PSA: Rent a PAR Meter!

[ruegaroo]

I want to stress this to my fellow noobs that are learning the hobby... rent a PAR meter! Your guess on your lighting settings is probably wrong. I definitely had my lights set WAY too low because I was being way too cautious of all of the info about how less light is better than more light so as not to fry your corals. However, I was effectively starving them. After watching a bunch of Bulk Reef Supply vids on lighting I saw one about the fixture I have and their recommended settings. It was well above what I had. I also rented a PAR meter and even though I got my intended light range pretty close with the BRS recommended settings, I still had to make adjustments to the positioning of the fixture to really nail it down properly.

I wish more people stressed this. Rent that meter then set it and forget it! Don't guess your PAR ranges.