Par reading for aquaticlife dual t5ho and finnex ray 2

[Tobykourtney]

Just got my par meter in and here are some readings from my tank 48" dual aquaticlife fixture with a midday sun bulb and a coralife 10k and a 48 " finnex ray 2 ds. At 6 inches the aquaticlife showed 90 par and the finnex read 115 and with both it read 200 par. At 12 inches the finnex showed 70 and the aquaticlife fixture showed 50 with both I got 130. At 19 inches(the bottom of my 75 gallon) the finnex read 50 par and the aquaticlife read 40 par. With both on it read 90 par. The fixtures were staggered 3 inches from middle in the front I put the finnex and the aquaticlife was staggered 3 inches from the center on the back. When I took individual readings the sensor was directly under the light and for combined readings the sensor was in the middle.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Pretty neat info.. also interesting to know the Ray 2 has more PAR than a dual t5ho.
Man... I wish I had a PAR meter, just cost too much for me. What brand/model PAR meter you get? Was it expensive? Lol

 

[Tobykourtney]

Pretty neat info.. also interesting to know the Ray 2 has more PAR than a dual t5ho.
Man... I wish I had a PAR meter, just cost too much for me. What brand/model PAR meter you get? Was it expensive? Lol

I tested the coralife t5no fixture I'm using for emersed growth and I was pretty disappointed lol

 

[Tobykourtney]

Pretty neat info.. also interesting to know the Ray 2 has more PAR than a dual t5ho.
Man... I wish I had a PAR meter, just cost too much for me. What brand/model PAR meter you get? Was it expensive? Lol

The par I got from the ray 2 was off from the manufacturer par readings. Do you think they fluffed there par readings? According to them they have 73 par at 18 inches which does seem like a bit much.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

They did their's through air. Are you getting your readings through water?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Here's an interesting thread.. especially toward the end where Lowe explains a bit how they arrive at those numbers.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=391009

 

[Tobykourtney]

Here's an interesting thread.. especially toward the end where Lowe explains a bit how they arrive at those numbers.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=391009

I did the test in water ill try open air tonight and I'm going to compare with another par meter tomorrow.

 

[Tobykourtney]

Here's an interesting thread.. especially toward the end where Lowe explains a bit how they arrive at those numbers.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=391009

Through open air I got 6"=140/ 12"=71/ 18"=46 I don't know man even if 46 par at 18 inches is correct that's still pretty impressive.

 

[Tobykourtney]

Through open air I got 6"=140/ 12"=71/ 18"=46 I don't know man even if 46 par at 18 inches is correct that's still pretty impressive.

I think I may have gotten a bum finnex fixture because I tested an marineland reef capable led today and this is what I got through water. 6"=240-250/ 12"=160-172/ 18"=90-110. This is only 2-3 par off what other people have gotten with this fixture.

 

[Tobykourtney]

Through open air I got 6"=140/ 12"=71/ 18"=46 I don't know man even if 46 par at 18 inches is correct that's still pretty impressive.

Nevermind the finnex is reading within 1-2 par off of lowes readings now. Perhaps the meter just needed a little dip in some saltwater.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Glad you figured it out... dude, are you planning on any new LED fixtures? You'd be my hero if you got PAR numbers down for this fixture.

http://www.petco.com/product/122154...d-Plant-LED-Aquarium-Lamp.aspx?MobileOptOut=1

I even contacted fluval's customer service about PAR and for some reason they don't find it necessary to publish. But based on the wattage and wide array of color spectrum bandwidths, I imagine this is a good fixture for plants.

 

[Tobykourtney]

Glad you figured it out... dude, are you planning on any new LED fixtures? You'd be my hero if you got PAR numbers down for this fixture.

http://www.petco.com/product/122154/Fluval-Daylight-Aqualife-And-Plant-LED-Aquarium-Lamp.aspx?MobileOptOut=1

I even contacted fluval's customer service about PAR and for some reason they don't find it necessary to publish. But based on the wattage and wide array of color spectrum bandwidths, I imagine this is a good fixture for plants.

Yeah I called them too and they told me par wasn't relevant to plant growth lol.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I wonder why their stance is that when almost every other manufacturer and experienced hobbyist believes otherwise? LOL

U should get it from Petco, record the data and return the light if you don't need it. Petco has a pretty easy return policy anyways.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I wonder if the PAR is lower because of the extra reds and oranges in the fixture. They probably think the PAR would hurt them in terms of sells.. Kinda like how the new Finnex Fugeray Plant Plus has lower PAR because of red diodes. But despite being lower PAR, I imagine the reds would do wonders for plant development. Something like PAR vs. PUR, where the latter refers to Photosynthetic Useable Radiation. Read this concept somewhere...just not sure how relevant it is.

 

[Tobykourtney]

I wonder if the PAR is lower because of the extra reds and oranges in the fixture. They probably think the PAR would hurt them.. Kinda like how the new Finnex Fugeray Plant Plus has lower PAR because of red diodes. But despite being lower PAR, I imagine the reds would do wonders for plant development. Something like PAR vs. PUR, where the latter refers to Photosynthetic Useable Radiation. Read this concept somewhere...just not sure how relevant it is.

The par readings for the fugeray planted + weren't that bad. I don't think the reds would be a drastic difference because if I remember right par meters read light from 400-700 nm. The finnex planted fixture uses 660 nm red LEDs. I'm definitely going to buy it to replace my dual T5HO fixture I have paired with my ray 2 right now though. Also the only reading of the fugeray planted + are from a 24" fixture I believe.

 

[Tobykourtney]

I wonder why their stance is that when almost every other manufacturer and experienced hobbyist believes otherwise? LOL

U should get it from Petco, record the data and return the light if you don't need it. Petco has a pretty easy return policy anyways.

The nearest petco is 130 miles away lol

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Red spectrum has a hard time penetrating depth though. Blues have little resistance by comparison. That's one of the reasons the PAR is high on a Ray 2 because if you look at the spectral graph, it's very skewed to the blue. White "daylight" LEDs are actually blue chips with a yellow phosphor dye.. Red chips should contribute to a steep drop in PAR in ratio to depth faster than a blue chip counterpart. So playing the PAR game, like "look at me, I have the most PAR" with an all white LED (blue heavy spectrum) would potentially make them look weak by comparison. The utilization of other bandwidths to promote full spectrum in LED fixtures dedicated to plants is relatively a new concept (obviously not in t5 technology)...so from a marketing aspect, the PAR numbers game could conceivably hurt Fluval. But I believe they're ahead of the game by recognizing plants can use reds and even greens, not just blues. It's also part of the reason BuildmyLED fixtures are starting to get more praise and popularity among planted tank folks ... take a look at the nano meter bandwidths they're incorporating.. not much different than fluval. Advantage of fluval's though, (last time I checked) was price and 3 year warranty. Fluval's fixture looks like it had potential IMO.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

The nearest petco is 130 miles away lol

Oh wow... nevermind! Lol

You can send me your PAR meter then! Haha

 

[Tobykourtney]

Oh wow... nevermind! Lol

You can send me your PAR meter then! Haha

Talk to hoppy man the price isn't bad. I forgot that red doesn't penetrate very deep hints why saltwater reefs are high in the blue spectrum. Either way I need something with some red to replace my bulky t5 fixture.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Here's an interesting thread I stumbled upon using the Hoppy PAR meter.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=370849