whats your par

[mrdobie]

Iv been having problems with my lights. So brs has a par meter on sale for
Black friday so i ordered one.
That being said I'm looking for numbers to start at and work from there. I've looked on line and it ranges from 300-900. For zoas to sps.
Any ideas or opinions will help. Thanks in advance.

 

[bklynreef]

All depends on
Lights
Height
depth
Im running 400 watt 20k radium MH
14in off the water
36in deep tank
over 950 par at the surface dropping to 300 par at the sandbed
personally i start all corals at the sandbed on a frag rack and then after 2 or 3 weeks ill move them around the tank depending on the type of coral and lighting needs.

 

[arnaldolex]

brs has a very good video on lighting and they compare diff lights and par and kind of corals that grow at that par check it out

 

[Spartanwarrior]

PAR meter was the greatest rental I've ever made. Thought my AI Hydra was producing plenty of light on my 36" long tank...always looks bright at least. Boy, was I wrong. Top was around 750...ok...sides and back? Around 45. Yes, 45. So, I bought a second Hydra to hit more corners and things are already looking great 2 days after.

So yea...every species has their own limitations and likes. There's a lot of generalities out there. Most say Top around 800-900. Sandbed 200-300. And then go from there. Frags racks are great initially, but they get ugly quick. Sandbed is good, but I have a habit of forgetting things and letting frags get covered with sand. I keep a few craggy rocks on the sandbed, put frags there for a few days to acclimate, and then start creeping upward.

Good luck with the PAR meter though. You won't be disappointed. I'll be renting that again every 6 months or so to checkup.

 

[mrdobie]

Spartan
I dont know how much it cost to rent a par meter but for $150 to buy one. Cant beat the price to have one of my own.thanks for the input.

 

[mrdobie]

Bump