PAR readings a surprise!

[am3gross]

So I got my Apogee MQ-510 tonight. I am surprised at some of the readings that I got, I thought my lights were turned up way to much, but according to the par meter it was no where near what it needed to be. So now I feel good about turning them up! Just wanted to share my excitement!

 

[DDenny]

Always nice to have some wiggle room with lighting.

 

[Waters]

I just picked up the same meter....can't wait to start messing with it

 

[PeterC99]

Found the exact same thing! Thought I had my lights cranked until I tested with par meter.

You don’t know what you don’t know!

 

[Wiskey]

My PAR meter is probably the best tool I've ever bought. Being able to tune my light and actually compare it to other successful tanks has taken out so much guess work.

Whiskey

 

[SPS2020]

My PAR meter is probably the best tool I've ever bought. Being able to tune my light and actually compare it to other successful tanks has taken out so much guess work.

Whiskey

Agree...and especially true with T5's as the output will diminish with age.

 

[am3gross]

yeah I am pretty impressed to say the least. I wonder if the stores would mind if I checked there par when I made purchases, lol

 

[Lonely reefer's]

It the best tool I ever spend to keep Acropora
I can’t keep sps under 6bulbs T5 8” about water on Red Sea 170 reefer, sps will Stn /burn tips/brown out,when I test the par to my surprise it under 150 par on the sand bed where I keep my sps.
After I low the light to about 250-400 par,now I’m able to keep Acropora with out any issue
T5 has very weak par output IMO

 

[hotdrop]

It the best tool I ever spend to keep Acropora
I can’t keep sps under 6bulbs T5 8” about water on Red Sea 170 reefer, sps will Stn /burn tips/brown out,when I test the par to my surprise it under 150 par on the sand bed where I keep my sps.
After I low the light to about 250-400 par,now I’m able to keep Acropora with out any issue
T5 has very weak par output IMO

I’m surprised to see good growth with 6 at 80%. I do wonder if I could tune it up to 100 without a meter i hesitate

 

[rtparty]

It the best tool I ever spend to keep Acropora
I can’t keep sps under 6bulbs T5 8” about water on Red Sea 170 reefer, sps will Stn /burn tips/brown out,when I test the par to my surprise it under 150 par on the sand bed where I keep my sps.
After I low the light to about 250-400 par,now I’m able to keep Acropora with out any issue
T5 has very weak par output IMO

Depends what T5 setup you run.

T5s put out plenty of PAR to keep any coral we want. Nearly 2 decades worth of evidence prove this.

I would say your setup isn't up to par if you can't provide enough light for SPS

 

[hotdrop]

If I were to buy new I think a 4xT5 for a 20” deep x 24 wide tank is probably plenty

 

[Tcook]

yeah I am pretty impressed to say the least. I wonder if the stores would mind if I checked there par when I made purchases, lol

They shouldn't. I checked all the tanks at my lfs. He was happy to get the readings.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

My PAR meter is probably the best tool I've ever bought. Being able to tune my light and actually compare it to other successful tanks has taken out so much guess work.

Whiskey

Best tool I ever bought in this hobby. I lost more coral due to guessing on placement than I care to add up. A 200$ apogee sq-420 and all of that is over. No more guess work. I know what par is being put down in every nook and cranny. Now instead of killing things I enjoy, I don’t have enough room for the things I enjoy.

 

[hhaase]

Yep, getting a PAR meter was a fantastic purchase for me as well. In my case it turns out the lighting was pretty much spot-on where I wanted it to be, but prior to measuring I just had no idea. I thought I was drastically under-lit and I was frying corals as a result. Now everything is happier, and I've got an acro showing explosive growth.

Just like thorough water testing, until you know what reality is, you're just guessing.