.Yes, I enjoyed the pain of SCUBA lessons because the end result, the ability to SCUBA on reefs, was worth the means. The "pain" is not to be construed to mean much physical pain. There are certain "skills" one does not encounter on land that might come in handy underwater breathing compressed air. So, you have to learn and demonstrate a certain proficiency at accomplishing those skills in pool and open water situations.

I've been a life long water boy, enjoying boats, water skiing, swimming and snorkeling but the last time I SCUBA dove was long before Certification was even thought about. I was 17 (52 years ago) when my best friend and I bought used SCUBA gear and took the plunge. We had no lessons, no directions, we had to drive 80 miles round trip to get air. No one warned us of any danger. I think because back in the mid 1950's the dangers of diving were not well known and certainly not well published. It was a new sport. At age 21 I got married and had to give up some "things" and the SCUBA gear was first to go.

So now, at age 69, I am a "Certified Open Water SCUBA Diver" which means I can now fill my tank and go diving. It was one of Sue's and my goals to accomplish here in FL. Sue is Certified but, needs a refresher course to re-gain her confidence.

Dick

What you didn't install it the day it arrived? :eek: Man that would have been a national holiday in my house.

No.............I am too busy out making up for the money that I spent on this thing!!!:D

My 400W came today and all I can say for now is wow!

Dick

No.............I am too busy out making up for the money that I spent on this thing!!!:D
That is the same issue I have on buying one. I swear the next light I buy will have to be the last one. I promised my wife 3 light systems ago. :rotfl:

I bought my tank used and it came with a NO strip light. A few months later I bought a used 130w PC fixture for $50. I bought my Solaris a year later I don't think I will purchase another system. I'd already replaced the bulbs in my PC once (cost $50) and was due for another replacement. I've read that the LED's are good for 10 years. If I spend $100 a year for PC bulbs for 10 years that would be a bit more than the cost of my Solaris. How's that for justification!

Thats somewhat putting the cart before the horse. The solaris hasn't been out long enough to judge what kind of life the led's will have.

Yea i don't know about the life span, i do think they will last a lot longer. Maybe a few years, but IMO the life span all depends on how clean the power is. I guess the solaris could have a build in isolation transformer but i seriously doubt it.

I do think the solaris lights are great though and i would love to have one. :)

I have only known about Solaris lighting systems for two days now. I have spent the last 48 hours of the time off from work researching them... I AM HOOKED and will have ordered one by next week... [wife will be out of town...:rotfl: ]

Derek

LOL Derek! You better have flowers to welcome her home.:love!:

Hey,

Just heard back from Dick "Amphibious", well a couple of days ago... My 48" Solaris 250W will be delivered by UPS this Thursday... June 14!! Nice Father's Day gift!! Thanks Dick!!

Carmie... this time, no flowers were needed. I just dropped the last digit in the amount I paid for it.... IT WORKED... LOL I'm shamed, bad, and terrible.... BUT, I love the fish hobby... Let nothing stand in my way...LOL Besides, she just purchased a Coach purse for $600, no dropping the last digit on that one... smile

$600 for a purse? Do you know what I could get for my tank? I hope you like your Solaris as much as I like mine.

Congrates on the light, I know you'll like them. You've got a monster of an anemone. If you have manual settings on your camera you can get pictures that better represent what the light looks like. I've noticed that people are confused by the color and output the light gives off. The best way I've found is to set your camera to manual, ISO 800, white balance set to 10000k, and any parameters set to normal. If your camera doesn't have a manual setting then find something in your tank that is grey or close to it, press your shutter button half way so the camera takes a meter reading, then compose your shot letting the camera focus, then press the shutter button all the way and take your picture. A tripod, or setting the camera on a table works to steady the shot. And turning off your flash will help render a truer color.

The color issue happens because all source lights have a diferent color temprature, like household bulbs are more yellow, flourescents are more green, MH are closest to daylight, but is still a little blue.

