PAR Meter & LEDs

[Fragaddiction]

Anyone have a par meter & do they read par correctly with leds? I've been running a Radion xr30w G2 over my tank with mostly zoas for a few months now switching from T5s. I find myself tinkering with the radion graph to often when I should set it & leave it alone really. I've burned up a handful of high end zoas & figured I'd see about getting a par meter & set/forget awhile. Thoughts?

 

[Safir]

I'm not convinced they can get accurate readings from leds... We tested my lights with the club's meter an per the meter I have montipora growing like crazy under 100 par in my display tank and palys stretching under 500 par in my frag tank...

I suspect the meters are probably sensitive in particular wavelengths and I was missing it in the display and hitting it in the frag tank. Under mh or fluorescent lights the coverage is wider so you get a truer reading.

 

[oldsaint]

This may help
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/2/equipment

http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/aquarium-par-meters/#Correcting%20for%20Spectral%20Errors%20of%20Common%20Electric%20Lights

 

[TyWynn]

This may help
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/2/equipment

http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/aquarium-par-meters/#Correcting%20for%20Spectral%20Errors%20of%20Common%20Electric%20Lights

How would one adjust for the % error referenced on the apogee site for full spectrum LED? I haven't metered my tank yet, but will get my name on the list soon for the club's PAR meter. Trying to get a better understanding of all of this before I meter.

 

[biecacka]

Is there a ballpark mathematical equation to get close to figuring out the numbers since most meters don't register/read all the blue. I thought I once read that you multiple the reading by .65 then add them. BUT I AM NOT SURE, MEANING I COUKD BE WAY WRONG. Just trying to get clarification.

Corey

 

[Webmanny]

I'm with you on this one. I have built many LED lights for reef tanks and they are growing all types of corals without issues. However, when I use my PAR meter, I get 200 at best when running at 100%, but grow SPS sticks fine at 40%. I don't get it, but I definitely can prove that they are not accurate for LEDs.

 

[oldsaint]

There is a new meter out, the Apogee MQ-500 that may give better results

 

[Webmanny]

The keyword there being "may". I'm not looking forward to doing $300 to $500 on a sensor that "may" read LEDs better.

If the club ever gets one, I would recommend borrowing it, but I'm not buying one anytime soon.

 

[robthorn]

Where are the coral locations in reference to the pucks?
I saw this in other radion users tanks which is why I decided to find better leds. Burnt sps in peoples tanks that have been keeping reefs longer than I have was a real turn off.
There are plenty of people with amazing tanks using radions so I might consider seeking some of those folks out and checking out their tanks in person and try to mimic their schedules. Its not that you can't with radion it just doesn't seem as easy.

 

[bmullikin1]

I think alot of people that switch to leds forget how powerful and focused they can be, they eyeball the brightness levels to whats visually appealing and end up frying everything, i run 3 gen 3 radions and 2 60" t5s over a 72" tank, and the radions peak at only 40% , another key are the wide angle lenses, they definitely help w the hotspots

 

[ichthyman]

Knowledge, patience and careful observation – A PAR meter is not required. An abstract number doesn’t determine success.

As with many aspects of this hobby, it is not merely the method or product(s) that ultimately yields success but rather the characteristics of the individual that determine level of accomplishment. Even an aquarium using “THE best” in every category of needed products can be a complete turd-sandwich if in the hands of wrong person. The “greatest skimmer ever built” will be a worthless pile of plastic if the person in charge of its operation is inept. As for the Radions, you already have everything necessary to be successful - quality construction, power and complete flexibility in programming. Now what is needed is the knowledge, patience and observation to implement a successful lighting strategy. Frankly I would refrain from trying to acquire the knowledge portion from any on-line community. Unfortunately, the forums are mostly opinion, conjecture and hidden agendas these days with little in any factual data. A good source of unbiased information can be acquired from the lighting guru, Dr. Sanjay Joshi. Here is an audio blog entry on why he chose Radions over other available units, http://www.reefthreads.com/?p=3108 . Not the most thrilling of conversations but a lot of accurate information. Here is the lighting schedule for his aquarium, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2532072 . For those who are unfamiliar with Dr. Joshi here is a quick bio, http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/coral-interview-dr-sanjay-joshi .

While I’m usually hesitant to source most manufacturer's marketing materials, this EcoTech sheet is very helpful, http://ecotechmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ecotech_CoralLab_WP1.pdf .

 

[robthorn]

And it is so very good to not make a dime off of this industry so I can't be accused of having an agenda other than helping people reef better.