Thanks for the welcome! I guess I'll have to post some pictures of my tank now!
Heya Doug, thanks for the welcome too!
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Originally Posted by StirCrazy
the whole reason for wanting to do this is I found that the inverse square law doesent work when you add water to the situation. I don't expect large differences but I do expect that some bulbs will penatrate better than others.
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Steve, No problems, I just wanted to explain my side of the testing. I was getting a lot of heat earlier on and spent lots of time doing various tests and refining the process to satisfy as many questions and potential errors as I could.
I think the water definitely cuts off more light than air. Will be interesting to see what you find. Stray light and absorption will be the biggest factors to account for. Ideally you would want to set it up with no reflector, outside walls of the tank flat black, as well as the enclosure for the lights black as well. I would also either have 8" or 18" inches of air, not 6". That way you can at least compare your results before the water to mine or Sanjay's. There is definitely more to it than just PAR, spectrum without a doubt, plays a big role in the coloration and growth as well.
I wonder if glass reflects certain wavelengths back into the tank? If so, Acrylic might behave differently.