Lighting definition, please

[John J in Pickens]

If there is a place on this forum for definitions for explaining aquarium technical terms, please let me know where to jump to so I won't embarrass myself. There are a lot of terms I see thrown about and I'm not sure where to go to get a satisfactory explanation. Anyway, can someone explain what Par means in the Lighting area for reef keeping? TIA John J in SC

 

[mike550]

If there is a place on this forum for definitions for explaining aquarium technical terms, please let me know where to jump to so I won't embarrass myself. There are a lot of terms I see thrown about and I'm not sure where to go to get a satisfactory explanation. Anyway, can someone explain what Par means in the Lighting area for reef keeping? TIA John J in SC

I don’t recall seeing an index of terms but unlike many other groups this one is super easy going. So I wouldn’t worry about embarrassing yourself. As to your specific question PAR describes the level of light intensity in the range where photosynthesis occurs. Basically people with aquariums focus on PAR because the amount of light (measured by PAR) is a guide for what corals you can grow successfully. Different corals need different levels of light and different levels of flow.

Hindsight being 20/20 BRS has a ton of videos. I think one is called 52 Weeks of Reefing which is really good.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

There are thousands of articles online, but this one is a pretty good intro.

Light and the Marine Aquarium

By Tim Wijgerde, Ph.D. Light is one of the most discussed topics in the marine aquarium hobby. It is also amongst the most dreaded, due to its complicated na

reefs.com