Quit knocking the budget PAR meters

[ShakeyGizzard]

There is a slew of PAR meters availible , If you want to spend $500 or better that's cool, but I think budget PAR meters are worth a second look. Folks say "well, they are 3% to 5% off" . Most corals have a wide range of PAR requirements, 50-75, 75-100, 100-125 , etc. So, I don't think I will be buying a coral that needs 74.7 PAR . Keeping the coral within the industry standard PAR range PLUS keeping the water parameters optimum for it equals success. These budget meters easily fall within the recommended PAR range of corals. With that being said. tell me Mr. Opogee why yours is better.

 

[Doctorgori]

I don't think I will be buying a coral that needs 74.7 PAR

Good one, :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

but TBH Ive noticed the orange in my “Fuzzy Navel” tenius fades slightly if my PAR is less than 180.6507 and my temperature is less than 78.00067 F

 

[JayM]

Better yet, don't spend your money on any PAR meter. PAR in and of itself isn't all that useful anyway, and there's plenty of info out there on all of the popular lights to give you an idea of how to set them, and what sort of output they have.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

That is true, if they state lid or no lid, exact tank parameters, Then you may have a coral reaching for light. what you going to do, guess how much to increase it ? This is why the $500 apogee is useless to me. I can get in the range I need for $150. If you have a lot of money invested in corals, you will want to know what your light settings are, period

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

Better yet, don't spend your money on any PAR meter. PAR in and of itself isn't all that useful anyway, and there's plenty of info out there on all of the popular lights to give you an idea of how to set them, and what sort of output they have.

I've had reeftanks for over 20 years. I just dialed in my lights the old school way. I adjusted the spectrum to what looked good and then slowly ramped up intensity and duration and observed the corals. Haven't touched em since and everything is happy and growing.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

So what would you say are the top 3 low budget par meters? (Not everything is available in Canada so a couple options helps)

 

[Tamberav]

Why are you spending $150 on it at all?

Some old salts will tell you it is a waste to buy at any price. They are probably right.

Also apogee was on clearance for awhile at premium aquatics for $255. BRS also had a clearance on it. Resale value is good enough that a person could make their $ back I’m sure.

 

[Mschmidt]

No (only read the title).

In reality I have no opinion on nor experience with par meters.

 

[VintageReefer]

I use a 130$ one that was tested and reviewed by telegrahm and was virtually identical to apogee 500/510 - so close a correction multiplier is not needed

130$ and comes with a big display, the extension wand, batteries, usb power adapter, and even a dang screwdriver to open the battery door. Every single thing needed to get this operational out of the box

on sale now for $122 with the Amazon coupon

https://a.co/d/cvcnuQt
I replaced a apogee sq410 with this and like the VBR much better

 

[Reefer Matt]

I bought my Apogee mq-510 about four years ago to use and share for free with friends. People still borrow it to this day. A par meter is very helpful in determining general light intensity, especially when changing lights. It’s true coral can adapt over time, but led lights can put out too much par and quickly kill coral. A par meter gives you a reference between your old light output, and your new lights.

I’ve even used my meter to harden off seedlings for my garden by comparing the grow lights with the shade and sun outside.

I suggest removing the guesswork, and use a par meter as a general reference, not to nail down a specific number. And as far as why I think Apogee is better? I don’t. But there weren’t as many choices a few years ago as there are now. :squinting-face-with-tongue:

 

[EricR]

Never used either of these but the two I'm considering for <$150 just based on reading are below.
I've rented/borrowed an Apogee MQ-510 a few times just because I don't trust my instincts otherwise so just seems safer than trial and error (to me).

Danoplus PAR Meter

VBR PAR Meter

 

[VintageReefer]

Never used either of these but the two I'm considering for <$150 just based on reading are below.
I've rented/borrowed an Apogee MQ-510 a few times just because I don't trust my instincts otherwise so just seems safer than trial and error (to me).

Danoplus PAR Meter

VBR PAR Meter

Danoplus reads 10% low underwater

VBR is accurate as a 500/510 apogee. No brainer. Large screen, can power from batteries or from usb, and can individually show how much of your par is coming from R, G, B light (example - reading is 100 par - it can break down to 25 par R, 50 B, 25 par G) and can save recordings internally

 

[IceNein]

In my totally unqualified opinion, budget PAR meters are as good as the expensive ones when you consider that as a hobbyist all of this stuff is just tribal knowledge. There's not much scientific about saying an acan likes 50 to 100 PAR.

So what is a good budget PAR meter good for? It's good for determining which areas of your tank are receiving more or less light. Our eyes are terrible at determining how much illumination something is getting, so knowing that one spot has "450 PAR" and another has "250 PAR" you can place corals and observe them, and then if you feel like they're getting too little or too much light, you have a better idea of where you might be able to move them to get better lighting. I might think that an area is dimmer and move a coral like an acan to the dimmer area, but the PAR meter might show me that it's not any dimmer than where I moved it from.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

So what would you say are the top 3 low budget par meters? (Not everything is available in Canada so a couple options helps)

don't know about availability in Canada, I have used and loaned out a VBR PAR meter , they are great, minor issues with the telescoping pole, i use my own pole , and remove the sensor to rinse the sensor and mounting screw. Cant beat the price to be close to were you need to be.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

To make you own wand, I use a 2 1/2 foot piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe, heat about 3 inches of one end and flatten when soft, angle to about 45deg and let it cool. drill a hole to accommodate the screw for the sensor, and your good to go. If you have water intrusion in it, drill a 1/4 inch hole above the sensor, this will drain quickly when done

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

hitting the sack, CYA

 

[spsick]

I didn’t even know budget PAR meters existed until just now. Who is knocking them?

 

[VintageReefer]

I didn’t even know budget PAR meters existed until just now. Who is knocking them?

People who spent 400-500$ on theirs

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I have the Parwise and am happy. I switched tanks and was able to take readings in my 75 then placed the coral in the 120 in the same general par according to the Parwise. I then moved coral around and the meter came in handy. I run T5 and find there are areas of the tank where the par surprised me. I had a favia starting to loose color and moved it to an area with just 50 less par and doing great now. It may not be as"acute" as the high dollar meter but this shows how it can be used successfully

 

[spsick]

People who spent 400-500$ on theirs

I’d have happily bought one of these vs my Apogee knowing they work. This feels like a scenario where the Harbor Freight tool is the right choice: a simple tool for a specific job that you need to use once every couple years.