ReefBreeders Lumenbar vs. Chinese Black Box lights

[thepotoo]

Couldn't find any reviews of the Lumenbar, took a chance and bought one. Not super impressed for the price, to be honest. Wishing I had just gotten an additional Chinese black box for half the money.

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

Couldn't find any reviews of the Lumenbar, took a chance and bought one. Not super impressed for the price, to be honest. Wishing I had just gotten an additional Chinese black box for half the money.

It is my understanding that the Lumenbar is supplemental lighting, like an add on to your currently running lights. Not really designed to pump out PAR levels like you've stated in your Imgur link. This would be the same as running a reefbrite XHO I'd assume. They're designed to make your coral colors "pop". Hope this helps.

 

[thepotoo]

Sure, I get that. But the comparison pic is pretty typical of what all my corals show - there's good color with the black box lights, and my eye can barely notice the difference with the Lumenbar turned on.

Besides, how exactly would it make corals "pop" if it didn't provide additional light (PAR) in a specific wavelength?

 

[oreo54]

Keep in mind w/ the "high octane" there is a lot of "par" that the Seneye sensor has a hard time seeing..
Actually it's not that easy for other common "par" sensors either..
Of course some of this is equally true w/ all blue channel on the bb..
Not saying you are not correct but the 2 (bb vs octane bar) are pretty different in wavelength composition..

Octane "targets" florescent pigments at the expense of wavelengths visible to the human eye..
Like the cyan glow here:

What your eye sees easily..and what it doesn't

https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/PenetrantTest/Introduction/lightresponse.htm

Just because you, the camera, and that PAR meter don't see it doesn't mean it's not there..

side note: The 400-700nm customary "PAR" range is now questionable in current photosynthesis theory..
It's always been artificial btw..

PPFD – Photosynthetic Photon Flux

Density measures the amount of PAR (400 – 700 nm) that ‘rains down’ on the plant. The number of photosynthetically active photons that fall on a given surface each second measured with micromoles per second per sq. m. (μmol/m2/s).

PFD – Photon Flux Density measures a broader spectrum beyond PAR that plants use (380 – 780 nm). Measured with micromoles per second per sq. m. (μmol/m2/s).