AquaIllumination PAR Measurements

[hmello@bermexin]

^interested in this too.

[digibee]

Hi, I am still waiting for the longer legs for the light.

Any updates on that?

Thanks!

[tor101898]

Originally Posted by digibee

Hi, I am still waiting for the longer legs for the light.

Any updates on that?

Thanks!

Same here.....

[flaj75]

Originally Posted by kmu

I got a pair of Sol Blue modules coming soon on the mail, should I use the stock controller and if Im running the Reef Keeper lite (RKL) should I use it with the AI controller?

I just got a pair of Sol Blue as well, the AI controller is nice and very easy to use. It has alot of timer selections so you can ger really detailed on your timer settings for your lights.

[luibove]

Originally Posted by luibove

I got my Sol Blue this past week after waiting 100yrs lol, no but it felt like that, I just installed today, I have my single sol 12" above the water line with stock optics, my tank dimension are 24"24"24" & this light kicks ***!!!, I have it controlled with a Profilux 3, didn't order AI crtl. I placed an order with AI for the additional 70 deg. optics, & those are now backordered! just call me the back-ordered king lol! Anyways, hope no one has asked this before, but do you recommend lowering the light after the 70 deg optics upgrade?

Anyone???

[hmello@bermexin]

Originally Posted by luibove

Anyone???

Really depends on how the light spreads over your tank.

[mnml]

Based one some of the par charts in the past threads, you'll lose some intensity by going to 70* optics. If you don't have a par meter, you can always start with lower intensity and slowly ramp up. I plan to try out the 70* optics since my tank is only 20" tall. Apparently they're back ordered for another 2-3 weeks per AI support.

[tmgrash]

Originally Posted by mnml

Based one some of the par charts in the past threads, you'll lose some intensity by going to 70* optics. If you don't have a par meter, you can always start with lower intensity and slowly ramp up. I plan to try out the 70* optics since my tank is only 20" tall. Apparently they're back ordered for another 2-3 weeks per AI support.

Based off my par testing with my sol whites par looks to be nearly cut in half with 70deg optics.

[mnml]

That's a big decrease in par, thanks for sharing.

BTW, should the cooling fan on the unit be running 24/7 or does it only come on when the heat sink reaches a certain temperature?

[hazmat319]

Originally Posted by jmchzn123

how did you get yours so quickly? I have been waiting 2 weeks so far and now they are talking 2nd week in Feb!!! Where did you get them?

Aquarium specialty had them in stock. I ordered them on Thursday and they are on the truck to be delivered today. But we are in the middle of a snowstorm so I'm hoping UPS will still come. I need something to do since I'm holed up in my house

Did you order from Reef Geek? I checked around to see who had them in stock before I ordered. George told me that they were backordered and if I wanted to place an order I would be put on the list but it would be mid February before they came in.

[kmu]

Originally Posted by tmgrash

Based off my par testing with my sol whites par looks to be nearly cut in half with 70deg optics.

How abut the coverge does it double with the 70 degree optics? which LED pucks come with stock with the 40s and which ones with the 70s?

[dpx88]

damm this thread makes me want to hop on one of these

[hazmat319]

Originally Posted by mnml

Based one some of the par charts in the past threads, you'll lose some intensity by going to 70* optics. If you don't have a par meter, you can always start with lower intensity and slowly ramp up. I plan to try out the 70* optics since my tank is only 20" tall. Apparently they're back ordered for another 2-3 weeks per AI support.

My tank is only 20 inches tall also (standard 75 gallon) I emailed AI about the 70 degree optics and they suggested keeping the stock optics and raising the light. Said there was not really a need to change them out but, if I decided I wanted, that I could order them later on. I guess what I'm saying is the experts seem to think there is no reason to immediately change to 70 degree optics. But to each their own. I guess if you have limited space to hang the light then changing the optics is a better option.

[tmgrash]

Originally Posted by kmu

How abut the coverge does it double with the 70 degree optics? which LED pucks come with stock with the 40s and which ones with the 70s?

Im not sure if the spread doubles, I only have the 40deg. I dont need anymore spread though, 1 per 12" works just great.


The ones with 40' s and 70's are exactly the same and the optics are interchangable

[reefworldly]

hey AI owners, i been comparing our units with others, and i guess some of you put the ecoxotic stunner strips on there to supplement things, which i plan to do, i was wondering, do we need some sorta UV supplementation? i know sunbrite leds has a UV tube when can be used standalone, is this something helpful for colors of sps, which are what they say its for

[cuboirs]

i have a 150 g 48x24x30 deep tank.....i just purchased 4 sol blues, will i be able to place any type of corals on the subtrate? how will the par reading be at that depth hanging lights 13'' from water surface.

