# B. Neoregelia PAR Requirments



## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Finally picked up a PAR meter and confirmed my thoughts with solid measurements.

The photo is of two Neo 'Wild Tiger' from the same source, purchased at the same time, and kept under LED lighting. The one on the left receiving 58 PAR is growing at the same rate, healthy, and an overall great looking plant. However, the one on the right is receiving nearly 4X the amount of PAR at 207, and is showing much nicer coloration. In fact, I am going to increase PAR on that particular specimen to try and achieve the type of coloration you see in plants grown outdoors near the equator.

It is important to keep in mind that both plants are rooting, growing, and otherwise doing just as well as one another. The desire for intense coloration is what requires high PAR levels in B. neoregelia sp.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

This is the type of experiment that benefits everyone. Thanks for posting.

What spectrum(s) LEDs did you use and how did you achieve the different PAR levels?


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

FrogTim said:


> This is the type of experiment that benefits everyone. Thanks for posting.
> 
> What spectrum(s) LEDs did you use and how did you achieve the different PAR levels?


Neo 'Wild Tiger' receiving 207 PAR
Fixture: Radion XR30wPro
Spectrum: ~10,000K, 50% intensity (spectrum changes during the day)
Placement: 15" below the fixture, 4" off center.

Neo 'Wild Tiger' receiving 58 PAR
Fixture: CurrentUSA Satellite Plus Pro
Spectrum: ~6500K, 100% intensity
Placement: 12" below the fixture, 7" off center.


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## mikeb (Mar 9, 2013)

awesome info thanks for sharing, really love the fact that not only do you list the par but you give us the fixture that was used and placement from the light.. would love to see what some other broms look like as well.. thanks again.


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

mikeb said:


> awesome info thanks for sharing, really love the fact that not only do you list the par but you give us the fixture that was used and placement from the light.. would love to see what some other broms look like as well.. thanks again.


My pleasure!
That was just my first quick little test to try out the PAR meter. Going to continue collecting useful data.

I also purchased a Kill-A-Watt meter so that I can get an accurate PAR/WATT ratio of various light fixtures. Wattage is such a terrible way to judge the output of a fixture, and kelvin rating isn't all that accurate when talking about spectrum. With a PAR and K-A-W I can get to the bottom of how efficient these fixtures are for lighting our plants.


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## fullmonti (May 10, 2013)

When I was setting up my tank I ask here & on the orchid board if anyone knew what PAR to shoot for. At that time few seem to even know what I was talking about & when I explained what PAR was some even said that was irrelevant.

Thanks for this post!

Jim


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Which PAR meter do you have? Also if you want to you can contribute to my data in this spread sheet.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/182233-extensive-lighting-levels.html


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

Pubfiction said:


> Which PAR meter do you have? Also if you want to you can contribute to my data in this spread sheet.
> 
> http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/182233-extensive-lighting-levels.html


Apogee BTM-3000

I will certainly have a look at your data.


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## ChrisAZ (Sep 6, 2012)

Thank you for starting this thread. This sort of experimenting is very useful. I'd be equally interested in seeing experiments on the influence of specific color spectrums like cyan, far red and UV which are usually lacking in most commercial LED lights.


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

ChrisAZ said:


> Thank you for starting this thread. This sort of experimenting is very useful. I'd be equally interested in seeing experiments on the influence of specific color spectrums like cyan, far red and UV which are usually lacking in most commercial LED lights.


Before I get overly technical with it, my goal is to get some basic data for the more common fixtures used in the hobby, and how they perform over one of the most commonly used enclosure dimensions [18 x 18 x 24].

I want to give the average hobbyist enough information to make an educated decision on a lighting purchase without going over their head with information they may not fully understand.


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

Would be interesting to see how fast some of the LEDs lose output in the par department after a few months of usage and how some regular t5 hos compare to them. 

Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

jimmy rustles said:


> Would be interesting to see how fast some of the LEDs lose output in the par department after a few months of usage and how some regular t5 hos compare to them.
> 
> Gesendet von meinem GT-I9195I mit Tapatalk


I can't imagine there would be much loss in PAR unless the fixture was poorly designed and you were losing diodes to heat.


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

TJ_Burton said:


> I can't imagine there would be much loss in PAR unless the fixture was poorly designed and you were losing diodes to heat.


Its in German, but there are some measurements of various aquaristic LEDs, which lost quite a bit of PAR after 6/12 months:

http://hennings-miniriff.jimdo.com/...-Messung-Module-Strahler-HQI.pdf?t=1367157789

(taken from this site: PAR Messungen - hennings-miniriffs Jimdo-Page! )

the yellow boxes show the initial PAR output and the ouput after 12 months, the resd boxes the loss in PAR and the last box shows the loss in PAR in percentage, everything in 10cm steps away from the lamp until reaching the water surface after 40 cm.


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

jimmy rustles said:


> Its in German, but there are some measurements of various aquaristic LEDs, which lost quite a bit of PAR after 6/12 months:
> 
> http://hennings-miniriff.jimdo.com/...-Messung-Module-Strahler-HQI.pdf?t=1367157789
> 
> ...


I haven't done any long term testing on anything other than my Radion (almost two years old) but it hasn't lost any significant PAR (when compared to manufacturer specs). Can't speak for those German fixtures, or any other fixture until I test it, but build quality of the diodes and fixture will definitely change how well the fixture performs long term.

I have a Kessil near by, I will grab some data from that unit and see how it stacks up to the projected ratings from the manufacturer. It is about a year old now so it is a good subject.


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## ChrisAZ (Sep 6, 2012)

I love were this thread is going.


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

ChrisAZ said:


> I love were this thread is going.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I am really glad to hear that!

I think its a conversation that really needs to happen in our hobby. Reefing has been talking PAR and PUR for a long time now, and it has lead to 'lighting' being less and less troublesome for hobbyists to understand and implement. The type of plants we are keeping, and the layout of our enclosures will change the requirements of our lighting needs.

My goal is to get some real-world PAR values for various species of plants so that we know what we should be shooting for on a species by species basis.
Then we can start looking at what fixtures provide the right levels of PAR for our plants' needs, and ultimately get to the bottom of "what fixture is the best for [the] plants [in my specific terrarium]".


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## ChrisAZ (Sep 6, 2012)

This may have a positive influence on the lighting market itself as well.


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## jimmy rustles (Mar 10, 2013)

jimmy rustles said:


> Its in German, but there are some measurements of various aquaristic LEDs, which lost quite a bit of PAR after 6/12 months:
> 
> http://hennings-miniriff.jimdo.com/...-Messung-Module-Strahler-HQI.pdf?t=1367157789
> 
> ...


Couldnt find an edit button, but the first link should be this one:
http://hennings-miniriff.jimdo.com/...g-Strahler-1+Jahresvergleich.pdf?t=1368962715


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## TJ_Burton (Jul 22, 2015)

jimmy rustles said:


> Couldnt find an edit button, but the first link should be this one:
> http://hennings-miniriff.jimdo.com/...g-Strahler-1+Jahresvergleich.pdf?t=1368962715


Looks like ~10% loss of PAR after 12 months on the fixtures the tested.


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