[Michael]

I will start with surprising data from one of my tanks.

Originally Posted by Michael

PAR DATA COLLECTION
10 October 2011

Please fill out this form as completely as possible. Use a new form for each aquarium. You can also submit the information on the DFWAPC forum on Aquatic Plant Central and it will be immediately available for everyone.

Aquarium size standard 10 gallon, 20" x 10" x 12" tall
(gallons and dimensions)

Type of light fixture Cheap office desk lamp with screw-in spiral compact fluorescent
(power compact, T5 NO, metal halide, etc.)

Number of lamps, bulbs, or tubes, and wattage 1 spiral CF, 26 w (bought it at Walmart)
(examples: “2 T5 HO tubes, 24 w” or “1 metal halide 150 w”)

Age of lamps, bulbs, or tubes 6 weeks

Other information GE, 6500 K
(brand, color temperature, spectrum, etc.)

Distance from light fixture to substrate 13"

PAR VALUES MEASURED AT SUBSTRATE: 60!
(Tip: you may want to measure PAR in several different locations. You can report multiple measurements, or calculate an average.)

Comments (Are there other conditions affecting light levels? What types of plants do you grow? Was the meter easy to use? Were you surprised by the results?)

This is higher PAR than any of my other tanks, with compact fluorescents and T5 NO lighting! The plants are a solid carpet of pigmy chain sword and miscellaneous easy species, with some floating plants.

Thank You!

See, that was easy!