dmurray407 Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 Is there such a thing as a phone app that measures aquarium light? I know that there are PAR meter apps to measure non aquarium light for houseplants-would that be somewhat accurate for aquarium light? Yes I know that monitoring plant growth/algae levels is the best way to gauge light. I just think I would be a helpful tool to have. I don't want one badly enough to pay $200 for one, though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 So wouldn't that ruin your phone? Shoving it in the fish tank, I mean? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinky Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 we have ip68 rated phones now, a short dunk in an aquarium (freshwater at least) wouldnt hurt anything. my bigger concern would be the vast number of camera modules and having to account for those hardware differances in a single app. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted February 14, 2022 Author Share Posted February 14, 2022 I was thinking of something you could use on the outside looking in…but yes, my phone would be OK to do a brief dunk. Not sure I want to test that out, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 On 2/13/2022 at 7:58 PM, dmurray407 said: Is there such a thing as a phone app that measures aquarium light? I know that there are PAR meter apps to measure non aquarium light for houseplants-would that be somewhat accurate for aquarium light? Yes I know that monitoring plant growth/algae levels is the best way to gauge light. I just think I would be a helpful tool to have. I don't want one badly enough to pay $200 for one, though..... My plants/algae seem prone to breaking the rules concerning light. I would also like to know what kind of light my plants are actually getting, but can't justify the cost for a piece of equipment that gets minimal use. Somewhere in history I had found an online calculator using your film or digital camera settings to calculate par. Having only Anubia at the time, I didn't bother. Now that I have other plants I can't find it. It would not have been super accurate, but it would be close enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted February 14, 2022 Author Share Posted February 14, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 10:21 AM, Tanked said: Somewhere in history I had found an online calculator using your film or digital camera settings to calculate par. That would be perfect…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 (edited) Hi All, First of all lumens and PAR are not the same. Lumens measure the degree of light (brightness) in the visual range of human beings. PAR (photoactive radiation) deals with the amount of light that hits a given surface in the range that plants can utilize. Our smartphones contain cameras with a sensor (CCD and CMOS) that measure brightness of the light entering the lens and adjust the aperture of the lens and/or the speed of the opening to achieve a good (hopefully) picture. While a sensor for a PAR meter measures the quantity of light entering the sensor. That said, there are several apps out there for smartphones that portend to provide a PAR reading and to some degree they do but unfortunately they are not very accurate typically reading 15% to 20% higher than the actual PAR level. Keeping in mind that even PAR meters are +/-5% accurate then the phone app readings could be as much as 25% off. I have a 1 yo Samsung S20FE phone and an Apogee SQ510 PAR meter that was just returned from calibration at Apogee Instruments on 2/10/22 so I decided to see for myself. I downloaded the 'Light Sensor to PPFD' app and compared the readings in 'free air' (meaning not underwater) under 60 watt LED bulb. The reading of the PAR meter was 47 and the reading for the app on the phone was 54 so the app was 14.9% high. I also had a extra LED reflector I could use so I measured the PAR in 'free air' with the Apogee PAR meter and the phone app. The PAR meter reading was 131 and the phone app reading was 150 so again the app read higher by about 15%. So my testing pretty much verifies the findings in the table above. In conclusion if you would like to 'guesstimate' the PAR output level of your fixture using the app I used will give you an approximate reading that is 15% - 20% higher than the reading a PAR meter might give you. Remember that 'free air' readings will always be higher than the actual PAR readings taken under water due to light reflection at the surface, surface waves from filters, and the fact that water is not 100% clear. Hope this helps! -Roy Edited February 14, 2022 by Seattle_Aquarist 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 On 2/13/2022 at 6:58 PM, dmurray407 said: Is there such a thing as a phone app that measures aquarium light? I know that there are PAR meter apps to measure non aquarium light for houseplants-would that be somewhat accurate for aquarium light? Yes I know that monitoring plant growth/algae levels is the best way to gauge light. I just think I would be a helpful tool to have. I don't want one badly enough to pay $200 for one, though..... If you are a MAS member, MAS has a PAR meter you can borrow/rent. You just missed the "Plant Extravaganza" where they taught people how to use it. That could be a route to go if you just want to test what you have setup. On 2/14/2022 at 2:07 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said: Hope this helps! As a plant physiologist, I approve of this message. