PAR Readings Under 3 Hydra

[tommyboynj]

I finally "invested" in a PAR meter. Iv always kind of winged it under lighting and for the new tank I decided I really wanted to know exactly what my lighting was doing so I could better place corals and adjust accordingly. I tested with a USB apogee quantum sensor. All other lighting in the room was off. The settings listed on the bottom of the picture are where my lights peak and sit for 6 hours with a 3hr ramp either side. Im going to ramp to the settings in picture 2 over 15 days and see how my corals do.

One thing you will notice from the pictures below is that the readings on the left side are significantly lower. This was a lesson in how important measuring actual PAR can be. There is no visual difference when looking at the tank but after I tested i noticed that 2 of the pucks on the fixture had LEDs that where out. Big thank you to AI for shipping a set of replacement pucks at NO CHARGE even though the light was outside of warranty. Excellent service.

TEST 1

TEST 2

 

[ReefTankHunter]

Whats the length of tank

 

[tommyboynj]

Whats the length of tank

Tank dimensions are 48x30x27 with coast to coast external overflow. My plan is to aim for 150 on the sand in the center and around 100 on the sand at the glass. From what ive been reading if i maintain 150ish on the sand, then levels should be good throughout the tank. Thoughts?

 

[ReefTankHunter]

After reading this, I turned my percentage down on my hydras. I got two hydras on 48"×24"×24". Also supplement with 4 t5 s. I was running
B-98%
RB-98%
V- 100%
R-40%
G-40%
CW-40%
UV-30%
I'm wondering if this is why my acros are pale

 

[Zwickm]

Please post overall intensity in addition to each color channel value. Example : B-98% at 100% or 80%, etc.

 

[tommyboynj]

Please post overall intensity in addition to each color channel value. Example : B-98% at 100% or 80%, etc.

Not sure I understand the question. The values I posted on the bottom of each pic are the maximum percentage values of the intensity of each channel. They ramp up to these over 3 hours, sit at the stated intensity for 6 hours and then ramp down over 3 hours. This is the intensity graph for pic one.