refugiums - what type of lighting??

[Anonymous]

I am finally getting around to adding lights to my 80g sump, which is currently filled with 40 lbs of live rock rubble. My goal is to promote enough algae (macro and hair) growth in the sump so that it doesn't grow in my display tank.

What kind of lights do I need? I am under the impression that the spectral requirements for most algaes are broader or different than for corals. Will spot lights (sodium?) that are designed for plants work? What about the standard spectral type PC's that can be bought at Home Depot? Either of these types of lights would be a lot cheaper than the PC or MH systems designed for coral growth. In other words, can I find something at Home Depot that will do the job?? Thanks in advance.

 

[Enkidu]

You certainly can find something cheaper!

I use one of the 65W Lights of America fixtures from Home Depot. Do a forum search for LoA and you should find lots of info, and lots of praise.

Other than that, I'm sure that the plant grow-light would work, but I'd be sceptical of the regular flourescent type lights that you can get at HD. The LoA fixture is pretty cheap (~$30) and compact though, I'd look for one if I were you.

 

[brandon4291]

I have used everything from 5000 Kelvin to 10000K to grow macros, all successfully. The pc's you'll find at home depot and wally world would likely be in this range, but in my opinion I wouldnt go any lower than 5K on the kelvin scale. I would also be worried about letting micro a. grow in the sump/refug for fear that spores or particles would break off and reseed in the display. Dont know for sure if it works like that, but I remove that stuff any chance I get and let the macro handle the nutrient uptake and fixation for the purposes of removing excess nutrient from the water column. Macros and micro a. would compete on the same nutrient level it seems, so no need to let the beastly micro algae ever have a welcome place in the reef tank.

 

[hillbilly]

I don't use a refugium, but my brother-in- law
has one lit with NO aquarium flourescents that
does a really nice job. I agree with Brandon,
I would only grow macro.

 

[Anonymous]

I use 10K PC's on mine. I think you can get away with using much less, like NO's, if you're trying to keep costs down.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies. At this point, the cost of adding another lighting system is probably negligible in view of the $$$$$$ I have invested so far. But why spend a >$100 to add a marine grade PC or MH system if a cheaper, "standard" lighting system will do the trick? I will take a look at what I can get at Home Depot and do a few searches for Lights of America. If I can't put together a decent system for much under a $100, then I will probably just go with PC's.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I'd go with the LOA fixtures. you can't beat the 65 watts for $30. Get two and you're well under your budget. I had one on a display tank, and hated the color. TOO YELLOW. I don't know about your setup, but if your sump/fuge is in view, you may take color temp into consideration.

B

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 65W LOA bulb on a nano tank, and I can tell you for certain that it will grow macros, especially if they're close to the bulb. The LOA fixture is great because it's already waterproofed and wired up...all you have to do is wire it up to a plug and throw it on top of your refugium.

 

[brandon4291]

Matt are you using a PC actinic for blue supplement and using the LOA supplied bulbs as the photosynthesis drivers for both your macros and your SPS? Couldn't remember if you fitted the LOA ballasts with aftermarket bulbs. If not, that speaks well of the LOA bulbs to grow pretty much the whole spectrum of reef inhabitants. The blue balances out the visual color enough to cancel the yellow Bingo has mentioned?

 

[Anonymous]

I stopped by a local Ace last night just to see what types of light fixtures they had in stock. They did not not have any LOA fixtures, but they did have some 120watt incandescent "plant grow" spot lights for $12 and some cheap clip-on work light fixtures with a bell shaped hood for not much more. I have the room to mount a couple of these inside my stand so as to shine down into my sump. Has anybody try these bulbs?

In any event, I will check out the local Home Depot for the LOA fixtures this weekend.

FWIW, my sump measures 38"x26", so I have the room for quite a bit of lighting. The sump is in my stand so I don't care what the lighting looks like.

 

[Anonymous]

Anybody on the use of incandescent "plant grow" spot lights?

 

[Anonymous]

if they're incandescent, they're going to be

A: HOT. 100 watt bulbs get hot. really hot to be put in an enclosed place (like your stand)

and more importantly,

B: Very inefficient. 100 watts of light is going to burn 100 watts of power. the LOA's are Pc's so they're going to burn half as much power for more light output.


Since the lights are going to be in your stand, I'd get two of the LOA fixtures.

B

 

[Anonymous]

Yea, the efficiency issue pretty much rules out the incandescents. Thanks.