LED lighting reef

dougie · 08/06/2006, 08:50 AM

Gday all,

Just wondering what people think about these LED lights? has anybody had any experience? any pics? heres a link 4 there site.
http://www.solarisled.com/
Cheers.

Aqua Keepers · 08/12/2006, 04:11 PM

??????????

hahnmeister · 08/12/2006, 04:38 PM

There are already a few threads on those fixtures. Im not flaming you for not searching or anything, but you might want to wait until later in the evening and doing a search (or even doing a search on google/yahoo turns up results here), and do a search for 'solaris' or 'LED'. The content would satisfy your question most likely.

wjhuie · 08/12/2006, 06:04 PM

A couple of years ago in a thread I mentioned that I thought that leds where the future of reef tank lighting. and I got landblasted and basically called an idiot, and now look. If the par reading are correct then these things my be the ticket. the bulbs last forever, way less energy consumption, less heat. I cant wait to read some non biased reviews.

theatrus · 08/12/2006, 07:05 PM

Note how they're effiency calculations assume only 40% of the light is available after the reflector. I'm sure a Lumenarc could do much better (or any DE for that matter). Also look at T5 bulbs. Same power input, redesigned bulb and reflector vs other fluorescents = more light.

LEDs aren't magic. They're strengths are lifetime, color choice, and efficiency a distant third. Great for stop light indicators, not so great for general purpose lighting.

Monsta · 08/12/2006, 08:01 PM

If you have a lot of time on your hands, you could set up an LED light-fixture for a pico/nano aquarium. (Ull need couple of hunderd led's of different colors/wavelengths and with specific angle of light for efficency). I know of one guy who has done it and it is apparently working great. To be honest, I would rather build one LED fixture myself before I would ever pay for the overpriced solaris. (that is if I ever go LED)

fillibar · 08/12/2006, 08:02 PM

Are they there now? No. But the technology for blue, white, and UV LEDs and similar frequencies has only come about in the last few years. Plus, the automotive industry is pouring alot of money into LEDs for their purposes. If they feel they will have white LEDs bright enough to be headlights, I would think they would work for most tanks. It just will take more time, and most of us (myself included) have trouble waiting... This hobby certainly is helping though. Things only grow so quickly...

EleganceMan · 08/12/2006, 08:07 PM

these lights look and sound really cool but the price sucks!!!

orlenz · 08/12/2006, 09:38 PM

Quote:

the bulbs last forever, way less energy consumption, less heat.

Not true, they have no bulbs, they are diodes and they do not last forever, LED's actually dim considerably over time,
if you compare watts to par output there is reall not much advantage if any, they do generate less heat than metal halide lighting though,
also keep in mind that the comparison numbers they used were against a 20k halide with a glass sheild, no way these even come close to an actual 10k XM, or even a 14k hamilton for that matter.

hahnmeister · 08/12/2006, 10:30 PM

"LEDs aren't magic. They're strengths are lifetime, color choice, and efficiency a distant third. Great for stop light indicators, not so great for general purpose lighting."

-theatrus

The output per watt of LEDs has been shown to be about 2x that of halide, and breakthroughs are happening all the time to improve their output/longevity. It wont be long before LEDs are the choice for reef lighting... or for that matter, ALL lighting. We just dont see it in the states so much... it seems most of the LED R&D I see is going on in Japan and Taiwan. Over there, there are buisinesses that have already made the conversion to 100% LEDs from Tungsten and Phosphor, and cut their electric bills by 90%. The advancement rate of LED tech is alarming right now... we wont see the results for a few years still, because things are still developing so fast that no company wants to comit to a technology that might be outdone in a year by a large margin, despite how great it even might be... which seems to be the case. Im talking advances that boost output of LED's by 50% in a year BTW. But rest assured, from what I have seen, I have no doubt that in the next few years you will be able to replace your T5 and halides with a LED unit that uses 1/2 if not 1/3 the wattage.

theatrus · 08/12/2006, 10:43 PM

How so? Even the Solaris site puts the MH at twice the number of lumens per watt over the LED.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting_efficiency

hahnmeister · 08/12/2006, 10:59 PM

you mean LED is 2x that of halide, right? They are using 70watts LED to do the work of 150watts halide... otherwise there would be no reason for people to buy the LED fixture.

