I'll email Seneye tomorrow and just ask them on accuracy of the device maybe? Low PAR seems to fit with what I'm seeing but maybe something else is a problem.
Lol - I've gone a bit mad with testing.
Looks like with the LEDs I had extreme over-kill with light PAR. Lots of problems but everything grew so quick it was hidden a bit.
Now I have poor light with the T5HO's. The readings are only roughly halfway down tank depth as well. This may also be the Perspex tank covers and my light is low quality with one reflector not helping I guess.
But no algae!! And most of the tank has been swapped over to plants that work.
In the right side of tank I'm trying an additional dual T5HO (one foot long).
I'm thinking either increase light intensity (has been suggested) or increase light period (on 7 or 8 hours at moment)? These seem to be my choices.
I guess plants need a certain light intensity to grow?
According to Tom bar 40 PAR uniform at substrate level is enough for beginners and veterans alike. Plants can go lower but probably not many. Sometimes I think we underestimate light. Plants do better with good amounts of it. I remember I had dwarf hairgrass under 2 T8 tubes at a depth of about 18 inches, no co2. I didn't know about this plant at the time. It didn't grow quickly and old growth died off but it was still sprouting new shoots up from the gravel! Crazy.
I would have thought T5HO would be enough to be honest? I'm now running two of these myself with reflectors under the same depth and I'm getting good growth with co2. Still think I need more for the hairgrass though. It will probably grow, it's just growing slow.
What problems were you having? I know that most people go straight for light when the are having problems but they completely ignore co2. I frequent one other forum and it's the opposite. They are obsessed with carbon and attribute the majority of problems in planted tanks to inadequate and/or poor distribution of co2.
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I'd stick the LED's back on and notch the bps up a touch. I don't see the point in scrimping on light when the plants are telling you everything you need to know. Are the plants healthy still up until a foot before they take off?
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Can you raise the LED light unit up off of the tank some to decrease PAR? 300 wow!
Dela I would drop the siesta. There is really no evidence that this helps. In fact it could actually be more problematic for plants because of the efficiency of the rubisco enzyme. It's probably the most abundant enzyme on earth yet it is really inefficient and slow, especially slow to startup meaning it could be counterproductive for the plants to keep having to startup this process for a shorter yield. In the dark, competitive inhibiting compounds bind to the rubisco activation sites in leaves and before the plant can photosynthesise rubisco has to remove these inhibitors which costs time and energy.
Also I would try making sure the drop checker is green to lime AT lights on so the the plants have access to adequate amounts of carbon straight off the bat. I think this will improve your situation.
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Have wondered on that siesta rule myself. Is that pretty certain?
Just curious. I could easily swap to just a very short lights on in morning to check tank and then the bulk of light on during the afternoon/night. That's very interesting.