lux meter for natural sunight as well as LED?

[salty joe]

I am lighting my tank with two large skylights. Here in NE Ohio, there is quite a difference in the sun's intensity from summer to winter. I have blue shade cloth for the summer https://www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com/chromatinet-blue-shade-cloth.htm and 50W, 450nm dimmable LEDs for the winter.

Today when the sun was at its zenith, I got a reading of about 4400 lux on the rock where the coral will live. Is there any way a lux meter can help determine how intense the LEDs should be and how much shade cloth to use? My goal is fairly uniform light intensity.

I hope you can take a look @saltyfilmfolks. I saw the thread about using lux meters as a substitute for PAR meters but there was nothing about natural light.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I am lighting my tank with two large skylights. Here in NE Ohio, there is quite a difference in the sun's intensity from summer to winter. I have blue shade cloth for the summer https://www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com/chromatinet-blue-shade-cloth.htm and 50W, 450nm dimmable LEDs for the winter.

Today when the sun was at its zenith, I got a reading of about 4400 lux on the rock where the coral will live. Is there any way a lux meter can help determine how intense the LEDs should be and how much shade cloth to use? My goal is fairly uniform light intensity.

I hope you can take a look @saltyfilmfolks. I saw the thread about using lux meters as a substitute for PAR meters but there was nothing about natural light.

Uniformity with the sun is kinda tough. Myself I wouldn’t worry about it if using it is a goal. Most now are trying out the semi rapid ups and downs like in the saxby program.

We’re into use sun with led , or any other , I’d set the led par to the desired par levels (100 or so in the sand for mixed , and 150-200 acro Dom clams on the sand thing)
And then determine how much more the sun gives you.
If the sun alone is only in the 4000 range , assuming that’s the peak , I wouldn’t worry too much about it. , it’s only on the edge of 100 par increase for likely very few hours.

the lux par for sun sky btw is 54

So just like finding the sweet spot with a meter or by feel. , you can start under , and slowly move up with the primary light source. And as your adding the variable sun factor , just use that as it comes, and let it play out.
Not very scientific in a way, but sometimes, like music , you have to play by feel.

 

[salty joe]

OK, thanks. Just wasn't sure if there might be a way to use the lux meter or not. I'll play with it and see how it goes.

I googled Saxby program and didn't find anything reef related-what is it?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

OK, thanks. Just wasn't sure if there might be a way to use the lux meter or not. I'll play with it and see how it goes.

I googled Saxby program and didn't find anything reef related-what is it?

Note the up and down of the intensity here.

It’s pretty popular now, but honestly you put a meter on that , it would likely be almost zero change in light intensity.

But yes , if you set your meter for the peak intensity time , check the lux. And set it accordingly.
Use the lux meter to give you (Or most likely over time) observe the various intensity of the sun.
IMO , is def could vary greatly.
But I don’t think it’ll cause a any harm save in very high extremes.

Fwiw, if it does ever appear to be causing problems (visually to the corals being lit) I would use a a lighting gell called Eighth CTB. It’s a blue clear filter. It’ll cut the light intensity and some of what are called “undesirable spectrums”, red yellow orange.