The LED's that the Solaris uses arent even the latest... thats the problem... nobody wants to buy/mfg something that becomes inferior in 1 year or even less...

canesfan44 · 08/12/2006, 11:44 PM

he LED's that the Solaris uses arent even the latest... thats the problem... nobody wants to buy/mfg something that becomes inferior in 1 year or even less

especially considering the outrageous prices for the solaris hoods. Fortuneately, in few more years competition and technological advancements will drop the prices and raise the effectiveness/benefits of the led hoods.

canesfan44 · 08/12/2006, 11:53 PM

oh yeah, when I first saw the add for the solaris I became extremely excited and very anxious for the led revolution to begin, and I think it's just beginning

hahnmeister · 08/13/2006, 08:55 PM

Yep, you got it. Right now, LED tech is advancing faster than computer processors... things need to stabilize a bit before companies 'buy in'.

RichConley · 08/13/2006, 08:59 PM

hahn, where are you getting your numbers?

THe absolute highest I've seen is 50 lumens per watt on LEDs. Metal Halides/T5s are twice that.

hahnmeister · 08/13/2006, 10:38 PM

Ugh.... you are going to make me look that up... arrrgh. I do remember one article where the latest was over 100 lumens per watt... something like 110 or something. Let me look for a bit... it was Japanese...

But just to clarify, the PFO unit is using 70watts of LEDs to do 150watts of halide's output.

hahnmeister · 08/13/2006, 10:43 PM

Ah, here it is... 130 lumens per watt in 2005. Who knows what it is by now... 150?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005..._led_break.php

I found it here, kind of the first word from PFO about the Solaris...

08/06/2006, 08:50 AM	#1
dougie Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: NSW AUSTRALIA Posts: 607	LED lighting reef Gday all, Just wondering what people think about these LED lights? has anybody had any experience? any pics? heres a link 4 there site. http://www.solarisled.com/ Cheers.

08/12/2006, 07:05 PM	#5
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	Note how they're effiency calculations assume only 40% of the light is available after the reflector. I'm sure a Lumenarc could do much better (or any DE for that matter). Also look at T5 bulbs. Same power input, redesigned bulb and reflector vs other fluorescents = more light. LEDs aren't magic. They're strengths are lifetime, color choice, and efficiency a distant third. Great for stop light indicators, not so great for general purpose lighting. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

08/12/2006, 08:07 PM	#8
EleganceMan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Fargo, North Dakota Posts: 1,611	these lights look and sound really cool but the price sucks!!! __________________ Trade Corals!!!!!! Current Tank Info: 160 gallon reef

08/12/2006, 10:43 PM	#11
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	How so? Even the Solaris site puts the MH at twice the number of lumens per watt over the LED. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting_efficiency __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

08/13/2006, 08:59 PM	#16
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	hahn, where are you getting your numbers? THe absolute highest I've seen is 50 lumens per watt on LEDs. Metal Halides/T5s are twice that. __________________ NO TANKS!!!

08/12/2006, 04:11 PM	#2
Aqua Keepers Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Clearwater,Fl Posts: 2,915	??????????

08/12/2006, 04:38 PM	#3
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	There are already a few threads on those fixtures. Im not flaming you for not searching or anything, but you might want to wait until later in the evening and doing a search (or even doing a search on google/yahoo turns up results here), and do a search for 'solaris' or 'LED'. The content would satisfy your question most likely.

