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.

 

[SnappyShrimp]

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.

On a desktop web browser, you can use the insert link (Ctrl+K) option and it will let you attach the link to your choice of text. I haven't tried the app yet but I assume there's a similar function, likely a button with that function or if you hold for a second on the text box, it may provide options that again may include an insert link option.

 

[RoanokeReef]

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.

@revhtree Why do Amazon links constantly get scrabbled to https://amzn.to/3W92uhB ? Is 3W92uhB an affiliate link ?

 

[Fish Fan]

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.

Haha, Amazon does the same thing for me! The way I get it to look "nice and neat" is by typing out "VBR PAR meter on Amazon", then highlighting that text, then clicking the hyperlink button on the toolbar, then I paste the big, long Amazon link in there, and that makes my short text into a clickable link

Please let me know if that didn't make sense

 

[RoanokeReef]

Haha, Amazon does the same thing for me! The way I get it to look "nice and neat" is by typing out "VBR PAR meter on Amazon", then highlighting that text, then clicking the hyperlink button on the toolbar, then I paste the big, long Amazon link in there, and that makes my short text into a clickable link

Please let me know if that didn't make sense

I'm guessing Reef2Reef is trying to add their affiliate link to it and it's broken, kind of messed up if that's the case.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm guessing Reef2Reef is trying to add their affiliate link to it and it's broken, kind of messed up if that's the case.

I don't think that's what's going on here, I think the Amazon links are just huge, as are some other sites. I do believe that if you just type the word "Am-azon" it changes that word to a link that takes you to the big orange bookstore, which I would think is an affiliate thing for the site. That's just my opinion of course, I really don't know what the site does or doesn't do.

 

[RoanokeReef]

I don't think that's what's going on here, I think the Amazon links are just huge, as are some other sites. I do believe that if you just type the word "Am-azon" it changes that word to a link that takes you to the big orange bookstore, which I would think is an affiliate thing for the site. That's just my opinion of course, I really don't know what the site does or doesn't do.

I wouldn't call this huge - https://www.amazon.com/VBR-Aqua-PAR-Meter-Aquarium-Seperately/dp/B0C7GRLQC4

I do agree it's trying to shorten it, but is also adding an affiliate link which is breaking the link.

This is the only site I have an issue posting and Amazon link that shortens it to what appears an affiliate link just like if you use the word market it links to the new market place. If you click the link above you can see R2R is adding their tag. I just think it should be disclosed they're making money off posted links and at the very least fix it from breaking links.

 

[carlpete100]

Use the PHOTONE app. It’s free and pretty accurate. Some good YT videos on it.

 

[exnisstech]

I don't think that's what's going on here, I think the Amazon links are just huge, as are some other sites. I do believe that if you just type the word "Am-azon" it changes that word to a link that takes you to the big orange bookstore, which I would think is an affiliate thing for the site. That's just my opinion of course, I really don't know what the site does or doesn't do.

I wouldn't call this huge - https://www.amazon.com/VBR-Aqua-PAR-Meter-Aquarium-Seperately/dp/B0C7GRLQC4

I do agree it's trying to shorten it, but is also adding an affiliate link which is breaking the link.

This is the only site I have an issue posting and Amazon link that shortens it to what appears an affiliate link just like if you use the word market it links to the new market place. If you click the link above you can see R2R is adding their tag. I just think it should be disclosed they're making money off posted links and at the very least fix it from breaking links.

Link

 

[RoanokeReef]

Link

They're not always broken which is the weird part with it but 8/10 they are https://amzn.to/3W92uhB. Judging from the text, you used the insert link vs pasting the link Funny though as I doubt they get any payout having most links broken and sending people to Amazon's homepage, you'd think they'd fix it.

 

[exnisstech]

They're not always broken which is the weird part with it but 8/10 they are https://amzn.to/3W92uhB. Judging from the text, you used the insert link vs pasting the link Funny though as I doubt they get any payout having most links broken and sending people to Amazon's homepage, you'd think they'd fix it.

I do use the insert link. I try to avoid my posts being turned into an amazing advertisement.

 

[danet888]

I know this has been discussed previously but it’s been a while.

Is renting a par meter worth it? I don’t see many places that do that anymore but I don’t want to buy a fancy one to take a few measurements and not use it again. Is there a cheaper alternative to testing PAR? Does anyone know where to rent one online?

If you’re only going to use it once to dial in the lights, I’d definitely rent or borrow one rather than buy an Apogee. Check local reef clubs/LFS first, since people seem to lend them out pretty often. If that’s not an option, the Photone app is a cheap way to get a rough idea, or there are budget PAR meters now that are good enough for hobby use. I’d still trust an actual meter over the phone app for final placement, though.

 

[Fish Fan]

I wouldn't call this huge - https://www.amazon.com/VBR-Aqua-PAR-Meter-Aquarium-Seperately/dp/B0C7GRLQC4

I do agree it's trying to shorten it, but is also adding an affiliate link which is breaking the link.

This is the only site I have an issue posting and Amazon link that shortens it to what appears an affiliate link just like if you use the word market it links to the new market place. If you click the link above you can see R2R is adding their tag. I just think it should be disclosed they're making money off posted links and at the very least fix it from breaking links.

To be fair, I believe that they have disclosed this, let me look...

As far as the link, you're right, this one was not very long. But, member ScottJ was asking me about this because typically links from Amazon - with or without any affiliate tags - are very, very long, like three or four lines here on R2R. I have just gotten in the habit of typing out what I want to link, and then making that text the live hyperlink. In this case, that was probably not needed.

 

[Fish Fan]

Here's one thread questioning these Amazon links, with a reply by RevHTree at the bottom:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/automatic-link-to-amazon.1077422/#post-12944317