Radion Pros and the MQ-500: My PAR Readings

[SchnitzelReef]

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?

Wonder how much the par would drop if you turn all your flow on. I tested my par with all flow going, so I could see real par numbers. Did you ever try testing with flow on?

 

[d2mini]

Wonder how much the par would drop if you turn all your flow on. I tested my par with all flow going, so I could see real par numbers. Did you ever try testing with flow on?

Too much surface agitation to get a reading.
It was jumping all over the place.

 

[dz6t]

If you read EcoTech's white paper, you can see what type of coral they were growing. So whatever they used won't apply to acro.



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[dz6t]

Also 200 par is not a sweet spot for led. You really need 400 and above for most acro.


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[Geeray]

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.

There had to be something wrong with your meter or the lights... There no was this is true... Lol this isn't consistent with what other people's results

 

[SchnitzelReef]

There had to be something wrong with your meter or the lights... There no was this is true... Lol this isn't consistent with what other people's results

Funny you mention that. I live in Southern California, and know quite a few people in local reef clubs, and it's a well known fact that Ecotechs ratings for their lights are way off. (For Sps). I know another guy that was running only radions, and he tested with a different par meter, and his results were similar to mine.

Either your wrong, or both our par meters were bad and our radions were no good. :/

 

[d2mini]

If you read EcoTech's white paper, you can see what type of coral they were growing. So whatever they used won't apply to acro.



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Also 200 par is not a sweet spot for led. You really need 400 and above for most acro.


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Read it again.
http://ecotechmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ecotech_CoralLab_WP1.pdf
They show the par readings for their 12" deep SPS tanks.

My results have yet to be seen, but all I can tell you is that from people I've talked to that have tried to match their T5 lighting, their sweet spot was under 300 and a fairly short ramp up/down period. This could be wrong, just relaying what they've found, and what I've heard from talking directly with Ecotech owners.

 

[d2mini]

oh and I did raise the intensity a bit since the previous shown readings.
I'm more in the 250-300 range now where most sps would be mounted.

 

[Geeray]

Funny you mention that. I live in Southern California, and know quite a few people in local reef clubs, and it's a well known fact that Ecotechs ratings for their lights are way off. (For Sps). I know another guy that was running only radions, and he tested with a different par meter, and his results were similar to mine.

Either your wrong, or both our par meters were bad and our radions were no good. :/

Believe what you want my friend and I'm not going to argue with you but I've tested them personally and the par is around 1000 at the water surface when the light is 12" above the water and all channels are on at 100%. Both hydra 52 and radion the about the same.

 

[Geeray]

oh and I did raise the intensity a bit since the previous shown readings.
I'm more in the 250-300 range now where most sps would be mounted.

Nice I wouldn't hesitate going higher slowly over time.