Is my aquarium as bright as I think it is?

[Tanked]

 

I think most of us know that your eye and your camera sees light differently.

Having only one planted tank.   I don't have, and can't possibly justify the purchase of a PAR Meter at this point.  I also haven't found a LFS that has, or is willing to rent or lend one.  While watching a video where Cory measured the PAR values at various locations and depths in an aquarium, I began to wonder why none of this is written down.

I guess the question is: Has anybody charted the PAR values of the ACO lights at various light levels and distances?  I realize that such a chart/spreadsheet would not be totally accurate, but as a general guide, it might help a lot of us to remove some of the guess work when we struggle with plants.  

 

[Fish Folk]

There may be some way to calculating "virgin" PAR before accounting for tank water, depth, etc. Use this chart provided by ACO for their light products:

Generally speaking, I would trust an aquarium light designed to specs by the horticultural geniuses at ACO, and focus more on proper nutrients, photo period, planting, etc. Remember that planting heavily, limiting the photo period, and feeding Easy Green or similar helps get things balanced at the outset in a planted tank.

 

[Tanked]

Virgin PAR at depth is what I am looking for.   What is the PAR level at 4", 6"...20"...; at each intensity level.  How do you know what is low or medium light without some kind of measurement?

I have one tank which will grow Wisteria and PSO using a DIY light for 16 hrs.  My eye says it is bright only directly under the light.  The planted community tank has the ACO light at a medium setting for 8 hours.   Wisteria and PSO won't grow in the planted tank. the Italian Val that I have reintroduced to this tank, has migrated to the front of the tank for the second time.  They use the same water.  This leads me to believe that it is more a light issue than a nutrient issue.  

 In the planted tank, excessive spot algae on the plants tells me to reduce the light duration. The Val sending runners to the front wall for the second time tells me to increase the intensity.  Some how I have never found the middle ground.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 10/19/2023 at 2:59 PM, Tanked said:

They use the same water.  This leads me to believe that it is more a light issue than a nutrient issue. 

This often gets me, too. Plants can absolutely thrive in one tank, and then I can propagate and move it to the tank next to it and it all dies off. My mind tells me that “all my tanks are the same. They have the same water source, they get the same foods, they get the same nutrients, they have the same maintenance schedule, most tanks use the same light, and they generally have the same types of hardscape” but the reality is they’re all individual ecosystems. 
 

I’ve generally found the plants that do generally well and kind of stick to those as I hate buying new plants to just have them die. It can create some redundancy in the tanks, but like I said, sometimes the tank next door won’t grow the same plants. 
 

Just one of those things. Gotta love it. 

[Tanked]

On 10/19/2023 at 5:20 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

This often gets me, too. Plants can absolutely thrive in one tank, and then I can propagate and move it to the tank next to it and it all dies off. My mind tells me that “all my tanks are the same. They have the same water source, they get the same foods, they get the same nutrients, they have the same maintenance schedule, most tanks use the same light, and they generally have the same types of hardscape” but the reality is they’re all individual ecosystems. 
 

I’ve generally found the plants that do generally well and kind of stick to those as I hate buying new plants to just have them die. It can create some redundancy in the tanks, but like I said, sometimes the tank next door won’t grow the same plants. 
 

Just one of those things. Gotta love it. 

Just one more example of the lack of absolutes in the hobby.   In this case the water actually is the same. I have used the fishless project tank to revive dying plants for about 2 yrs. The tank uses the old water taken directly from the less successful community tank.  Beyond that, all of my tanks are different.  It is just maddening that plants in the intentionally neglected tank do better than the well tended tank.😖

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 10/19/2023 at 3:34 PM, Tanked said:

It is just maddening that plants in the intentionally neglected tank do better than the well tended tank.😖

For sure. I can’t grow a Java Fern to save my life, and they’re always marketed as “easy”. Anubius generally do well for me though, and I have so much Java Moss it’s coming out my ears. PSO crushes in some of my tanks, and can’t even get going floating in others. 
 