As for th Solaris LED's they have a mix of white and blue bulbs, which gives the light a pale blue hue. But not so blue as to wash out any other color. I've attached an image of my tank to see if other Solaris owners might comment if their lights look similar, just wondering if my eyes are seeing what everyone else is seeing.

http://homepage.mac.com/paperplanes/.Pictures/AQUARIUM/TANK.jpg

Clever would be a way to install such a system and then have to sell power back to them! ....well..... back to work on the warp drive with the fusion engine.

Actually there is a way to do that. PG&E built a prototype Toyota Prius that has any upgraded battery system and a modified plug; which is plugged into an inverter that ties into your power companies electrical grid. Essentially you would charge your batteries at night when power is cheapest, then during the day you would reverse the charge and sell power back to your electric company at a higher rate. Kind of silly for PG&E to do the demonstration with a car, since you'll probably be driving it during the day anyway. Guess they wanted brand recognition to help people understand the demonstration since people already understand how hybrids work.

Taking this concept to a home use application should be easy. If you wanted to you could just buy a bunch of used batteries at your local car wrecking yard and tie them in line, get the inverter and just have a dedicated power storage and selling unit. Just become a power reseller:up:

I've been looking into solar panels and wind turbines myself and there seems to be a lot of choices these days. I think offsetting your electric bill or even zeroing out your bill is the way to go with a tie in system. I'm looking forward to the day that my electric meter runs backwards.

Sorry to get off topic, just wanted to add that.

Strangelove, your tank is beautiful. My anemone is the size of a dinner plate! It is currently walking around my tank making a big mess! Right now he is on the side of the tank under the return. Last night he was on top of one of the rocks on the other side. :) Thanks for the photo tips. I actually have an SLR so I can control all the parameters. I'd been playing with the white balance but normally shoot at 200. I'll try increasing the ISO.

Sounds like your anemone has a traveling jones;) If your camera tops out at 800 ISO than it might be better to set it at 400 so your images don't turn out too grainy. The higher ISO will allow you to take photos with less light. Setting your white balance is key though, the auto modes on cameras have a hard time adjusting to the light the Solaris puts out. If your using a Canon SLR than I can tell you exactly what to do. These tips still work with other cameras, but I'm not familiar with all the cotrols, basic shutter, f stop, ISO and white balance controls still apply. What I'm finding is a shutter speed of 30 @ f5.6 ISO 800 and white balance set to K mode adjusted to 10000k and parameters set to normal and flash turned off, yields a good photograph.

Thanks for the compliment on the tank, it's been fun getting it to this point and the Solaris light has worked out great. Glad you were able to get one at the right price too.

Also does the photo I took look similsr to the color you are getting from your Solaris?

Thanks,

Marc

Awesome color, looks nice. I love the tank too, the blue makes t look kinda like it's a reef with the moonlight shining down. ccongrats.

One question, what type of anemone lookinthing is on top? it's huge

I've toned down the blue a bit by adjusting the blue/white lights and it is looking a little less blue. But, if I cone home in the evening and the house lights aren't on there is a strange blue glow emanating from the windows of the living room. I could make it more white but I like the blue. :)

I found that 100% whites and 80% blues look the best..................JMO

I'm at 100 White/85 blue. I think it probably looks about the same as 100/80.

You might want to keep it 100/85 for the time being, I'm thinking that might be why your anemone is on the move, it might be sensetive to the more focused beam of light. Although I would suggest after a week or so to keep your lights at 100/100. To tell you the truth the blue got to me for the first month I had my tank, but after that, I just got used to it. Now I actually prefer the blue.

I have been slowly increasing the light since I got my Solaris. I don't think that it is the reason my anemone is one the move. It started this back in April after a year in the same spot.

Greetings CarmieJo, Thanks for referring me to this thread. I really like what I've heard about the solaris system thus far....although I was disappointed to hear Dr. Sanjay Joshi's comments on the solaris at macna. Have you heard much on aquaillumination's new led light system ? I was wondering how KyleO likes his H4 ?

How do I find out what Dr. Sanjay Joshi had to say about the Solaris system? Is it published somewhere?

