PAR Numbers

xabo · 04/26/2018, 08:26 AM

Recently checked par #'s of Radion G4 Pros............getting 444-489 14" below waterline and 199-234 on the sand bed. Are these numbers to high for SPS? Lights are mounted 9" above waterline at 65%.

Ostentum · 04/26/2018, 11:10 AM

No. Most montis do well in the lower par numbers like 150-200. You can find sps doing well anywhere from 150-600 depending on the species.

xabo · 04/26/2018, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the reply. Tank is a 220 with 2 cross braces and 3 openings with 2 radions per opening for a total of 6.

hockeyismylife · 04/26/2018, 12:26 PM

I find my monti's personally cant receive too much light. Have them sitting in 450+ atm and they love it. had them in 600+ with no change.

Does anything in your tank give indication you have too much light? If not, i wouldnt worry about Par numbers much.

DesertReefT4r · 04/26/2018, 08:43 PM

Looks great to me.

Patrick Cox · 04/27/2018, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xabo

Recently checked par #'s of Radion G4 Pros............getting 444-489 14" below waterline and 199-234 on the sand bed. Are these numbers to high for SPS? Lights are mounted 9" above waterline at 65%.

How are you measuring PAR? I thought I had read that PAR meters like the Apogee won't read LED lights in the same way they will read T5 or Halide. I could be wrong though.

I do know that I took my Apogee and read a local guys LED light and the numbers were very high as you are stating but the tank did not look any brighter than my T5, which reads more like 300 about 10" down.

xabo · 04/27/2018, 07:45 AM

BioTek BTM 3000

scottbeyer101 · 04/27/2018, 03:40 PM

I tested PAR (Apogee meter) on my tank (3 X Hydra 26s, 9 inches from surface) and found far weaker PAR values than you report. I noticed a very sharp "cone" shape of light based on the repeated readings at least until I got down to the bottom 1/3rd of the tank by which time it leveled out around 140. Dead center of fixture, 6 inches deep, barely broke 330.

In the end tho, my montis love it, my acros only love being dead center under each fixture.

04/26/2018, 08:26 AM	#1
xabo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wash. D.C. Posts: 637	PAR Numbers Recently checked par #'s of Radion G4 Pros............getting 444-489 14" below waterline and 199-234 on the sand bed. Are these numbers to high for SPS? Lights are mounted 9" above waterline at 65%.

04/26/2018, 12:20 PM	#3
xabo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wash. D.C. Posts: 637	Thanks for the reply. Tank is a 220 with 2 cross braces and 3 openings with 2 radions per opening for a total of 6. Last edited by xabo; 04/26/2018 at 01:50 PM.

04/26/2018, 08:43 PM	#5
DesertReefT4r Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Mesa Az Posts: 771	Looks great to me. __________________ Tank history 29g tropical ,55g cichlid tank, 20H softy reef, 29g mixed reef, 20H brackish goby & puffer tank, 55g mixed reef, 6g Nanocube softy lps reef, 40B sps reef, 75g sps reef, 75g sps reef in bu Current Tank Info: 75g sps reef build in the works.

04/27/2018, 03:40 PM	#8
scottbeyer101 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: 06840 Posts: 23	I tested PAR (Apogee meter) on my tank (3 X Hydra 26s, 9 inches from surface) and found far weaker PAR values than you report. I noticed a very sharp "cone" shape of light based on the repeated readings at least until I got down to the bottom 1/3rd of the tank by which time it leveled out around 140. Dead center of fixture, 6 inches deep, barely broke 330. In the end tho, my montis love it, my acros only love being dead center under each fixture. __________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Mixed Reef RSR 525XL, APEX, 3 X Hydra 26, Sicce SDC 9 return, MP 40, Maxspect

04/26/2018, 11:10 AM	#2
Ostentum Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Porter, Texas Posts: 199	No. Most montis do well in the lower par numbers like 150-200. You can find sps doing well anywhere from 150-600 depending on the species.

04/26/2018, 12:26 PM	#4
hockeyismylife Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 74	I find my monti's personally cant receive too much light. Have them sitting in 450+ atm and they love it. had them in 600+ with no change. Does anything in your tank give indication you have too much light? If not, i wouldnt worry about Par numbers much.

04/27/2018, 07:45 AM	#7
xabo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wash. D.C. Posts: 637	BioTek BTM 3000