How's my PAR??

[C3hutson]

75 gallon with 2x250watt 20k Radiums in lumenbright mini pendants. Powered by blue (new style) electronic ice caps. This was using an apogee QM-200 with powerheads off. Bottom of the reflector is 12" off waterline, which I think puts the bulbs around 16". I've noticed the hotspot of this reflector is the opposite side from the mogul socket... they are oriented so that the mogul socket aims directly into the back corners, so the hotspot is essentially over the middle of the front portion of the tank.

 

[slief]

Hard to read but the numbers looks decent to me!

 

[Bigcefa]

Yea hitting 200 on sand bed doing just fine

 

[shifty51008]

May be a dumb question but wouldnt you wanna check par with your pumps on as normal as that will be the way the light hits the corals?

 

[alton]

Loosen the wing nuts and slide your lamps back and forth to get more even light.

 

[jedimasterben]

May be a dumb question but wouldnt you wanna check par with your pumps on as normal as that will be the way the light hits the corals?

Won't have any effect. Surface agitation can cause the light to be +/- 50% of the measured intensity and it cancels out.

 

[C3hutson]

Loosen the wing nuts and slide your lamps back and forth to get more even light.

I'll try that today!

 

[FullBoreReefer]

I must be blind, I don't see any numbers lol

 

[C3hutson]

haha I'll reupload with some editing to help the blind

 

[FullBoreReefer]

Ohhhhh now I see them haha

The number on the sand bed looked kinda like a frag to me lol. Numbers don't look bad, but I agree, I'd fire up the tank as normal and recheck. It may not be far off but you never know...

 

[C3hutson]

There we go.

 

[C3hutson]

Loosen the wing nuts and slide your lamps back and forth to get more even light.

Oh wow, they weren't even close to being centered... The inner bulb (SE bulbs) was basically more towards the socket hole than the center. I'll retest.

I'd fire up the tank as normal and recheck. It may not be far off but you never know...

I'll retest per above. Problem was I run fairly aggressive standing wave and that causes some pretty big fluctuations. It's just easier to get a stable number with flow off.

 

[C3hutson]

My God... fixing the bulb alignment did wonders. This is with pumps on as well. Tank even visually looks much brighter and more evenly lit.