I'd heard that Dr Joshi was skeptical and thought they would be on par with PC lights but hadn't tested them. My Solaris replaced PC's and I can say that I can see the difference. Corals that had been maintaining are growing and I am seeing colors that were never there before. The colors on every thing are more inthense but even more surprising is that plain brown zoas have turned forest green, a brown fungia is now aqua and a candy cane that was brown with blue centers is developing amber stripes!

Dana Riddle reviewed the Solaris for Advanced Aquarist. I think I gave the link earlier but it is easier to give it again than to look for it. :) Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Product Review: A New Horizon in Lighting: PFO's Solaris LED System (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/8/review2)

How do I find out what Dr. Sanjay Joshi had to say about the Solaris system? Is it published somewhere?

I'm sure it must be published somewhere. I attended The Southeastern Reef Conference (SRC) July 14th in Orlando. It's a one day conference put on by the Orlando Reef Caretakers Association (ORCA), one of the best run clubs I've had the pleasure of being a member of. Check out their forum - Orlando Reef Caretakers Association (http://www.o-r-c-a.com/)

Sanjay was one of the speakers and his subject was LED lighting. He was generally positive about LED lighting. His only exposure to it is the prototype fixture that PFO gave him at IMAC in April 2006. This 24" unit has no controls. It's either on or off. The computerized version was months away at that time. He spoke of true LED lighting that would replace MH as the mainstay for reef aquariums as a thing of the future. He said, in his opinion, about 5 to 10 years away. He did compare the Solaris LED light output to PCs at this time. I and most other Solaris owners would disagree. I believe Sanjay is biased toward MHs for some unknown or not apparent reason. The reason I believe that is, toward the end of his talk, Sanjay compared his prototype Solaris "G" series 250W to his favorite MH, a 400W Ushio, I think that's what it was. I raised my hand to ask Sanjay if he thought comparing the Solaris 250W to a 400W MH was a fair comparison to be made at a public forum. He never got to me, his time ran out. Sanjay is a popular guy and after the seminar you couldn't get close to him and my question never got asked or answered. Everyone just accepted what he presented as "gospel".

I like Sanjay but, some of us have different experiences than what he presented. I for one love my Solaris, both the "G" series and the new "H" series. There are great things in the works for LED lovers. If you own one, consider yourself a leader of the pack. :p

For anyone interested, I placed my 72" "G" Series 250W in the "for sale" forum.

Dick

He has a picture of his tank on the RC forum, but that thread is like 40 pages long. I'll have to find a link to that. I agree with Amp since his results with the Solaris G series prompted me to get my 36 " Solaris. I had mostly LPS corals and everything grew great and tested a birdsnest and Acropora in my system for 2 months which have been growing fine. Just this weekend I got 7 coral frags which I'm still finding places in my tank. Color of theses SPS frags are great and it will be interesting for myself to see the growth rate of these corals. Here is a link to pictures of my 46g bowfront (http://homepage.mac.com/paperplanes/PhotoAlbum3.html) and the above mentioned corals.

I've said it before and I'll say it again I really dig my Solaris, heat issues are a thing of the past, even in these summer months. My tank is a solid 75 degrees, no increase in temp and no decrees in temp. No chiller for my tank, and the fixture runs cool to the touch.

Here are some links to my Tank Journal showing how things have colored up since I got my Solaris.
http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/53191-post178.html
http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/53195-post179.html

Wow, that's pretty darn impressive! Especialy the torch, it looks great!

How do I find out what Dr. Sanjay Joshi had to say about the Solaris system? Is it published somewhere?

I listened to Dr. Joshi's talk on lighting at MACNA and his conclusion is that the Solaris LED fixture with the stock reflector has all the PAR you need for corals. This is a case of his tests back up what my experience and lots of other people's shows. I also listened to Dana Riddle's talk on coral coloration and found out that he uses nothing but LED's in his lab.

Speaking of, what's that digi looking like these days? Mine has taken on a definite purple hue all over, with the tips going more white.

That is funny, I noticed that it looked more purplish and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. The tips are still pale lavendar.

