Hello,

I know there is some Solaris LED experience in this forum, and I was hoping someone could help me figure out which Solaris fixture is appropriate for my new tank.

I am about to receive a ELOS System 70 (approx. 30"l x 22"w x 19h). This length puts it awkwardly between 24" and 36" fixtures, but since the tank is a frame-less tank, I would prefer if the light fixture wasn't wider than the tank. My intention for the tank is mixed reef.

The question is, would the 24" (250w. equiv) fixture have enough spread & PAR to cover the tank length and width without having to hang it too high?

I am also contemplating having a DSB in the display, which may complicate my problem.

Thanks for any help. My other options include 150w MH + 4x24w T5 HO fixture, such as the Giesemann Infiniti 24", or skating by with a decent T5 HO fixture until LED comes a little further along.

Any recs appreciated.

-S

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/lighting/4313-look-what-ups-brought.html I have the 24" Solaris fixture sitting on the glass top of my 54 corner. This tank has a maximum width of 30" although along the bow front it is 42", it is 22" tall and depending on where you measure from 22 -26" from front to back. I have good coverage side to side and top to bottom. There is not as much light at the back of tank as the front. I really like my Solaris. My corals look great! They are more colorful and are growing like crazy.

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/lighting/4313-look-what-ups-brought.html I have the 24" Solaris fixture sitting on the glass top of my 54 corner. This tank has a maximum width of 30" although along the bow front it is 42", it is 22" tall and depending on where you measure from 22 -26" from front to back. I have good coverage side to side and top to bottom. There is not as much light at the back of tank as the front. I really like my Solaris. My corals look great! They are more colorful and are growing like crazy.

Thanks Carmie! You are right, our tanks will be very similar. I have a few questions for you if you do not mind:

1) What is your opinion on the build quality of the Solaris? I have read several threads on RC including criticisms regarding the "fit and finish" of the fixture.

2) I will have to hang the fixture from a bracket and/or cables, probably several inches higher than yours since I need to achieve a 30" spread into a 19" deep tank versus your 22". Do you think the glare of the LEDs will be really annoying from a seat several feet away? I wonder if there are shields available for the fixture...

3) Do you have any complaints about the Solaris operation or ease of use?

4) Other than price, what aspect of the Solaris do you like least? I do not mean to dig up bad press so much as to ask you your opinion on what improvements you could envision.


I _REALLY_ like the LED technology, and I'm a bit torn between this and the Aqua Illumination fixture. Since the AI release is continually delayed, without a track record to rely on, I may just go the Solaris route.

Thank you so much for your time.

-Scott

1) What is your opinion on the build quality of the Solaris? I have read several threads on RC including criticisms regarding the "fit and finish" of the fixture.

Mine was a refurbished unit and there was a little scratch on the casing of the light. Other than that the fit and finish of the light are great. The fit on my power supply box is a little off in the back corner.

2) I will have to hang the fixture from a bracket and/or cables, probably several inches higher than yours since I need to achieve a 30" spread into a 19" deep tank versus your 22". Do you think the glare of the LEDs will be really annoying from a seat several feet away? I wonder if there are shields available for the fixture...

Of course my fixture is only a few inches above the tank but I don't notice glare from the LED's even when I am basically at eye level with it. The fixture is heavy so you will have to make sure your cables are properly anchored.

3) Do you have any complaints about the Solaris operation or ease of use?

I think it is easy to use. Sometimes the tough pad is too sensitive and you skip over what you want to select. I thought the instructions could have been more thorough, especially when it came to trying to do your own programming. Since I am happy with the default lighting cycle this is not a problem for me. I do have the clock set several hours behind because I want my tank lit until midnight. As the days get shorter I will adjust the time so that the "day" starts later. :) I love the lunar cycle!

4) Other than price, what aspect of the Solaris do you like least? I do not mean to dig up bad press so much as to ask you your opinion on what improvements you could envision.

