# Unbelievable PAR stats for Marineland Aquatic Plant Light System



## Mr. Bean (Jul 10, 2016)

LED Aquarium Lighting for Aquatic Plants | Marineland

Reading another post about the problems someone had with his plants, a link was provided for the light he was using ... a new Marineland Aquatic Plant light system (LED). Open the link for the product page and go to the product tab and check out the PAR ratings for this light.

Frankly, I find the PAR ratings unbelievable...170 at 12"?! My Finnex RayII only hits 70 at 12", and its a very bright LED. Is this Marineland propaganda/wishful thinking...anyone have this light who can provide a real-use assessment? Am I reading this wrong, or is there some esoteric translation that I'm not aware of which would account for an exaggerated PAR rating?


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## lksdrinker (Feb 12, 2014)

strange because they have it listed as "PAR/LUX". I'm no expert when it comes to the specifics of lighting; but arent par and lux two completely different measurements?

I'm also going to wildly assume and go out on a limb that they're measurements at 12" and 24" are on empty tanks.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I have the Reef Capable one that I'm going to be using over a 60P. Over an 'empty' tank it looks extremely bright and Marineland states par of 130 at 12". I got mine I think before they introduced the Planted one. I'm not sure other than the temp (Reef is 10K) what the difference is between the two is, although in the LED sticky we have mine listed as 170 Par (source?) as well. Maybe one of my favorite lighting gurus will chime in.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

lksdrinker said:


> strange because they have it listed as "PAR/LUX". I'm no expert when it comes to the specifics of lighting; but arent par and lux two completely different measurements?
> 
> I'm also going to wildly assume and go out on a limb that they're measurements at 12" and 24" are on empty tanks.


They have both numbers:
ex PAR/LUX @ 24" 83/4810 0.0173 conversion factor..which fits in well w/ this chart Daylight 0.0185 to 3100k ceramic mh @ 0.0170 
http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/conversion-ppf-to-lux/
I always guesstimated at 0.015 if given LUX measurements..
it is relatively easy to obtain high PAR @ 12".. Makes lighting/recommending lighting for shallow tanks a challenge.

empty tanks generally have a slightly lower PAR number than in water.. diffraction and reflections have a tendency to concentrate light slightly in the real world.
does assume clear water w/ no/low tannins though..


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## Mr. Bean (Jul 10, 2016)

it is relatively easy to obtain high PAR @ 12"..

Okay, forget the 12" PAR...80+ at 24"...I just cannot believe that. Has anyone ever heard of that kind of intensity with an LED light????


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I should be setting my tank up soon, so I can let you know. But it looks pretty bright to my eye


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## lksdrinker (Feb 12, 2014)

jeffkrol said:


> They have both numbers:
> ex PAR/LUX @ 24" 83/4810 0.0173




Wow....cant believe I didnt notice both numbers. whoops lol


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Mr. Bean said:


> it is relatively easy to obtain high PAR @ 12"..
> 
> Okay, forget the 12" PAR...80+ at 24"...I just cannot believe that. Has anyone ever heard of that kind of intensity with an LED light????


Well 80 does seem a bit high, though their optics could explain it a bit.. As to 80 and LED 130 @ 17" is probably close to 70-80 @ 24
Reef LEDd's exceed this quite often:


















Marineland has achieved this in the past:
http://aquanerd.com/2011/08/marineland-reef-capable-led-par-numbers.html


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## Mr. Bean (Jul 10, 2016)

Reef lights, yep, I get it...fry an egg under them. But I've never seen a planted aquarium LED with those kind of numbers. I'm so interested because if they're true numbers...I may sell off my Finnex lights and go with this...particularly because of additional spectrum beyond white (which my Finnex only has white).

JEFFKROL..................thanks for the detailed info you put up, very helpful ... and why this site is so useful!


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## pmcarbrey (Jan 19, 2013)

Mr. Bean said:


> Reef lights, yep, I get it...fry an egg under them. But I've never seen a planted aquarium LED with those kind of numbers. I'm so interested because if they're true numbers...I may sell off my Finnex lights and go with this...particularly because of additional spectrum beyond white (which my Finnex only has white).
> 
> JEFFKROL..................thanks for the detailed info you put up, very helpful ... and why this site is so useful!


