Par Meter ?

So I have been thinking about getting a Par Meter. Anyways I went on Amazon and did a search on them and it brought a few questions to mind. One I looked at is this unit
Dr.Meter Digital Illuminance/Light Meter LX1330B , 0 - 200,000 Lux Luxmeter.

Now is this the same thing as a Par Meter? Can you get just any meter and stick it in your tank or do you need one made for use in a tank? Is there a difference between a Luxmeter and Par? Do they basically do the same thing?

 

No, they do not do the same thing. Lux/lumens and PAR are different.

While all PAR comes from visible light, not all visible light produces PAR. PAR is light in specific wavelengths usable by photosynthetic life forms. Lux/lumens meters measure all visible light with no regard to PAR.

 

So Lux/lumens won't give enough information that one can conclude that the light in your tank is efficient or not? There sure is a huge price difference between the 2 meters.

 

Correct. You could have 200,000 Lux and zero PAR, depending on your light source, tank depth, etc., etc.

 

It sure would be a neat little gadget to have around, but at the price I could just get a new lighting system.

 

FWIW, many reef clubs have PAR meters that are available to members. Don't know if there are any in your area, though.

 

That's a good question! Minnesota seems to pretty dull when it comes to things like that, they have the Polar Bear club, but jumping in to ice covered lakes won't help