08/12/2006, 06:04 PM	#4
wjhuie Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: dyersburg Tn Posts: 764	A couple of years ago in a thread I mentioned that I thought that leds where the future of reef tank lighting. and I got landblasted and basically called an idiot, and now look. If the par reading are correct then these things my be the ticket. the bulbs last forever, way less energy consumption, less heat. I cant wait to read some non biased reviews.

08/12/2006, 08:01 PM	#6
Monsta Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 107	If you have a lot of time on your hands, you could set up an LED light-fixture for a pico/nano aquarium. (Ull need couple of hunderd led's of different colors/wavelengths and with specific angle of light for efficency). I know of one guy who has done it and it is apparently working great. To be honest, I would rather build one LED fixture myself before I would ever pay for the overpriced solaris. (that is if I ever go LED)

08/12/2006, 08:02 PM	#7
fillibar Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Webster, NY Posts: 334	Are they there now? No. But the technology for blue, white, and UV LEDs and similar frequencies has only come about in the last few years. Plus, the automotive industry is pouring alot of money into LEDs for their purposes. If they feel they will have white LEDs bright enough to be headlights, I would think they would work for most tanks. It just will take more time, and most of us (myself included) have trouble waiting... This hobby certainly is helping though. Things only grow so quickly...

08/12/2006, 10:30 PM	#10
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	"LEDs aren't magic. They're strengths are lifetime, color choice, and efficiency a distant third. Great for stop light indicators, not so great for general purpose lighting." -theatrus The output per watt of LEDs has been shown to be about 2x that of halide, and breakthroughs are happening all the time to improve their output/longevity. It wont be long before LEDs are the choice for reef lighting... or for that matter, ALL lighting. We just dont see it in the states so much... it seems most of the LED R&D I see is going on in Japan and Taiwan. Over there, there are buisinesses that have already made the conversion to 100% LEDs from Tungsten and Phosphor, and cut their electric bills by 90%. The advancement rate of LED tech is alarming right now... we wont see the results for a few years still, because things are still developing so fast that no company wants to comit to a technology that might be outdone in a year by a large margin, despite how great it even might be... which seems to be the case. Im talking advances that boost output of LED's by 50% in a year BTW. But rest assured, from what I have seen, I have no doubt that in the next few years you will be able to replace your T5 and halides with a LED unit that uses 1/2 if not 1/3 the wattage.

08/12/2006, 10:59 PM	#12
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	you mean LED is 2x that of halide, right? They are using 70watts LED to do the work of 150watts halide... otherwise there would be no reason for people to buy the LED fixture. The LED's that the Solaris uses arent even the latest... thats the problem... nobody wants to buy/mfg something that becomes inferior in 1 year or even less...

08/12/2006, 11:44 PM	#13
canesfan44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: S Florida Posts: 1,728	he LED's that the Solaris uses arent even the latest... thats the problem... nobody wants to buy/mfg something that becomes inferior in 1 year or even less especially considering the outrageous prices for the solaris hoods. Fortuneately, in few more years competition and technological advancements will drop the prices and raise the effectiveness/benefits of the led hoods.

08/12/2006, 11:53 PM	#14
canesfan44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: S Florida Posts: 1,728	oh yeah, when I first saw the add for the solaris I became extremely excited and very anxious for the led revolution to begin, and I think it's just beginning

08/13/2006, 08:55 PM	#15
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Yep, you got it. Right now, LED tech is advancing faster than computer processors... things need to stabilize a bit before companies 'buy in'.

08/13/2006, 10:38 PM	#17
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Ugh.... you are going to make me look that up... arrrgh. I do remember one article where the latest was over 100 lumens per watt... something like 110 or something. Let me look for a bit... it was Japanese... But just to clarify, the PFO unit is using 70watts of LEDs to do 150watts of halide's output.

08/13/2006, 10:43 PM	#18
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	Ah, here it is... 130 lumens per watt in 2005. Who knows what it is by now... 150? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005..._led_break.php I found it here, kind of the first word from PFO about the Solaris...