Cheapo LED Refugium Lights

[Rovert]

Has anyone used something like this? I've been using a full spectrum flood from Home Depot but starting to get undesirable algae growing in the sump. It irks me to spend $140 for the same LEDs just because it says 'Kessil' or 'Neptune' on it.

https://a.co/d/98dUybF

Or this one for just a bit more:

https://a.co/d/avxWe2v

Then there's this at another $20 more, but still half of a Kessil:

https://a.co/d/i95kjFh

Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

 

[Rmckoy]

I have used a few different led grow bulbs from Home Depot . The most recent is is white/
Yellow colour but claims to be a “grow bulb”
I have also experienced a lot of algae growth in my sump . It floats on top of my cheato and looks like cyano

the other that I liked looked more pink or red light

 

[Kodski]

A lot of people use this light or something similar and report good growth. For the price you could always add a second if need be.


This is another popular option.

 

[Rovert]

A lot of people use this light or something similar and report good growth. For the price you could always add a second if need be.


This is another popular option.

Hmmmm... interesting. Definitely inexpensive enough, but mounting might become a challenge.

 

[Rmckoy]

I have a clamp light with a regular light socket . I’ll take a few picture tomorrow when lights are on

 

[Rovert]

I have used a few different led grow bulbs from Home Depot . The most recent is is white/
Yellow colour but claims to be a “grow bulb”
I have also experienced a lot of algae growth in my sump . It floats on top of my cheato and looks like cyano

the other that I liked looked more pink or red light

Yeah, sounds like we have close to the same bulb. I think the intensity of the lamp is way too much and includes spectrum that undesirable algae use.

 

[Mogwai]

Has anyone used something like this? I've been using a full spectrum flood from Home Depot but starting to get undesirable algae growing in the sump. It irks me to spend $140 for the same LEDs just because it says 'Kessil' or 'Neptune' on it.

https://a.co/d/98dUybF

Or this one for just a bit more:

https://a.co/d/avxWe2v

Then there's this at another $20 more, but still half of a Kessil:

https://a.co/d/i95kjFh

Anyone have experience with this Chaeto Max refugium LED lights.

I have used a few different led grow bulbs from Home Depot . The most recent is is white/
Yellow colour but claims to be a “grow bulb”
I have also experienced a lot of algae growth in my sump . It floats on top of my cheato and looks like cyano

the other that I liked looked more pink or red light

Innovative Marine Chaeto Max Refugium LED lights. They have a 9 watt and an 18 watt and both come with mounting brackets. Alittle pricey but good lights IMO.

 

[Rovert]

Innovative Marine Chaeto Max Refugium LED lights. They have a 9 watt and an 18 watt and both come with mounting brackets. Alittle pricey but good lights IMO.

They were on my radar. I had planned to use this with my Apex to activate at night. If I set up a spectrum and intensity, will that setting be saved when the power comes back on?

https://a.co/d/fnPrnz4

Any opinion about the Finnex?

 

[Mogwai]

They were on my radar. What about the Finnex?

Not sure. Never used Finnex refugium lights. I mean $70 bucks for 20 watt refugium LED lights, can't go wrong. Plus, it's amazon and if you don't like those lights you can always return them for a different refugium light. How big is your refugium?

 

[X-37B]

I run a NiCrew classic 11 watt on my 40 breeders fuge.
Grows red and green macro algae plus coralline on dead live rock.

 

[PeterEde]

I put a bioscape full spectrum grow light over my refugium

 

[MaxTremors]

A lot of people use this light or something similar and report good growth. For the price you could always add a second if need be.


This is another popular option.

I use the top one (the ACKE one), and it grows macro like a beast, my macro doubles or triples in size in about a week (I’ve got chaeto and 3-4 kinds of caulerpa mixed together).

 

[Bpb]

What wavelengths/spectrum exactly do people think undesirable algae thrives in versus desirable algaes?

 

[PeterErc]

 

[Mogwai]

What wavelengths/spectrum exactly do people think undesirable algae thrives in versus desirable algaes?

IMO... I feel algae will grow in pretty much any light spectrum and if there are nutrients present for them to feed on it will appear.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I use these over fuges and they supported my macro/mangrove lagoon just fine until I took the tank down. I had 7 of them over a 7' tank. They were hung about 2.5' from the water. Depth of tank from top of water to sand was barely 13". It is also the light I run over my display fuge.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-LED-Grow-Reflector/5000081307

Macro/Mangrove tank

Display fuge

 

[Rovert]

What wavelengths/spectrum exactly do people think undesirable algae thrives in versus desirable algaes?

Seems the blue and red spectrum are favored by the macroalgae we prefer. I do recall seeing or reading somewhere that the green/yellow spectrum is not what we want. That's corroborated by this BRS video.

 

[MrPike]

I have used a lot, Kessil 360, AI’s, halides, power compacts. The one I’m using now and like the best so far is a standard black box light that people generally use on their displays. I hang it low, and run blues and whites.

 

[Rovert]

Finally decided on the Finnex due mostly to dimensions for mounting reasons and the hard switch rather than a programmable controller that might wouldn't play nicely my Apex EB832. Thanks for all the input!

 

[Bpb]

Seems the blue and red spectrum are favored by the macroalgae we prefer. I do recall seeing or reading somewhere that the green/yellow spectrum is not what we want. That's corroborated by this BRS video.

Some of the best designed and costliest algae turf scrubbers use photo red and violet diodes only. Matter of fact what most would consider to be the defacto top shelf turf scrubber the turbos aquatics scrubber uses probably the highest quality lights of any algae growing light on the market. All of those designed to grow the very turf algae most would consider the undesirable nuisance algae.

In short. If nuisance algae are out competing chaeto, caulerpa, or other ornamental algaes, it isn’t the spectrum. Nuisance algae is just able to thrive under less than ideal conditions than more ornamental types which also require more minor elements to build their more rigid physical structure.

Flow and chemistry will impact the battle between nuisance and ornamental algaes far greater than spectrum