PARwise Pro Introduces cPUR Coral Lighting Measurement

ITC Reefculture has released a next-generation light measurement device called PARwise Pro. An evolution on the original PARwise, PARwise Pro incorporates cPUR (Coral Photosynthetically Usable Radiation) – an all-new lighting measurement that combines PAR and Spectrum and compares it against the actual absorbance curve of coral’s zooxanthellae and pigments – reducing the need to cross-reference data.

Wider spectral range

ITC says perfect growth rates need three things: The correct wavelengths, the correct intensity of light, and for the correct amount of time. PARwise Pro also includes a much widened spectral range of 380nm to 1100nm with NUV detection to 350nm and calibrations for use in Air, Freshwater, and Saltwater to allow for very slight refraction differences for saltwater vs freshwater.

“PAR does not tell us whether the light we’re measuring is any good for coral growth. You can have a high PAR level but it could all be in the wrong part of the spectrum,” says ITC. 

“PARwise helped to alleviate that issue by allowing users to measure the spectrum – but it didn’t go as far as telling the user what they needed to do.” 

“PARwise PRO and cPUR take this to the next level and remove this extra step in one measurement as well as providing a much greater spectral measurement range and additional features.”

“The cPUR measurement only includes the light wavelengths and intensity of light that corals can use. It excludes the wavelengths that corals do not efficiently use for photosynthetic processes or fluorescent protein production. For the user, it’s like having a ‘PAR value’ that actually is relevant!” 

“The green background is the absorbance area for all coral chlorophyll and colour pigments. The blue spectrum (measured light–branded Reef LED) is compared against it, including the brightness level to give the CPUR value. Light outside of the optimal range is ignored in the result.”

Near UV-A and Infrared

“Our spectrum measurement now encompasses Near UV-A and Infrared – Picking up all the important NUV wavelengths for corals and wasted energy in heat from IR!  – You can even see the yellow light and the heat from a flame!”

“The NEW Time analyser has been enhanced to illustrate cPUR over time. Daily Light Integral (DLI) is based on the PAR spectrum – in order to replace this measurement, we now have the cPUR Light Integral to use. This gives us the ability to measure the suitable coral light levels over time, using the cPUR weighted result.”

PARwise Pro also includes YPF (cPUR for plants), CQS – Colour quality scale, CRI – Colour Rendering Index, Dominant Wavelength, CIE X/Y Plotted Location and freshwater and saltwater correction factors as well as cPUR LI.

PARwise Pro is priced at £349 RRP, and was on display at Vivarium in Holland, 2024.