par meter ?

[rob.mwpropane]

Ok, so I would love to run out and get one but I want to know if it's really worth it. I tried posting in another forum with no luck. Any experience would be appreciated. How often do you use it, how often does It need to be calibrated? Again, is it worth it?

 

[JNye]

i got mine for cheap on a group buy, so it was soo worth it. at full price i would have to split it with a few people. i use mine monthly and friends use it occasionally. Its great intitially but then you get a good feel for what puts out what and where. now i just use it to track bulb life.

 

[d0ughb0y]

I have not seen a group buy for a while, but if I am not mistaken from my google search, the group buy price is for like 40% off MSRP. The older model group buy price was even less, $149 I think. I am sure if they lower their price to $149 shipped, they will sell a lot more of it.

 

[dh350twin]

Is it worth it......Well when you need it its priceless.I use mine often

 

[UnknownFish]

I couldnt live without one now, its great for knowing when your bulbs need to be changed and it also comes in handy if you go to someones house to get a coral from them, you can take your par meter with you and see what kinda par they have the coral in then when you get home you can put the coral in about the same par in your tank.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

The one I saw online was like 335$! That's a lot of dough, I would swing 149$ in a heartbeat. Where was the group buy made from, apogee itself? I would love to own one. How durable are they? Is the one that everyone has made pretty much for the hobbiest, or can it go outside, like on the beach? Thanks so much for the responses, I got zilch in the other forum.

 

[d0ughb0y]

this is for the newer model

http://www.reefland.com/forum/reef-aquariums/26252-group-buy-apogee-mq200-par-meter.html


this is for the older model before it was discontinued

http://www.reefcast.com/groupbuy.php

I think the older model is what most people have. I have seen the old model, which presumably was bought for $149, being sold here for $300. I asked the seller when he bought it and it was around the time of that group buy.

I don't think we will ever see one again for $149. But maybe someone who got it for $209 for the new model or $149 for the older model will sell it for less than what they paid for.

 

[bsylv91]

i personally dont think its necessary. all you have to do is remember when you last put ur bulb in..

 

[GOLFREEFER]

All you really need is a lux meter, there is a conversion that gets you close enough to par. There is an article around somewhere that shows what equation to use for conversion depending on what bulb you have.

Now I know people are going to come on here an regurgitate the same old thing, that Par is the be all to end all, but please don't listen to them. You can get alot of useful info from lux meters and they are very cheap.

You don't even have to get one that reads underwater, there are enough par readings from other members to get a feel of how much light is lost due to depth of the aquarium. All you really need is a baseline to start with and with all the info on reef central there are numerous par readings for every bulb and reflector type know to man.

 

[d0ughb0y]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/2/review

 

[GOLFREEFER]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/2/review

This is the article I was thinking about, its funny how you can find anything you want about this hobby just by searching and there really is not very much new being added to this hobby on a day to day basis yet there has to be thousands of new posts everyday.

 

[tmz]

PAR is more precise but lux works well enough for my needs and is about a 1/3 of the cost.

 

[RokleM]

Reminder on group buys guys/gals:

A "Group Buy" is defined as a group of hobbyists pooling their orders to save shipping costs and potentially get a group discount. Reef Central has never allowed "global" group buys - ie, group buys that cross local boundaries and involve drop shipping to multiple addresses (often in multiple states). Those aren't "group buys," but vendor sales in violation of RC's commercial rules, and in fact often involve the same individual organizer for multiple sales (ie, they're running their own basement business).

So, let's be clear: Local Club sanctioned Group Buys are okay. The organizer cannot be affiliated with the vendor or product(s), nor have a greater monetary or other benefit than other participants. If the group buy involves shipping to multiple addresses and/or involves non-local participation the sale will be removed and the organizer will receive an infraction (which can lead to Probationary status and loss of sales and PM privileges, so don't go there).

Thank you for your cooperation and helping to return the focus of the forums to the exchange of reef-related information.

EDIT: After consideration we have decided to allow individual ship group buys. However they must be conducted in the vendor's forum. All other rules still apply. Thank you.