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 Would you mind creating a thread to discuss strange and interesting plants, both aquatic and terrestrial? I think it would be really cool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 2:14 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said: If you are a MAS member, MAS has a PAR meter you can borrow/rent. You just missed the "Plant Extravaganza" where they taught people how to use it. That could be a route to go if you just want to test what you have setup. As a plant physiologist, I approve of this message. Hi @OnlyGenusCaps No, but I am a member of the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (gsas.org) and also the Horticulture Awards Program chairperson. The PAR meter I used is the one that our club loans out to members so they can check the PAR levels in their tanks. -Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 5:26 PM, Streetwise said: Would you mind creating a thread to discuss strange and interesting plants, both aquatic and terrestrial? I think it would be really cool. Just for clarity, to whom was your request directed? I think the HAP chair of the GSAS would do a great job of that! Just say'n. On 2/14/2022 at 5:49 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said: No, but I am a member of the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (gsas.org) and also the Horticulture Awards Program chairperson. The PAR meter I used is the one that our club loans out to members so they can check the PAR levels in their tanks. -Roy My apologies, I'd replied under the quote I pulled from @dmurray407, who I believe, if I recall correctly is in Minnesota. It was to her my suggestion was directed. Good to know that GSAS also have a PAR meter for members. MAS's is still new, and they are trying to figure out what model they want to go with in terms of how members can access it. How does that work for GSAS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 I wasn’t sure who I was quoting, so I didn’t add quotation details! I want to learn about strange plants. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) On 2/14/2022 at 2:07 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said: Hope this helps! Roy, thank you so much for your excellent explanation-this is just what I wanted to know! On 2/14/2022 at 4:14 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said: If you are a MAS member, MAS has a PAR meter you can borrow/rent. You just missed the "Plant Extravaganza" where they taught people how to use it. That could be a route to go if you just want to test what you have setup. Yes, I am in Minnesota. I missed that part of the meeting on Saturday-my granddaughter was with me and needed to leave. We stayed through the plant auction and so much great information about plants was shared. I really wanted to learn more about PAR meters. I will look into "checking" one out from MAS 🙂 Edited February 15, 2022 by dmurray407 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmurray407 Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 5:26 PM, Streetwise said: Would you mind creating a thread to discuss strange and interesting plants, both aquatic and terrestrial? I think it would be really cool. I agree!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 4:24 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said: Just for clarity, to whom was your request directed? I think the HAP chair of the GSAS would do a great job of that! Just say'n. My apologies, I'd replied under the quote I pulled from @dmurray407, who I believe, if I recall correctly is in Minnesota. It was to her my suggestion was directed. Good to know that GSAS also have a PAR meter for members. MAS's is still new, and they are trying to figure out what model they want to go with in terms of how members can access it. How does that work for GSAS? Hi @OnlyGenusCaps You have some very good plant folks in your club. I met one at the AGA Convention in Seattle in 2019 and several on the various plant forums that i belong to. Our webmaster created a page in the 'Members Only' portion of our website where members can read and sign a responsibly / disclosure form . When the fields are filled out and the member clicks 'agree' the website that sends the keeper of the PAR meter (me) an e-mail with sign up form. The form contains the member information. When I receive a form I advise the member that I have received it and add them to the waiting list (typically 2-3 weeks). When the meter is returned I check it out in front of the member to make sure it functions properly, then contact the next member on the list and arrange for them to receive the meter (either p/u at my house or meet a local aquarium shop). When I deliver the meter I show them how to use it so they know it is in working condition and have them sign the check-out form that was e-mailed by our website. A week later we make arrangements to return the meter. We are on our 2nd meter, the first one went into an aquarium and did not recover. Hope this helps! -Roy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyGenusCaps Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 On 2/14/2022 at 9:36 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said: Hope this helps! Very helpful indeed! Much appreciated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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