Hi Carmie Jo,

I've had my 24" Solaris over my 54G corner for 2 months. I thought it looked nice. I thought my corals were happy...

3 weeks ago I was finally able to mount my T12 VHO 48" 4-bulbs staggered setup over my 72" 125G reef. The VHO setup has 2 BLUE actinics and 2 10kK white bulbs (tried 2 12kK also). This tank is so much brighter and "alive" than the 54G. The 54G looks like it is completely in shadows by comparison. Also I moved an acro that was faded under the Solaris into the VHO tank and within 5 days the green coloration started to return.

I am SO confused. $1000 worth of LEDs vs. $400 worth of VHO and completely different results... I realize that the VHO setup is 440W vs. 250W LED, bu should there be this much difference?

I think you went from PCs to the Solaris. Is the Solaris as bright and inviting to you as the PCs were? Am I letting my need for aesthetics get in the way of the health of my critters?

I think I need to call PFO tomorrow for some help/advise or something.

Or am I expecting too much from a 24" over this tank?

Don

wow, what a difference! i like the fact you can have that much control over the lighting. really nice cammie!...

Man oh Man...Can't wait 'till the price drops !!

me too larry!:)

Don, I immediately found the difference in brightness and vibrancy amazing! I don't have any acros but my montiporas and pocilliporas look good and are growing fast. I think that lighting a rectangular tank is easier than our corner tanks but I can't imagine it looking darker and duller under a Solaris. I would definitely give Solaris a call.

Well I did find a post on PFO's forums that stated that they did not recommend the Solaris for corner tanks - but I'll call nonetheless.

Don

I wonder why? I will be interested in hearing what they have to say.

It's because of slightly less than optimum light coverage.

Well, my wife wanted BLACK sand so we went that route. She later read that black sand does not reflect light as well and thus makes the tank look dark.

So last night she decided to take 10+# of white sand from our 125G and overlay the black. Voila! much better light effect. So she proceeded to add an additional 10# and stirred the black and white together to get a salt-n-pepper effect. Lighting is still much better than with only the black sand.

Go figure - you go for aesthetics and have to back-peddle.... heheh noob

Don

It's because of slightly less than optimum light coverage.

I agree. We stood the 24" Solaris on half of our 125G and the coverage was MUCH better and far brighter.

Now, after the white sand addition to the 54G corner, I'm happier, but it is far from what we saw over the 125g rectangle. That(!) was beautiful. Better that the VHO 12K/Super blue actinics that I was comparing it too...

White sand is more reflective but what a graphic example. How do you like the salt & pepper look? It sounds nice. Do you have a picture?

carm. for the lunar cycle do you still choose the light intensity, basically im worried that when i get my i4 at the end of this month im gonna burn my corals if i just plug it in and then go to work lol. what are some good levels to start with or reccomendations?

I started off with my daytime lights at 50% and increased them from there. I am at 80% white and 90% blue now. I have turned the white lunar lights off all together and have the blues at 5%.

Hi Guys:

Another new convert over from RC, got tired of all the "flaming" I've got my 48" I4 on order and can't wait. Great to see all of your Solaris pics and testimonials. Here's my tank as it is right now with 13 month old PCs. The tank is brighter but I tried to stop down the camera for better detail. I'm waiting to add any more corals.

We are glad to have you aboard! We don't go for that flaming stuff here! :)

unless your talking about exhaust vents, marshmallows or dead people you have nothing to worry about with us.....here take my personal flame retardant suit. dont worry about the pink too too ballerina frilly bit at the front, :up: early warning detection system. when you hear the "woosh" .... run! lol

Thanks CarmieJo! I never got personally flamed over at RC but it made me weary of posting anytthing and it was annoying to watch. Talked to Carla at PFO yesterday and everything looks on track for the end of the month. I can't wait!

and thank you Verian! You, I take it, are the comic relief around here. Keep it up, I need all the laughs I can get.

Hey Strangelove:

That's a great pic of your tank. Where do you have your balances set? It looks less blue than some of the other pics I've seen and pleasant to my eye.