[luibove]

Originally Posted by hmello@bermexin

Really depends on how the light spreads over your tank.

Hello Henry, I don't have access to a PAR meter so what I was trying to ascertain was in a typical installation with stock lenses say at 12" above water, after replacement of 40 deg with 70 deg lenses did anyone have to lower the fixture inorder to get proper PAR values at various depths?
Sorry if my inquiry was unclear.

[dacaptain78]

Thank you CalmSeaQuest and all who participated and took the time to post their data findings in this thread. I just recieved two SOL Blues for my 50 gallon breeder.

I intended to use the leg mounts while I finish building my canopy, but they are way too short I will have to rig something up in the mean time. I am itching to get these lights over my tank though.

[tor101898]

Originally Posted by dacaptain78

Thank you CalmSeaQuest and all who participated and took the time to post their data findings in this thread. I just recieved two SOL Blues for my 50 gallon breeder.

I intended to use the leg mounts while I finish building my canopy, but they are way too short I will have to rig something up in the mean time. I am itching to get these lights over my tank though.

Hey shaun , You can swing by my house and take a look at what I rigged for the two modules I got.

[BeanMachine]

nvm I'm a dummy

[Texsun]

I just picked up two Sol Blues to replace my 24" Elos Planet II fixture over my 30" long Elos tank. Instinctively, I purchased 24" rails but when picking them up my LFS suggested I should cut the longer rails to 30" to match the length of my tank. Does this make sense for spacing of the lights?

I have light hangers already at 24" wide and would need to remount them further out to hang the 30" rails.

[dacaptain78]

Originally Posted by tor101898

Hey shaun , You can swing by my house and take a look at what I rigged for the two modules I got.

Thanks Alex. I will try and swing by Saturday if you are around. Let me know.

[moliken]

Originally Posted by Texsun

I just picked up two Sol Blues to replace my 24" Elos Planet II fixture over my 30" long Elos tank. Instinctively, I purchased 24" rails but when picking them up my LFS suggested I should cut the longer rails to 30" to match the length of my tank. Does this make sense for spacing of the lights?

I have light hangers already at 24" wide and would need to remount them further out to hang the 30" rails.

only makes sense if youre gonna have the modules at the very end of the rails, further out than you could have them now, and that doesn't make sense.

[wickedfish]

Originally Posted by CalmSeasQuest

Great job on the PAR data Y-DesygnGuy!

One word of caution when comparing the PAR data....500 PAR under MH or TC is NOT the same thing as 500 PAR under LED.

PAR meters significantly underestimate PAR when sampling very blue or red light. I personally beleive this error to be far in excess of 20% at bluer settings. Here's an excerpt from another thread that contains a verification of this error from Apogee...

"I can tell you that the reason LED's are underestimated by the quantum sensor is due to the sensor's spectral response. As the attached graph illustrates, the sensor's spectral response is greatly limited in the blue and red regions. Essentially, this graph shows that the weighting factors are different for each wavelength. And the sensor itself works as a broadband sensor that integrates all wavelengths of light incident on it. So, since the weighting factors are different at each wavelength there is no practical way of knowing the contribution of each wavelength to the broadband signal that the sensor outputs.

In regards to specific testing and data for various types of LED's, unfortunately we do not have this information available. Sorry I could not be of more assistance.

Best Regards,

Jacob Bingham
Applications Engineer"

You can read the entire post here.

This might also partially explain how those running whiter settings are able to use higher PAR settings without bleaching (less deviation ifrom the PAR meter.)

Use the PAR data as a rough benchmark and adjust your initial settings for the error rate (tricky as it varies and no standard deviation is available.) The best way to determine ideal power settings is to make changes slowly and watch the response from your livestock.

Tom,

I agree with Mr. Bingham. I have not had par over 208 for 4 weeks now and I have bleaching in 3 frags. I also have bleaching on new coral growth where the base is encrusting on the LR. I do have great growth.

It's hard to say what works be it intensity, color percentages, and mix of both??

I know you have more time with these models. Have you noticed mostly bleaching, discoloration, or colors holding up?

I have a mix of everything. I have some things that are looking good, some have looked better, some looking better, and some that are just whitish sticks with PE.

My LPS love the light and are all doing extremely well. I have them in the bottom 5" and on the edges.

Do you currently use the original optics? What is your highest setting and for how long?

[reefkeeper2]

It's been 2 weeks with the sol blues and everything looks great. I continue to play with and modify the timers. For a better look, here is a link http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4mpegYx60o Even a 40% intensity, the light is almost too intense for my android phone video.