PAR Meter

[Shawn_epicurious]

If you were working your way from a 5 month old tank... towards an SPS dominant tank, that included a few LPS, and clams... and the cost wasn’t an issue... is buying a PAR meter worthwhile?

 

[Anthrax15]

With lights, you want to fidget with them and the schedule they are on as little as possible.

BRS has a PAR meter you can rent for 5-7 days, I believe. Rent it, measure your PAR with your lights and adjust accordingly. If you plan to upgrade your lights before getting into SPS, buying might be a better option. You can also let your local reef club use it as well.

 

[SifuMemphis]

worth is subjective.. that being said, spending between $250-500 for a par meter is a nice long term investment. Gives you the flexibility to measure whenever you want, etc etc.

There are a few you can buy that are "cheaper" --

Seneye (connects to computer)
Apogee with meter MQ510 / 210
Apogee par meter without the unit (connects to PC ) -- cheaper option

Think about it this way. Having a par meter is far cheaper, than potentially bleaching a $100-500 piece of sps