As more reef focussed brands get involved in making Freshwater lights you should see a huge jump in power and quality. Most of the "high quality" freshwater lights would be laughed off as junk in the saltwater world. 

Perfect example of a saltwater focussed brand putting out an outstanding planted light, the xr15fw by Ecotech



kilauea91 said:


> I got a hoppy par meter recently and finally be able to get some serious PAR measurement done for my Ecotech Radion XR15FW. Result is only for reference and in no way 100% accurate. Please take this only as a grain of salt.
> 
> A spotlight coverage is expected for this type of fixture. Measurement is done on preset 6500K @ 100% intensity under 1 single fixture with 120 degree angle lens. The light is about 22" above the substrate and 8" above water surface.
> 
> ...


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Mr. Bean said:


> Reef lights, yep, I get it...fry an egg under them. But I've never seen a planted aquarium LED with those kind of numbers. I'm so interested because if they're true numbers...I may sell off my Finnex lights and go with this...particularly because of additional spectrum beyond white (which my Finnex only has white).
> 
> JEFFKROL..................thanks for the detailed info you put up, very helpful ... and why this site is so useful!


Thanks.. and just to add a bit to the collection:










note the 3W 90 degree lensed clip light.. 6500k.

still 80 plus is, as I said, a bit suspect.. but certainly doable.. As current LED emitters are exceeding 100 Lumens/watt
The Marineland could produce in excess of 3500- 5400 lumens for a 36" light. 
different graphic:


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## Mr. Bean (Jul 10, 2016)

One last question...then I'll go away (promise)...

With these PAR numbers in the 150 plus range...does anyone know what the upper PAR limit is on the plants themselves? At what PAR level are the needs of the plants actually exceeded? Can a crypt actually use 200 PAR of light, is there any benefit or is it un-necessary overkill?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Mr. Bean said:


> One last question...then I'll go away (promise)...
> 
> With these PAR numbers in the 150 plus range...does anyone know what the upper PAR limit is on the plants themselves? At what PAR level are the needs of the plants actually exceeded? Can a crypt actually use 200 PAR of light, is there any benefit or is it un-necessary overkill?


well that is a complicated question.. but think about the PAR level of sunlight falling on a lake or stream..


> PPFD at full sunlight at noon during the summer is about 2,000 to 2500 mol/m squared/s


BTW.. Real world example. This is a Reefbreeders that was built w/ a custom freshwater biased spectrum...
So technically a freshwater light.. 
Crypts and PAR:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/941866-60-gallon-starfire-dutch-4.html


> I also downsized the ginormous crypt bunch that developed on the right side.
> My first measurement at the substrate was like 150 PAR during peak light (which was probably only like 40% power)


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## mot (Sep 17, 2011)

I have the marineland planted led from when they first came out and can confirm it is a powerful light. The color though looks off to me and is not adjustable. Maybe they have changed since then.


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## noah_nodz (Oct 20, 2016)

If I decide to buy this 48" light (expensive), would it be sufficient to cover the 30" width of my tank or I would need to have 2?


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## JohnsTank (Jul 16, 2016)

Mr. Bean said:


> Reef lights, yep, I get it...fry an egg under them. But I've never seen a planted aquarium LED with those kind of numbers. I'm so interested because if they're true numbers...I may sell off my Finnex lights and go with this...particularly because of additional spectrum beyond white (which my Finnex only has white).
> 
> JEFFKROL..................thanks for the detailed info you put up, very helpful ... and why this site is so useful!


I am also very interested as I'm dealing with the same issue with the Ray2.


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## PEdwards (Oct 31, 2016)

Mr. Bean said:


> it is relatively easy to obtain high PAR @ 12"..
> 
> Okay, forget the 12" PAR...80+ at 24"...I just cannot believe that. Has anyone ever heard of that kind of intensity with an LED light????


Yeah, I can get 80+ PAR at 24" with my Radions. They're currently 20" above the water and at 100% intensity I measured 90+ PAR (depending on how more or less the meter was directly under the puck) at the substrate below 12" of water.


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