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PAR Readings

hiepatitis

hiepatitis

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What kind of PAR readings are you guys getting on your tanks? I'm getting about 500-600 on my SPS but I've seen some tanks with as high as 1000.
 
the phosphate colorimeter we'd be able to use at a meeting right? or would we have to test the water straight out of the tank? The PAR meter would be a little trickier...were all over the bay..SF, Half moon, livermore, and im in union city...where are you located hiepatitis?
 
I'm in Sunnyvale. I can bring the Phosphate Colorimeter to a meeting. I don't think carrying the water to a meeting should affect the phosphate concentration unless the container is contaminated. The PAR meter I have no problem with people borrowing as long as they take care of it. It was pricey.

I'm using 400w 20K
 
hey hiepatitis - which PAR meter did you buy? - I just bought (but haven't received) an Apogee quatum meter, but didn't see this thread when I was looking to buy one. Interested in getting your thoughts on whichever one you have!
 
I have the apogee. I don't have anything to compare it to but I read an article in advance aquarist saying that it was a good approximation tool.
 
Did you get it dual calibration, or either the sunlight or electric one. I ended up getting the sunlight one after reading the advanced aquarist article myself.
 
I use the dual and have been for 4 years....love the thing.


When posting PAR PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post depths of readings. Just posting PAR makes no sense. ;)
 
Gresham,

Which mode do you usually use, sunlight or electric. I know it probably doesn't matter as long as you stick with one, but I'm just curious.

Agreed, depth and relationship to the bulb are vital to seeing how a bulb or reflector performs.

Anyone - did you mount the probe to something to hold it in a fixed spot underwater?
 
Well my thought was not to observe lighting performance but PAR effects on corals. So I prefer to examine how much PAR the corals are actually receiving and any observations noticed. For example at readings of 800 my SPS were bleaching. This could have been due to the sudden change in radiation levels and not because of high readings itself.
 
Not to steer this a completely different direction, but I recall in Jake Adam's presentation at our meeting him saying that the ability of a coral to use light was somehow related to the quality not quantity of flow. Perhaps you don't have enough quality flow to support that much par. Just a thought I could be totally off base.
 
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