Nicrew par numbers seem low

[Jason Coy]

Good evening, I just installed some Nicrew hyperreef over a 40g breeder and the par seems a little low. I'm using a seneye par meter. Lights are mounted about 10-11 inches over the water and sanded is about 3-4 inches thick. I'm getting about 100-165 par on the sand bed, which seems normal but at the top of the rock work, about 6-8 inches below the water is only getting about 200-230 par which seems low to me based on others readings with the same light.

My settings are 80% on blues and violets and 20% on the rest. I have the regular lenses on but do have the 90 degrees lens kit but don't want to put it on if it isn't needed.

From what I have read the seneye can be inaccurate but usually reads high and not low. I bought the light with the intent of keeping sps, mostly montipora with a few acropora and some LPS. Any thoughts on if I should trust these par settings? Thanks in advance Jason

 

[rayadog]

I think at those par levels you should be able to keep Montis for sure. What were you hoping to see, just curious?

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Which hyperreefs and how many?

 

[Jason Coy]

What were you hoping to see, just curious?

I was expecting to see closer to 350-400 at the top based on what others saw with the same lights.

I just measured where I guessed earlier and lights are 9.5 inches above the water and the sand is 12" below the water. So par should be higher than what I was expecting. This is based on the other thread where user with same lights had them 10.5 in above the water and about 13-14" to the sand bed. They saw 250ish par on sand and upper 300 about 6" under the water same depth as the top of my rocks. I don't remember if they had pumps on or not but I do.

Which hyperreefs and how many?

I have the 200w gen 2 version and I have 2 of them

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

2 x 200 watts on a 40 breeder? Wow that is strong. I have 1 x 150 watts on my 40 breeder. I don’t believe your par meter

 

[Jason Coy]

2 x 200 watts on a 40 breeder? Wow that is strong. I have 1 x 150 watts on my 40 breeder. I don’t believe your par meter

You are probably right. I went with these so I can keep whatever I like without having to worry if I have enough light plus I don't have to run them at full power so hopefully they last longer. I think the meter is off as well

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Yes that should be more than enough. If you have a watt meter you can see if it's pulling thr full watt amount

 

[oreo54]

I went with these so I can keep whatever I like without having to worry if I have enough light plus I don't have to run them at full power so hopefully they last longer.

So what percent are you running them at?

BTW Seneyes are very directional.

The Seneye Reef light sensor has a very narrow field of view, functioning best when pointed straight down (0° zenith angle) directly beneath the light source. Because it is designed to measure highly focused light, tilting the device even slightly can result in drastically skewed PAR and spectrum readings. [1, 2, 3]

Why Sensor Angle Matters

• Strict Positioning: For the most accurate PAR and PUR readings, ensure the sensor is exactly 90° (horizontal) to the light source. [1, 2]
• Spot Readings: Because it measures a tightly focused cone of light rather than a wide hemispherical view like some competing sensors (e.g., Apogee), you will need to map your tank by moving the device horizontally and taking individual measurements at different depths. [1, 2, 3]
• Angular Falloff: If the sensor isn't directly under the beam of light, the readings can drop significantly, which can sometimes give the false impression that your Kelvin or PUR calculations are incorrect. [1]

You can sort of get in between diodes.

 

[gregrock68]

I was expecting to see closer to 350-400 at the top based on what others saw with the same lights.

I just measured where I guessed earlier and lights are 9.5 inches above the water and the sand is 12" below the water. So par should be higher than what I was expecting. This is based on the other thread where user with same lights had them 10.5 in above the water and about 13-14" to the sand bed. They saw 250ish par on sand and upper 300 about 6" under the water same depth as the top of my rocks. I don't remember if they had pumps on or not but I do.



I have the 200w gen 2 version and I have 2 of them

That's a lot of power.... For a smaller size tank. Enjoy the tank !

 

[Jason Coy]

So what percent are you running them at?

BTW Seneyes are very directional.

You can sort of get in between diodes.

Well supposed to be 80% blue and violet and 20% everything else but the program has them right now at 59%blue and violet and 12% everything else. The numbers were taken at the correct percentages, I think. I just rechecked it with a manual setting and not the program with the 80%/20% and got similar numbers as before. Although I don't know if the lights need to be on for any length of time or if the par is instant.

I was wrong about the par meter being seneye. I don't know what I was thinking. It is actually a Vabira-200 model and appears to have the sensor that did not need correction. I sent an email to Nicrew to ask about why it is not running at the right settings.

Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[Jason Coy]

This picture is from another thread. They had the exact same lights running the exact same schedule. I know every tank is different but their lights are an inch higher above the water and the sand bed is about 1 to 2 in further away from the lights than mine. So I was expecting similar numbers but mine seem to be a lot lower. They do have a 4ft tank and the lights are spread a little farther apart. Maybe I'm wrong but with lights closer together and in a smaller space I would think the numbers would be = or higher than these.

Am I safe in moving forward with numbers closer to these and not the numbers I am showing?

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Let's say you are using about 60% the power of each light. That's still 240ish watts total and should be more than enough for that depth and footprint.