I’ve had Val that was absolutely crushing it, and then I propagate it somewhere else and it won’t even take hold. On the flip side of that, I bought 1 stem of Jungle Val that did basically nothing for 2 years, and NOW it’s sending out runners and new stems are thriving. Same with the Val in my Pea Puffer tank. Did basically nothing for 2 years and now all the sudden it’s throwing runners. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 10/19/2023 at 5:30 PM, Pepere said:

When I have new plants dieI take it as a personal challenge and double down on them…

Lol, I am definitely the exact opposite. I also have a ton of tanks so my time gets split between them all. If I had like 1-3 I could dedicate a lot more time to fewer tanks. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 10/17/2023 at 10:16 AM, Tanked said:

Has anybody charted the PAR values of the ACO lights at various light levels and distances? 

Yep.

 

On 10/19/2023 at 1:59 PM, Tanked said:

Virgin PAR at depth is what I am looking for.   What is the PAR level at 4", 6"...20"...; at each intensity level.  How do you know what is low or medium light without some kind of measurement?

I have one tank which will grow Wisteria and PSO using a DIY light for 16 hrs.  My eye says it is bright only directly under the light.  The planted community tank has the ACO light at a medium setting for 8 hours.   Wisteria and PSO won't grow in the planted tank. the Italian Val that I have reintroduced to this tank, has migrated to the front of the tank for the second time.  They use the same water.  This leads me to believe that it is more a light issue than a nutrient issue.  

 In the planted tank, excessive spot algae on the plants tells me to reduce the light duration. The Val sending runners to the front wall for the second time tells me to increase the intensity.  Some how I have never found the middle ground.

GH and KH?

For me, green algae is almost always tied to light duration or phosphate/organics being a bit too plentiful in the tank.

[Tanked]

On 10/20/2023 at 3:46 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yep.

 

GH and KH?

For me, green algae is almost always tied to light duration or phosphate/organics being a bit too plentiful in the tank.

 

On 10/20/2023 at 3:46 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yep.

 

GH and KH?

For me, green algae is almost always tied to light duration or phosphate/organics being a bit too plentiful in the tank.

  I know what PAR is, but I don't have a PAR meter so the video doesn't help.  I need a best guesstimate as to what is the PAR on he bottom of my lightly planted 29.

This morning, GH = 232, KH =71.  Nitrates = 25 which is about half normal.  I will have to dig into my notes to figure out what the last lighting adjustment was.  I think it was a 30 min. cut in duration.  I don't think organics is a problem, as I deep gravel clean, and use UGF and HOB filtration along with 25% water changes..

On 10/19/2023 at 7:30 PM, Pepere said:

When I have new plants die I take it as a personal challenge and double down on them…

I give most plants a second chance.  The Scarlet Temple probably would have made it if the plecos hadn't uprooted it every few days.  PSO and Wisteria recover in the project tank.  I will probably double down on the Italian Val again if needed.  The runners keep migrating to the same front corner of the tank, which tells me that they are looking for those few minutes of morning sun.  I have played with DIY Co2 in the project tank. There were some noticeable changes, but I have no plan to switch to a pressurized setup.

 

[TOtrees]

On 10/17/2023 at 1:16 PM, Tanked said:

Is my aquarium as bright as I think it is? 

 

Can it do math? 

[Vicki]

On 10/19/2023 at 5:22 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

For sure. I can’t grow a Java Fern to save my life, and they’re always marketed as “easy”. 

Oh my word, I’m SO HAPPY to find that there’s someone else in the world who can’t get friggin Java Fern to grow! If saving the world from aliens depended on me growing Java Fern, we’d all go up in spaceships. Sorry folks.

[Tanked]

On 10/20/2023 at 1:22 PM, TOtrees said:

Can it do math? 

I wish it could, because I'm not that good at it.