Is this PAR accecptable? Black Box LED

[JCOLE]

Hello Everyone! I just moved in my new 150 gallon a couple of weeks ago. I have (4) 165w Mars Aqua LED lights on the tank.

I just received my Apogee PAR meter in today and ran a quick test on the lights. My lights are currently 26% White and 30% blue. My Acopora on the top middle started to bleach today but could be due to stress from the move, etc.

Does this PAR look ok for a mixed reef? Any suggestions or help will be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

 

[Bpainter3]

Not sure if it’s the lights especially with them that high off the surface. I actually have the same tank but I am running 3 fixtures 8 inches off the surface mine has been running for about 3 weeks and my sps is looking great at 100% blue and 20% white. I don’t have a par meter but all my corals are looking good

 

[JCOLE]

Not sure if it’s the lights especially with them that high off the surface. I actually have the same tank but I am running 3 fixtures 8 inches off the surface mine has been running for about 3 weeks and my sps is looking great at 100% blue and 20% white. I don’t have a par meter but all my corals are looking good

The lights look higher than they are. They are about 10". I did it to control heat, salt creep, and better overall coverage. I could Jack up the light intensity but I do not want to raise the PAR if not needed.

 

[jtl]

I think the numbers look good. I also have a mixed tank and my numbers are similar. It is really an experiment to find the sweet spot that will grow sps and lps. What I am finding is that a lot of sps does better at 200 PAR vs 350 PAR. I think we are still learning about LED lighting so it may be a moving target. Imo blue/white ratios are mainly for viewing pleasure but having said that blues seem to encourage better growth. I favor the look of blue and run my lights 50% blue and 20% white but that is meaningless when comparing to other fixtures because of the differences in the type of blue and the wattage.

 

[JCOLE]

I think the numbers look good. I also have a mixed tank and my numbers are similar. It is really an experiment to find the sweet spot that will grow sps and lps. What I am finding is that a lot of sps does better at 200 PAR vs 350 PAR. I think we are still learning about LED lighting so it may be a moving target. Imo blue/white ratios are mainly for viewing pleasure but having said that blues seem to encourage better growth. I favor the look of blue and run my lights 50% blue and 20% white but that is meaningless when comparing to other fixtures because of the differences in the type of blue and the wattage.

What style and brand of lights are you running? I am at 26% Whites and 30% Blue. I am thinking of raising my Blues to 40-45% and my Whites to 30% and testing the PAR again. I would like an even 250-350 PAR throughout the top parts of my rocks. Do you think that would be too much light?

 

[Retro Reefer]

Would you please share your PAR numbers in this thread.. thank you!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r2r-par-database.538894/

@h2oh2o

 

[jtl]

What style and brand of lights are you running? I am at 26% Whites and 30% Blue. I am thinking of raising my Blues to 40-45% and my Whites to 30% and testing the PAR again. I would like an even 250-350 PAR throughout the top parts of my rocks. Do you think that would be too much light?

I have the Reefbreeders Photon v2+, 48". My par readings are estimated from an excel spreadsheet that was developed by the company so it is not perfect. I don't have a par meter so that is the best I can do. There are a lot of opinions on par values but I am in the group that says lower is better. Most sps can do just fine at 200 par so I try for the mid 200's at the very top of my rocks and work down from there. Most of my corals are just under 200 and the level at the sand is 140. This is working as good as anything I have tried over the past year so I am sticking with it until I don't

 

[Flippers4pups]

I have mine at 12” above waterline and at 70% blues and 30% whites. With lenses pulled, I get 250 at my highest rock structures. Growing like crazy!

 

[JCOLE]

I have mine at 12” above waterline and at 70% blues and 30% whites. With lenses pulled, I get 250 at my highest rock structures. Growing like crazy!

Nice. What are your lights?