Looking for PAR requirements

[FiremanRick]

this might not be the correct forum for this, but I couldn't find a better place to start.

I am looking for a comprehensive chart for PAR requirements for coral. Like, all corals. Not just sps.

Anyone know of a place? Really needing to get a handle on my kessils.

 

[reeferfoxx]

There isn't any set in stone number for coral. Most corals can adapt to different light intensities. If you are looking for what par is best for a specific coral, i'll leave that to trial and error. It would be difficult to tie par in with parameters, feeding schedules, water changes, dosing, supplements etc etc. All those things factor in.

If you are looking for a round about light intensity that would mimic more ocean levels, @mcarroll and @saltyfilmfolks can get you started. :)

 

[mcarroll]

It seems like photosynthetic organisms might in general need no more than around 200-300 PAR or 10,000-15,000 lux. This means coral too. :)

If you are planning a "high light" tank for clams, or whatever, then shoot for 30,000-50,000 lux or more. 100,000 lux is approximately the light level at the surface – no need to go that far n almost any case. ;) More isn't better per se.

 

[FiremanRick]

Tuning lights is impossible without a PAR meter, and I intend on renting one from my LFS. But not knowing what to shoot for is an equal problem. Shooting for mostly softies. Star polyps, and maybe some zoas. The tank is full of A** hole triggers so I can't have SPS or anything. I've been putting in any of the self fragged Kenya tree, toadstool, and Xenia from my other tank, but they don't seem to be taking off like they do in the mother tank. Water Params all match (reflectively). The main difference is the mother tank is a 90 with AI vegas. And the tank in question is a 200 deep with 2 kessil 360's. since I've only ever tuned them by sight, and I understand that kessils can burn things rather quickly, I'm thinking that I am probly way off of where I should be.

 

[mattstanks2016]

this might not be the correct forum for this, but I couldn't find a better place to start.

I am looking for a comprehensive chart for PAR requirements for coral. Like, all corals. Not just sps.

Anyone know of a place? Really needing to get a handle on my kessils.

Sps 350 lps 250 softies 100

 

[mattstanks2016]

this might not be the correct forum for this, but I couldn't find a better place to start.

I am looking for a comprehensive chart for PAR requirements for coral. Like, all corals. Not just sps.

Anyone know of a place? Really needing to get a handle on my kessils.

Craigslist/any local forum for the lights

 

[mcarroll]

I would order a lux meter now so that when you get the PAR meter to use, you'll have both meters in hand and then you can create the conversion factor for your lights. Just take the same set of measurements with both meters.

PAR ÷ lux = Conversion Factor

Then any future reading you take with the lux meter on those lights, you can convert to an accurate PAR number if you should want to. You will find the lux meter handy to have around in its own right too, though. At less than $15, delivered, you could only go so wrong. ;)

Edit: Got than backward! See below.

 

[FiremanRick]

Thanks for the tip

 

[mcarroll]

Wait, I musta been up too late last night.... ;)

correction: (and edited post above)

lux ÷ PAR = CF

e.g. a bright sunny day in the summer at noon...

100,000 lux ÷ 2000 PAR = 50

This is a generic conversion...roughly the conversion for sunlight.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

There isn't any set in stone number for coral. Most corals can adapt to different light intensities. If you are looking for what par is best for a specific coral, i'll leave that to trial and error. It would be difficult to tie par in with parameters, feeding schedules, water changes, dosing, supplements etc etc. All those things factor in.

If you are looking for a round about light intensity that would mimic more ocean levels, @mcarroll and @saltyfilmfolks can get you started. :)

What I've done is to look at par charts.
It give you a really good idea of the ranges that corals grow in.
You'll see the same corals in very different par zones.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=i...0ahUKEwjn6_Kalp3PAhUT0IMKHeUiBcgQ9C8ICQ&dpr=1

 

[mcarroll]

Nice search link! What search terms did you use and how did you make the link? It's a hassle and a half to do that last time I tried...browser has gotten too smart.

Back on topic..

I have also spent quite a bit of time looking at PAR maps/charts like those – very instructive! Doesn't take too long to see those trends you've mentioned several times especially in the last day and and a half or so. ;)

You know the dead-simplest way to know the ranges for coral is to know that they grow in the wild.

In the wild, "sun" ranges from overcast to perfectly clear.

10,000 lux is an overcast day
100,000 lux is perfectly clear

There are many other factors at work that allow corals to live below that range too.

But 10,000 lux is your baseline, and it's no coincidence why that is the case. It's because that's the level of an overcast day. :)

(You'll see that level and other important points in land plants and other phosynthesizers too.)

 

[reeferfoxx]

Nice search link! What search terms did you use and how did you make the link? It's a hassle and a half to do that last time I tried...browser has gotten too smart.

Back on topic..

I have also spent quite a bit of time looking at PAR maps/charts like those – very instructive! Doesn't take too long to see those trends you've mentioned several times especially in the last day and and a half or so. ;)

You know the dead-simplest way to know the ranges for coral is to know that they grow in the wild.

In the wild, "sun" ranges from overcast to perfectly clear.

10,000 lux is an overcast day
100,000 lux is perfectly clear

There are many other factors at work that allow corals to live below that range too.

But 10,000 lux is your baseline, and it's no coincidence why that is the case. It's because that's the level of an overcast day. :)

(You'll see that level and other important points in land plants and other phosynthesizers too.)

See! Coral can grow under a wide range :)

What I've done is to look at par charts.
It give you a really good idea of the ranges that corals grow in.
You'll see the same corals in very different par zones.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:Ceiavkm1Vj8zIjgnQymi2Xm25jRzDKLjhxVICcrbbn-s1og7dZfo2HvnFRPs49dczxXuUq_1_1YA0GZ5_1EQJ5BExLOTSoSCSdDKaLZebbmEZUBuYZQSvgsKhIJNHMMouOHFUgRgXbqnVKzrdUqEgkJyttuf6zWiBG8VprujCrq0SoSCTt1l-jYe-cVEdK9ZWoVsT1FKhIJE-zj11zPFe4RuciXmgzs7OkqEglSr_19gDQZnnxGr32ZzaHvbUioSCcRAnkETEs5NEfC9wogItQq7&q&bih=911&biw=1920&ved=0ahUKEwjn6_Kalp3PAhUT0IMKHeUiBcgQ9C8ICQ&dpr=1

This is a good start! Very helpful too, imo. At the same time, zoas have proven to be resilient in different areas of a tank. That is just one example.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You were spot on again Foxxy.

I have Xenia zoas and acros growing within four inches of the top of my tank.
The Xenia have Lower flow the zoas get the acro flow and have slightly smaller heads than the same ones at the bottom.

Its 40,000 lux at the rim so around 500 to 600 par.
Yea. On a Xenia.

#scienceissilly.