PAR Meter?

[PPBlimpy]

I would research that one . Not recommended

Who are you responding too?

 

[Freenow54]

I would Research more about using a Lux meter . A quick check discourages it . As not accurate favors certain colors . Used for " plant " growth

 

[Freenow54]

Who are you responding too?

I posted Again . It was a general reply regarding Lux meters

 

[Aqua Ultraviolet]

A PAR meter is really useful for mapping out how much light different areas of the tank are actually receiving. I’d take readings at the sandbed, mid level, and near the top of the rockwork rather than relying only on the light’s advertised PAR. Also, try to use the same meter and settings when comparing readings, since different sensors can give noticeably different results.

 

[ScottJ]

I had an older Apogee from years ago, that one didn't play well with LED lights.

I refuse to spend $500+ on a new Apogee for LED's, so I now have the inexpensive VBR Aqua from Amazon that @Troylee mentioned. It might not be as accurate as the Apogee instruments, but it's great for a rough idea.

VBR Aqua PAR meter on Amazon

I will say that I see the newer Apogee's on the R2R MArketplace frequently enough, if that helps.

TOTALLY unrelated to the thread;
Hey @Fish Fan, How did you get the Amazon link to give that nice, neat title? Whenever I link to Amazon, I end up with a long string of text, or a link that just takes you to Amazon home page.

 

[Piotrek]

I bought the cheapest one from Aliexpress and it works fine. The hand piece is low quality, but the sensor seems solid. Right above the surface the readings are easy to predict, but the deeper you measure the readings vary each spot. Can recommend owning own, to remeasure after doing a small change in light setup etc.

 

[Flukes]

I am happy with my Amazon cheepy. I used it to measure a friend's reef tank that is doing much better than mine. That helped me increase light output in my tank with more confidence. The absolute numbers don't mean much. His par meter would read 300 where mine read 400. Having access to a reference system to compare using the same instrument makes all the difference to me.