Par mapping question

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Tomorrow I intend to map out my tank. Im borrowing a par meter from a local reefer so i wanna get what i can out of it before returning. I have a t5/led hybrid (giesemann stellar/2 viparspectra 165w) and i want to try dropping the fixture down to better utilize the t5 fixture. I intend to map the tank with the fixture at its current height(11") and intensifies, fixtures unchanged, turn it up, remeasure, and then maybe crank them till I get a desired par. I'll then remove the 2 viparspectra, remove the lenses, reattach to the stellar and drop the light down to 6" from the water, and remeasure at a few different light intensities. I wonder if I risk burning corals by messing with intensifies for an hour or so, then pulling the light down, modifying thr viparspectra and doing it again for another hour or so? I assume as long as its short lived im probably fine, but figure I'd rather ask and have someone warn me than just assume im right.

 

[Fish Fan]

Hey friend, I wish you the best of luck here!

I know that @oreo54 and @BeanAnimal are very good with these lighting questions. Maybe one of those guys has time to pop in here and offer you some advice

Best of luck here!

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Hey friend, I wish you the best of luck here!

I know that @oreo54 and @BeanAnimal are very good with these lighting questions. Maybe one of those guys has time to pop in here and offer you some advice

Best of luck here!

Im just wondering do i A) go with my original plan or B) only try and match lighting because the amount of time to map at cranked par can burn corals.

 

[Matt L]

How are the coral now? Just wondering why you want to move the fixtures and adjust par.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

How are the coral now? Just wondering why you want to move the fixtures and adjust par.

Because my par is definitely low, I added the stellar because I had lots of shadows, and wanted to eliminate those. I dropped them down to 30% on the viparspectra but kept the same height, maybe a little lower, because I didnt want to focus the hot spots of the led any more. The t5's ideal mounting height is supposedly around 6-8" and the viparspectra around 12-16 so wondering if I can meet in the middle removing lenses.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

How are the coral now? Just wondering why you want to move the fixtures and adjust par.

The coral are kind of growing, but i dont have any white tips anymore since I adjusted lighting to avoid burns when I added the supplemental.

 

[Matt L]

Because my par is definitely low, I added the stellar because I had lots of shadows, and wanted to eliminate those. I dropped them down to 30% on the viparspectra but kept the same height, maybe a little lower, because I didnt want to focus the hot spots of the led any more. The t5's ideal mounting height is supposedly around 6-8" and the viparspectra around 12-16 so wondering if I can meet in the middle removing lenses.

Ok. When I added fill light (Reefbrite strips) to my tank, I par mapped the average intensity under each light. Then after adding the strips, I reduced the main lights (Kessils) so the average par was what it was originally, but evenly spread. I’d map out the tank as is and mark on the glass the different levels and take a picture. Then that’ll give you a sense of what moves to make. But there may be a wave of people that say don’t worry about the meter and just eyeball it.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Ok. When I added fill light (Reefbrite strips) to my tank, I par mapped the average intensity under each light. Then after adding the strips, I reduced the main lights (Kessils) so the average par was what it was originally, but evenly spread. I’d map out the tank as is and mark on the glass the different levels and take a picture. Then that’ll give you a sense of what moves to make. But there may be a wave of people that say don’t worry about the meter and just eyeball it.

Im trying to decide if I should go lenseless, 90°(factory) or order 120° lenses. I'm pretty confident 90° is probably not the right answer lol otherwise I'd just drop the intensity way down and re-acclimate over a few weeks to a higher intensity.

 

[Matt L]

Im trying to decide if I should go lenseless, 90°(factory) or order 120° lenses. I'm pretty confident 90° is probably not the right answer lol otherwise I'd just drop the intensity way down and re-acclimate over a few weeks to a higher intensity.

Gotcha. I think it’ll be okay as long as you return the lighting back to close to the original intensity after testing, btw. Then make moves gradually over weeks if increasing intensity.

I like to test par with the flow on and under the lids to get a realistic representation. The numbers will bounce up and down, I just take an average and move on. The readings aren’t going to be set in stone accurate, but I think they are helpful as a reference point for what you are doing. That way you are comparing averages from the same device, and not actually locking in a set par number.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Gotcha. I think it’ll be okay as long as you return the lighting back to close to the original intensity after testing, btw. Then make moves gradually over weeks if increasing intensity.

I like to test par with the flow on and under the lids to get a realistic representation. The numbers will bounce up and down, I just take an average and move on. The readings aren’t going to be set in stone accurate, but I think they are helpful as a reference point for what you are doing. That way you are comparing averages from the same device, and not actually locking in a set par number.

Yea, im not looking for anything besides similar before and after. When it comes to how high i crank my lighting intensity up, I'll watch coral growth