New to fuges, lighting?

[Parkerbenz]

I plan on setting up a 40g breeder with my 46g bowfront display and 20l sump for a skimmer/media. The fuge will be a display, albeit above the main display. I dont know what I will put in it, other than it will have no caloupera. The tanks will also be in my bedroom, so I dont want to have a fuge light running all night, or running all night when I go to bed (I cannot sleep with too much light in the room, or can I?). Is it frowned upon to run fuge lights at the same time/schedule as main display lighting?

 

[DFR]

You can run the light anytime! Most people run it opposite display to even out pH as pH increases during photosynthesis.

 

[Parkerbenz]

You can run the light anytime! Most people run it opposite display to even out pH as pH increases during photosynthesis.

Ahh, I gotcha. Should I be ok running fuge lights (I need to figure out what im going to get for that, will be leds) at the same time as my main display? Or I could try and figure out a way to seal the light from escaping into the room, which wouldnt be easy. If the ph swing is actually very unsafe, ill have to make a box around the fuge to set the lights on alternating “shifts”

 

[DFR]

You’ll be perfectly fine running it the same time as the main display. I’m kinda biased towards kessil, so that would be my preference (the H160), however for a 40 breeder you may need 2 of them. If you are worried about light spilling into the room, you can also look into algae reactors. I’m not sure if you wanted the fuge as a nutrient export or just thought it would be cool to display, but forget the algae reactor idea if you really want a display fuge.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Go with Chaetomorpha - it has an incredibly low light requirement. A Reverse Daylight Photosynthesis (RDP) schedule is recommended since it stabilizes pH with additional nutrient removal.

 

[Parkerbenz]

Yeah I havent decided on making it a display fuge, or just something to grow chaeto. Is a 40g breeder too big to just grow chaeto? I could paint the sides of the tank black, and use some cheap ebay “45w led hydroponic” lighting to grow the chaeto, and just a baffle or two so that the chaeto doesnt drain down into the main display. Although I do have a friend who can hook me up with a bunch of different algaes for a display refugium...

I would love to get some kessil lighting over the fuge, but im a reefer on a budget so for now I am gonna stick with lighting on the cheaper side!

 

[Dana Riddle]

Yeah I havent decided on making it a display fuge, or just something to grow chaeto. Is a 40g breeder too big to just grow chaeto? I could paint the sides of the tank black, and use some cheap ebay “45w led hydroponic” lighting to grow the chaeto, and just a baffle or two so that the chaeto doesnt drain down into the main display. Although I do have a friend who can hook me up with a bunch of different algaes for a display refugium...

I would love to get some kessil lighting over the fuge, but im a reefer on a budget so for now I am gonna stick with lighting on the cheaper side!

Black poster board taped to the sides and a black cloth/black trashbag over the top will lessened the light at night. I used a $9 LED lamp from Lowe's on a refugium I had filled wit Chaeto with great success.

 

[davocean]

Black poster board taped to the sides and a black cloth/black trashbag over the top will lessened the light at night. I used a $9 LED lamp from Lowe's on a refugium I had filled wit Chaeto with great success.

Same here, cheap and simple, HD sells these domes that are PVC so they don't rust, LED flood lamp.
This works for me, also a 40B

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Go with Chaetomorpha - it has an incredibly low light requirement.

But a higher intensity, to a point, will increase the rate of photosynthesis & filter at a greater rate, yes?

 

[Parkerbenz]

Same here, cheap and simple, HD sells these domes that are PVC so they don't rust, LED flood lamp.
This works for me, also a 40B

That fuge looks great! Seems like two of those lights would work perfectly!

 

[davocean]

That fuge looks great! Seems like two of those lights would work perfectly!

Even just one works for me, I've got a second one out in the shed just sitting there, have not felt the need for it

 

[Orm Embar]

TaoTronics makes a 36 watt PAR38 grow bulb that works really well for me; I found it quite affordable. https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Lights-Hydroponics-Organic-Applicable/dp/B01HPIPM70

I second Chaeto; you can get plastic canvas mesh from Michael's for a few dollars as a makeshift screen so it doesn't get to the return pump.

 

[Parkerbenz]

TaoTronics makes a 36 watt PAR38 grow bulb that works really well for me; I found it quite affordable. https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Lights-Hydroponics-Organic-Applicable/dp/B01HPIPM70

I second Chaeto; you can get plastic canvas mesh from Michael's for a few dollars as a makeshift screen so it doesn't get to the return pump.

Awesome idea on the mesh. The 40g will drain to the main display below, so no return pump, but I still needed something to keep the chaeto from clogging the overflow! Ill probably only have 1, maybe 2 baffles in the tank too, since I have a 20l that will hold skimmer, heater, filter socks etc.

 

[Dana Riddle]

But a higher intensity, to a point, will increase the rate of photosynthesis & filter at a greater rate, yes?

I don't have any PAM fluorometry data on Chaeto, so I don't know of saturation and photoinhibition points. But if I were to guess, you're probably right. I based my previous comment on observations made in several sumps over the years.