![]() OK so this part of the testing wasn’t quite as scientific as the PAR testing, but I think it may be the most important part of this whole process. Here is a comparison of the PAR readings that we got for each light: Real World Testing For tips on algae control, see our article here. Strong lighting can also encourage algae and cyanobacterial growth. Just remember, a light with high PAR will encourage any photosynthetic organism in the tank to grow, not just plants. So, we put an old cinder block in the tank so we had something to put the sensor on so it was always a consistent distance from the surface of the water. We wanted to get readings from the middle of the tank, but it’s really hard to hold the PAR sensor at the same distance every time just doing it by hand. This meant we had ideal testing conditions and were able to get solid PAR readings for each of the lights. Our tap water is pretty much crystal clear and only has a TDS of 50. We filled it with clear tap water so we could run a whole new set of tests. We had an empty 55 gallon hanging around. ![]() So, we threw out all our initial data and redid everything. I think it had a lot to do with water clarity, water movement, plants throwing shade and inconsistent sensor placement due to the substrate in the tank. We got some inconsistent numbers when we tried to take PAR readings with the light on one of our established aquariums. We took readings 0.5 inch below the water’s surface, 11 inches (28 centimeters) down and 19 inches (43 centimeters), at the bottom of the 55 gallon (208 liter) tank that we used for testing.ĭistances were measured from the surface of the light to the top of the PAR meter sensor. Waterproof PAR meters are expensive so most aquarists have no way to measure what their light puts off.įor this article, we used a super nifty PAR meter to take readings for all of the lights we used in this head-to-head challenge. Most hobbyists don’t have any way to measure what kind of PAR their aquarium lights are putting off. So, something that might have a PAR of 400 at the water’s surface might only have a PAR of 70 when the light hits the substrate. Just because a light is visible to us and seems bright does not mean that it has the right spectrum to grow plants in a freshwater tank.Īnd, PAR decreases the farther the light travels. So, it’s an important measure of whether or not a particular light will be able to grow plants and what kind of plants it would be good for. The higher the PAR, the more energy that plants can draw from the light. Yep, try and say that five times fast.īasically, PAR is the measure of the radiation coming from a light source that organisms can use to carry out photosynthesis. PAR stands for photosynthetically active radiation. Here’s how I tested each of the LED lighting kits: PAR Readings Test Last update on / Commissions Earned / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API How The Lights Were Tested NICREW ClassicLED Plus Planted Aquarium Light, Full Spectrum LED Fish Tank Light for Freshwater. Hygger 36W 24/7 Lighting Aquarium LED Light, Sunrise-Daylight-Moonlight Mode and DIY Mode.ĬURRENT USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Full Spectrum RGB+W Light for Aquariums 36''-48'' with.īeamsWork Vivio Full Spectrum LED Timer Adjustable Dimmer Aquarium Fish Tank Light Freshwater 12 20. 100 gal 407 filter for my 55 will be pretty clean and using Poly-Fil keeps the water clear.Hobby Lobby $2.99 Poly-Fil, at Michael's they wanted with tax over $7.Fluval Plant 3.0 LED Planted Aquarium Lighting, 46 Watts, 36-46 Inches Always use the older bacteria one and you can mix newer ones pieces in after rising. NEVER START A RUNNING TANK WITH BRAND NEW MEDIA. Then last tray top tray 4th tray, one carbon one side and Poly-Fil on top of it, and the other half side all Poly-Fil. 3rd try up, then 2nd tray up, I used me old really good long media, mixed a few new ones in. Then tube new rinsed off, media, mixed with my old tube media. I used the Coarse and lite filter bottom tray of 4. 2 bags of tube media, and coarse filter and mild filter. but it came with 2 packages of Phosphate. So the Fluval 407 is awesome, but its a waterfall sound effect. Top Fin sits in the water, for outgoing water, so it is quiet, but you can't tell if its working. Didn't want to change the filter systems mid-month. Had to wait the month out from my Top Fin filter cleaning change. ![]() Report on my Fluval, changing from Top Fin. ![]()
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