This is a really good chat. I'm renting a PAR meter from BRS that is arriving today. I have a 38 gal bowfront that is about 8 months old (my Christmas present to myself). I am running two Kessil A160WE Tuna Blue lights. I have a mixed reef set up with the first SPS going in earlier this week. I started with softies, put in some LPS, now adding SPS. While the SPS has only been in the tank two days, everything looks very promising.
Obviously the rock work will be staying in place, but I plan on getting PAR numbers running the lights at 50% color and 100% intensity. I'll get readings back, middle, and front at the 1' from surface, then 6", 12" & 18" from the surface. I'll post the data on this thread "for the public good".
Super fancy graph
@Dana Riddle, my data is going to look pretty dang amatuerish by comparison.