Plant Auction hosted by : Greater Seattle Aquarium Society

Plant Auction hosted by : Greater Seattle Aquarium Society

At Aquatic Life we are always singing the praises of local Reef and Aquarium clubs. If not for the hard work and volunteer hours that members put in, this hobby would not be as popular as it is today. There is no better place for the new hobbyist to go and learn than from these clubs and the experienced members who attend.  

Because the clubs are non profit, they depend on member support and club donations to keep the new members walking in the door. Aquatic Life was more than happy to donate one of our Submersible Pumps http://www.aquaticlife.com/products/371 to the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society for the Plant auction that they have planned.

If you live in the Greater Seattle area check out the clubs website  www.gsas.org and snag some plant clippings at the auction. Who knows… perhaps you can win yourself a brand new submersible pump while making some new friends!

Check out the snazzy fish themed thank you card below-

 

Sincerely,

Understanding Lumen & PAR

Understanding Lumen

Lumen is the measure of the total amount of visible light emitted by a source. Lamps designed for human use are generally rated in Lumens because this is the measure of light seen or used in the application.  

Why does Aquatic Life not rate their aquarium light fixtures or lamps in Lumens?

Aquarium lamps and LED’s are designed to produce special spectral outputs (wavelengths) required by the tank inhabitants. Not all of these spectral outputs are seen by the human eye. Since Lumen only captures the visible human spectrum, it’s not a good rating for the true properties of an aquarium light.  A better measure of light for an aquarium application is Photosynthetically Active Radiation, often abbreviated PAR. PAR designates the spectral range from 400 to 700 nanometers that photosynthetic organisms like corals and plants use in the process of photosynthesis.

Understanding PAR

Put simply PAR ( Photosynthetically Active Radiation) is the amount of usable light measured in photons  that falls on a square meter in a second between 400nm and 700nm.

This information is very useful as certain corals, clams and even plants require different amounts of PAR to thrive. Mushrooms and other soft corals for example do well getting PAR around 50-100, whereas certain shallow water SPS species need PAR values of 500. Have you ever wondered why it appears that some corals seem to not grow? They might not be placed in the aquarium properly and may not be getting enough light.  

For these reasons it is important to understand how much PAR is in your aquarium and each animals requirements. Too much or not enough light and your photosynthetic corals and plants will not be happy.

There are a few different PAR meters on the market and they are relatively inexpensive. They are a great investment and easy to use. A meter can help you to acclimate new corals and know where the best placement is for each animal.

Sincerely,