PAR? The importance and understanding it?

[cheykaser]

I recently saw a post on PAR and how important it can be "IF" you understand it...so I've been doing a little (very little) search on the subject and ...wow that is a Pandoras box ! I currently have a 25 nano and a 55g (currently cycling) both are running radions...I would like to know a summary of what I could check or should even worry about at this point. There are no LFS that rent par meters so I would have to purchase one...and they are not cheap.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[luap79]

You can actually get a par meter from bulk reef supply under wet tested equipment you do pay full price up front but then do a return for a restocking fee of 60 couple dollars

 

[coralfishreef]

Is there a local reef club near you? Maybe a local club has one that you could use. BRS has videos of various lights with PAR readings and recommendations that may be helpful.

 

[blasterman]

You might not like this....but.....the most important aspect of lighting is being able to read your corals.

I run my tank at PAR numbers much higher than what is bantered here. I honestly don't care what somebody claims BRS says or what a display on a PAR meter says. I go by what my corals are telling me.

Being entirely honest back in the halide days we had more successful tanks because we didn't have available PAR meters and you had to be able to read your tank. Now its "I have X PAR according to a rented PAR meter and I know I'm ready for acropora"

 

[Waters]

While I agree with watching your corals....knowing your starting PAR number/range is nice.

 

[SPS2020]

What livestock to you intend to place in the tank? That would be my first question before anything else. If you have a FOLWER, PAR won't matter. LPS and SPS...especially Acropora require quite different PAR levels.