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I know i've seen this here somewhere but cannot find it with the search function...
What are recommended PAR values for Clams and Corals and such ?
It depends on the species, the nutrient levels in the tank, available food, and acclimatization. Some chalices will do fine in as a little as 10 PAR and some Acros will do just fine at over 1000 PAR.
Generally speaking, things considered "low light" want 30-100 PAR, "medium light" somewhere between 100-200 PAR, and "high light" anything over that and those are very, very rough ranges. Normally, there is really no reason to go above 400 PAR at the top of your tank unless the lower parts of your tank are inadequate for what you want to keep down there since many corals, even acros, will start to become photo-inhibited above 400 PAR.
That said, "lower" light corals can be acclimated to be just fine in higher light levels if there are enough nutrients and food in the water column and many higher light corals will still do just fine in very little light. Some of my deepwater acros are in less than 75 PAR and are colored up beautifully. However, some corals are very picky and slightly too much light will easily bleach them and slightly less than optimal lighting will brown them.