I am really happy with my light. I will confess that all I have to compare it to are PC's and NO fluorescents. I would alter the touch pad to make it less likely to skip over your choice. Maybe this is more of a problem for me because I am pretty short and the light is at shoulder height. I would envision a computer interface that would allow you to monitor and adjust the light cycle.

I have not needed my chiller all summer long!

Scott,

I just shot you a responce to your PM. To answer your questions here, I think Carmie pretty well summed it up. The initial quality problems with the Solaris have been resolved. Most of them were centered around language and measuring differences between English and Chineze, metric and our method of measurement (For the life of me, I can't think of the right word). Must be "Old Timer's" setting in.

You will have to adjust the height a bit until you receive the effect you want. Going with a DSB shouldn't complicate things for you.

Dick

Thanks much Carmie, Dick-

LOL. I cannot for the life of me figure out why companies allow their products to ship without providing instructions that are both comprehensive and comprehendible. I do not even mind downloading instructions when they are well written. When companies provide instructions in several languages, the translations are often too literal and exhibit poor grammar. There is really no excuse not to pay a little money to get a pro writer/translator to polish product manuals.

One last concern:

Looking at various FTS pictures of Solaris fixtures, I see many tanks that appear dim (http://www.solarisled.com/CustomerGallery/tabid/71/Default.aspx) and blue, others (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/lighting/4313-look-what-ups-brought-3.html#post53840) that appear bright and well balanced.

Carmie's FTS at 100% power (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/lighting/4313-look-what-ups-brought.html#post52066) seems right down the middle.

As Strangelove suggested, it is most probably camera exposure and white balance that is making it appear less bright or very blue and almost washed out. I have to decide between the 13k and 20k models, and I don't want to get the fixture installed just to find out it is too blue and/or dim. If mine appeared like Strangelove's, I would be very happy. I am not sure if his is the 13k or 20k model, but he does have one extra array in his 46g which may contribute to the overall brightness.

Carmie, does your tank look more similar to Strangelove's than your picture?

IMHO, PFO should kindly ask some of their customers to re-shoot their tanks for the gallery if the intensity and/or color doesn't seem to match the appearance of their tank. Some of the pics in their gallery seem a little too blue and washed out.

Thanks again,

-Scott

I guess that I would say that mine looks like Strangelove's tank. I find it very hard to get a picture that adequately portrays my light no matter what I do. I can play with the white balance until the cows come home and I can't get the right combo of color intensity and brightness that is visible to the naked eye. Here is a picture I took tonight that shows the colors of my torch, BTA and pink zoas nicely but the tank itself is too dark.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_4314.jpg

I went with the 20k light because you can always back it down the 13k but you can't increase the temp of the 13k light past 13k.

I guess that I would say that mine looks like Strangelove's tank. I find it very hard to get a picture that adequately portrays my light no matter what I do. I can play with the white balance until the cows come home and I can't get the right combo of color intensity and brightness that is visible to the naked eye. Here is a picture I took tonight that shows the colors of my torch, BTA and pink zoas nicely but the tank itself is too dark.

Thanks for the FTS Carmie. You tank looks great. How did you mount your light when your tank is a corner tank? I read on the PFO (Solaris) forums that special considerations have to be made for corner tanks, but they were not specific as to what.

It sounds like your Camera's light meter may just be too narrow (or too broad) to produce the correct amount of exposure. Camera meters typically adjust the exposure until the result is the same value as a 18% grey card. The number and distribution of light samples a meter takes can vary by Camera. Some cameras, like my Canon Rebel XTi have several metering modes (Evaluative, Partial, and Center-Weighted). Different scenes may require different methods of metering. That is why backlit subjects often become dark silouettes against a bright background unless you use a more narrow metering that can concentrate only on your subject and thus ignore the bright backlighting.

Some Point-and-Shoot cameras can be put into "P" (Program) mode that allows you to increase/decrease up to +/- 2 stops of exposure. Increasing 1 or 2 stops may be an easy way to compensate for your camera's under-exposure.

-Scott