PAR numbers for my corals, what next?

JoJosReef · May 1, 2023

Hi all, I tested out my Parwise tonight on the Evo, which houses corals/nems that are soon to be transferred to my new 40g Long. I only tested PAR for each of the corals at peak intensity on the following schedule under a Noopsyche K7 Mini:

So peak is 17% white, 50% blue and 50% violet.

Here are my approx. numbers for each coral in the tank:

RBTA: 200
Torch: 165+ (likely a bit more)
Pink Nepthea: 100
Shrooms: 180
RFA green: 200
RFA red: 88
Setosa: 140-180
Candy cane: 180
Alveopora: 100
Pectinia: 180
Duncan: <100
Trachy: 100-180 (hard to measure this one)
Scoly: 100-180 (hard to measure this one)
Acan: estimated to be ~160 in last spot, but was going downhill and moved away about 2 weeks ago to an area that is currently ~100-120 and it is recovering
Blasto: estimated ~160

Notes: everything seems happy, except the shrooms, which don't look happy, and two bit the dust.

Growing well:
Trachy
Setosa
Candy cane

Growing:
RBTA (previously split and back to original glory, very bubbly)
Pink Nepthea
Torch (increased polyps and length, but not heads)
Pectinia
Alveopora (slowly)

Not growing, but polyps out and not declining:
Blasto
Acan (recovering)
Duncan
RFA red
Scoly
Green carpet shroom
Green rhodactis

Declining:
Red rhodactis (slowly)
Florida ricordea (severe, currently moved to low PAR area ~100)

Given these are peak measurements, I expect 10-20% lower at the troughs.

Anyone see anything that looks way off?

For the tank transfer, I am thinking:
1. Keeping the RBTA in a similar PAR level, maybe a bit higher with a peak hitting 220-250.
2. Moving Nepthea to slightly higher par
3. Keeping Alveopora at lower par, maybe 120 peak? Blastos and acan probably the same.
4. Shrooms? No idea. Maybe aim for 150 at peak insteady of 180?
5. Pectinia a bit higher
6. Trachy and Scoly maybe still at the 150-180 range
7. Duncan maybe move to a 120-150 range at peak
8. RFAs will go where they want--the green one loves par.
9. Torch will likely be at >165 par.

Thanks for reading and comments if any!

Hurricane Aquatics · May 1, 2023

JoJosReef said:
Hi all, I tested out my Parwise tonight on the Evo, which houses corals/nems that are soon to be transferred to my new 40g Long. I only tested PAR for each of the corals at peak intensity on the following schedule under a Noopsyche K7 Mini:

So peak is 17% white, 50% blue and 50% violet.

Here are my approx. numbers for each coral in the tank:

RBTA: 200
Torch: 165+ (likely a bit more)
Pink Nepthea: 100
Shrooms: 180
RFA green: 200
RFA red: 88
Setosa: 140-180
Candy cane: 180
Alveopora: 100
Pectinia: 180
Duncan: <100
Trachy: 100-180 (hard to measure this one)
Scoly: 100-180 (hard to measure this one)
Acan: estimated to be ~160 in last spot, but was going downhill and moved away about 2 weeks ago to an area that is currently ~100-120 and it is recovering
Blasto: estimated ~160

Notes: everything seems happy, except the shrooms, which don't look happy, and two bit the dust.

Growing well:
Trachy
Setosa
Candy cane

Growing:
RBTA (previously split and back to original glory, very bubbly)
Pink Nepthea
Torch (increased polyps and length, but not heads)
Pectinia
Alveopora (slowly)

Not growing, but polyps out and not declining:
Blasto
Acan (recovering)
Duncan
RFA red
Scoly
Green carpet shroom
Green rhodactis

Declining:
Red rhodactis (slowly)
Florida ricordea (severe, currently moved to low PAR area ~100)

Given these are peak measurements, I expect 10-20% lower at the troughs.

Anyone see anything that looks way off?

For the tank transfer, I am thinking:
1. Keeping the RBTA in a similar PAR level, maybe a bit higher with a peak hitting 220-250.
2. Moving Nepthea to slightly higher par
3. Keeping Alveopora at lower par, maybe 120 peak? Blastos and acan probably the same.
4. Shrooms? No idea. Maybe aim for 150 at peak insteady of 180?
5. Pectinia a bit higher
6. Trachy and Scoly maybe still at the 150-180 range
7. Duncan maybe move to a 120-150 range at peak
8. RFAs will go where they want--the green one loves par.
9. Torch will likely be at >165 par.

Thanks for reading and comments if any!

Well, you already know your issues. Yeah, the shrooms don't like 180 par for sure. I would shoot for 75 to 100, just the lowest area you have.

The other suggestions you have are good. From the looks of it, most of the PAR numbers look right on. The Setosa, I would put in a bit higher PAR, but it's nothing you need to panic on.

JoJosReef · May 1, 2023

@Hurricane Aquatics I really like this meter. If it is behaving like yours, then the apogee would be reading the RBTA under a lot more par than 200, and the torch well into the 200s. Doesn't seem right. I think the quality of the LED is quite good, and the corals/nems are reacting favorably. And the Parwise looks like it will give good benchmarks--for example, I was surprised that the shrooms were under such high par (and imagine it being higher if the Parwise is underreporting), so moving them into the low 100s or even lower on the Parwise would make sense.

Hurricane Aquatics · May 1, 2023

JoJosReef said:
@Hurricane Aquatics I really like this meter. If it is behaving like yours, then the apogee would be reading the RBTA under a lot more par than 200, and the torch well into the 200s. Doesn't seem right. I think the quality of the LED is quite good, and the corals/nems are reacting favorably. And the Parwise looks like it will give good benchmarks--for example, I was surprised that the shrooms were under such high par (and imagine it being higher if the Parwise is underreporting), so moving them into the low 100s or even lower on the Parwise would make sense.

Yes, I've adjusted to the PARwise and everything I have (All Acropora) are doing great and they were once very undercolored and I couldn't figure it out as my Apogee said 300 PAR. Well, it was 200 on the PARwise and lower in some spots.

Within 2 to 3 weeks of adjustment based on the PARwise, everything exploded. I'll have to show some before and after pics.

Yes, your shrooms will come back out once you move them. They require very little PAR. I had some one time in about 30 to 50 PAR and they looked fantastic. Glad to hear things are going well for you and you like the PARwise.

Hurricane Aquatics · May 1, 2023

@JoJosReef wow,I didn't realize there was this much of a difference until I just compared photos.

I bought the PARwise on February 2nd and it was a bit late arriving so I received about February 10th, 2023.

This first picture was taken February 5th, 2023 of my ORA Grape Juice Acropora frag. I had emailed ORA and asked why it was so dull and didn't look like their picture. I knew I had to be doing something wrong, but I wasn't. It was the PAR and I found that out with the PARwise.

Now, this is a Pic I just took today first under just Halides and second with LED. Both Pic 1 and 2 are top down of course. So about 2 1/2 months after adjusting PAR.