Tips on light meters?

[ToeJam]

Halides are not cheap....and I am wondering is there a low priced tool to measure if the light is getting weak?

I am asking cause I have had two 250watt Ushio 10ks in...and just recently certain corals just don't grow like they were....they are growing but not as crazy when I first put those in.

It's hard to tell when it's time to change...I am seeing over extended polyps on certain corals...I feed cyclopleeze and roti's...so i doubt they are not getting food.....

I hate to buy two bulbs if it isn't necessary yet....not cheap yah know what I mean.

[tanker]

I could be wrong, but CF lamps only last about a year and then start to degrade. MH in my opinion last much longer. I use to have a reef and there was not much drop off in light from my MH after 2years.


PS---I use to use a luminometer

[Amphiprion]

If you don't want to pay for one of the Apogee meters, you can try a cheaper Lux meter. It isn't the same and the readings will be very different, but there are conversions and extrapolations to get close to what the PAR would be.

[mes1234]

Actually it is the opposite. Compact Flourescent lights last about 2x longer than a MH. MH only last 6 months before they are weaker. After the 6 month mark, they still produce good amounts of intesity but they are not as strong. CPF bulbs last a year without loosing any intensity.

[ToeJam]

Yah I know the general thing about them... ok quality bulbs 6 months....higher quality brands can do well for a year.

Ill google those meters you suggested....I just think its a waste to replace bulbs too soon. It's so hard to tell by eye...usually if you can tell...the corals are starving =\

[Amphiprion]

Actually it is the opposite. Compact Flourescent lights last about 2x longer than a MH. MH only last 6 months before they are weaker. After the 6 month mark, they still produce good amounts of intesity but they are not as strong. CPF bulbs last a year without loosing any intensity.

Metal halides tend to retain their intensity the best (short of normally driven T5 lamps, which last about the same to slightly longer) over time when compared to other choices. Here's a good comparison, granted it will vary with lamp and ballast choices: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

FWIW, look into the Milwaukee lux meter