the best way to test led without par meter is lumens per litre but you still wont have a clue what the par value is. What i would do is start of with 5 hours 50 percent power if its too much then lower it and if you do not see any algae and plants are growing as you want them to then leave it as it is. Once the tank has more plant mass then increase the the time to 8 hours and intensity. If you have any problems with algae then you know your light is too much. Take your time as too much light do cause algae and many other problems. I built myself an led light and i have a good understanding of how much light i need to use when i use leds without a par meter.
Sounds like a plan mow! There are sooo many variables that I thought I’d just start off really slow, with low intensity and see where I end up. Hopefully not the Algae Forum. 😉
I think I’ve decided on getting 2 Kessil A160 or 2 AI Primes.
My first scape is going to be setup so that most of the plants and hardscape are on the left, with them petering out to a bare area of substrate at the right of the tank.
So I’m thinking I can get away with 2 of the lights instead of 3 to start with, then buy another later on if needed. I can then have the 2 lights slightly more to the left to keep within the 24” spread of the lights.
Does anybody see an issue with that?
My tank is 54” x 18” x 18” by the way. CO2 injection, EI etc.
Thanks for all the replies above peeps!!