Radion Pros and the MQ-500: My PAR Readings

[d2mini]

For those not following my build thread, I thought I'd drop this hear and get some suggestions from the pros.

This is my first time using a par meter.
I turned off all flow so i could get a steady reading. Did my best to point the meter as straight up as possible.
I have three latest gen radion pros mounted 16.5" above the water. Standard lenses, not wide angle.
The yellow measurements are as close to the center of the tank as I could get when rock wasn't in the way.
The extra row of blue along the bottom were measurements taken close to the front glass.
This is the AB+ Coral Lab program and it's running at an overall brightness of 65%.
Thinking of upping it a little over time to get the upper tier nearer to the 300 mark.

But open to suggestions.
Tank will be mostly sps and lps but it's barely 4 weeks old so not much in it yet.
From what I've heard, mid-high 200's is the sweet spot with LED?

 

[Geeray]

To me you want it to be at least 300-350midlevel in the tank. I would make changes very slowly however like 1% per week kind of slow.

 

[d2mini]

To me you want it to be at least 300-350midlevel in the tank. I would make changes very slowly however like 1% per week kind of slow.

I don't know where I want to be. lol
But not mid level. I was thinking closer to 300 near the top.
Probably more like 250 mid level?

But ya, that's fine. Like I said, there isn't much in there yet and the tank is only 4 weeks old.

 

[rovster]

I have g2 pros about 12" above water and my sweet spot seems to be 65% which I'm working up to again after a minor hiccup. Even at 45% things look decent and I'm curious what would happen above 65% but never "got there".

I have acros practically on the bottom. Tank is 19" high....





Tagging along....

 

[fcmatt]

Someone please school me.
I would have expected at least 300 at the upper level even with the lights raised to that height and percentage? What do you get at the upper level at 100% and same height? Or am I just too used to MH and 6-8 bulb ATI T5 and a total newb with LED?

 

[dz6t]

The truth is that led is not as powerful as many people believe and no where near what some manufactures claimed.




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[NickinMS]

Read this if you havent already.

http://ecotechmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ecotech_CoralLab_WP1.pdf

 

[itz frank]

I thought that PAR readings on LED doesn't give you the real picture of the power output.


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[Geeray]

The truth is that led is not as powerful as many people believe and no where near what some manufactures claimed.




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I agree 100%.

 

[Geeray]

I thought that PAR readings on LED doesn't give you the real picture of the power output.


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It will be off by some margin of error like 10-15% but it's still close

 

[d2mini]

The MQ-500 is the latest tech from Apogee that handles the blue spectrum much better.
What the margin of error is on this compared to measuring mh or t5 is I have no idea.

As far as the par numbers, the radions are what... 175w lights? PAR of 300 at the surface with that height and running at 65% ain't bad.
As you can see those measurements were taken a few inches under the water line and I didn't take any above the water line.

Anyway, this thread isn't about discussing led vs anything else.
I'm looking for advice from those of you who are having great success with LED and have actual par measurements to share.

 

[dz6t]

I have over 30 led over my little coral farm. I grow mostly acropora. You really need to bump up the par reading to 400 to 500 for acros. Then with radion, plug it in a killowatt meter and see what the actual power draw is.
You may be surprised.
For stylo, monti and birdsnest, they grow extremely well under various led with average 200 par.
If you run radion, check the par every several month and watch the power draw.


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[dz6t]

Also your water coloration can affect par value dramatically.
Coral also highly adaptable so take par number as a grain of salt.


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[dz6t]

I thought that PAR readings on LED doesn't give you the real picture of the power output.


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Yes it does. Two photon with the same frequency are the same regardless what the light source is.
So if a par meter under read the blue to violet wavelength from led also under read the same range of wavelength from other light source.


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[marinelife]

alot of your corals like low light so you PAR is good for them. SPS and some LPS will need over 400

 

[d2mini]

I have over 30 led over my little coral farm. I grow mostly acropora. You really need to bump up the par reading to 400 to 500 for acros. Then with radion, plug it in a killowatt meter and see what the actual power draw is.
You may be surprised.
For stylo, monti and birdsnest, they grow extremely well under various led with average 200 par.
If you run radion, check the par every several month and watch the power draw.


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Also your water coloration can affect par value dramatically.
Coral also highly adaptable so take par number as a grain of salt.


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Thanks!

 

[MichaelW]

I use radion g3 with wide angle lenses, 13 inches above water line. I run at 85% and I don't get even close to 300 just under the surface. I was really shocked at how low my numbers were. Bottom of tank, if I remember correctly was maybe 100...acros growing and coloring there just fine.
Now I have thought about raising intensity on them but even with all channels 100% I wasn't getting over 300 under surface. And as I say all my acros look very nicely colored.
Last week I did however add 4 t5 bulbs so that will bump par (at the moment though they are only on 2 hours a day. )
I was looking for around 400-450 at the top of my corals but seeing the numbers I was getting and the colors I have I would have to believe that would be too much light.

 

[dz6t]

Radion Pros and the MQ-500: My PAR Readings

Make sure the par meter is calibrated. Also run some carbon to clear up water. It makes a big impact on light penetration.

With wide angle lens, photons are spread out more, that may lower your par value.


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[Geeray]

I have hydra 52's on at 100% on all channels except white,red and green which are set on 50% the light is approximately 12" above the water. My par is over 800 3in under the surface and 350-400 12" down.

 

[SchnitzelReef]

To me you want it to be at least 300-350midlevel in the tank. I would make changes very slowly however like 1% per week kind of slow.

The truth is that led is not as powerful as many people believe and no where near what some manufactures claimed.




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alot of your corals like low light so you PAR is good for them. SPS and some LPS will need over 400

This is what I thought as well.

I was running 5 radions over my tank, and I was expecting 300+ middle tank. I was way off. At the very top of my tank I was getting 280-300, and that was with 6-80w t5s and AB+ @100%. (Tank is 96x30x21). I always read the threads with radions burning Sps, and I always assumed they were blasting the tank with par. (500+ par at the top). To find out I was only getting 280-300, it made sense why I wasn't getting the growth I was hoping for.