Over kill 50w fuge light?

[Clinton]

Just curious if this 50w grow lamp is too much for my fuge. I haven't been noticing as many pods as when I had a small full spectrum light down there. I went with this light however in order to get algae growth which I'm definitely getting a ton of now.

Is too much light preventing my pods from reproducing?

 

[sbash]

I would have thought it was too much until I watch BRSTVs video on refugiums... They used a Kessil h380 (or something-er-other), which is a 90 watt with great success; it is probably very similar to the light you have, lol... Also, if you pay attention to the series, they only use the generic (probably Chinese knock off) 'plant spectrum' lighting until the prove it works well...

I only use a 15 or 18 watt, but am upgrading to a 50-some watt this week to see if it helps... Based on their evidence, it will...

Now, is it inhibiting your pod growth... I doubt it... Are you using a light cycle opposite to your display?

 

[Clinton]

I would have thought it was too much until I watch BRSTVs video on refugiums... They used a Kessil h380 (or something-er-other), which is a 90 watt with great success; it is probably very similar to the light you have, lol... Also, if you pay attention to the series, they only use the generic (probably Chinese knock off) 'plant spectrum' lighting until the prove it works well...

I only use a 15 or 18 watt, but am upgrading to a 50-some watt this week to see if it helps... Based on their evidence, it will...

Now, is it inhibiting your pod growth... I doubt it... Are you using a light cycle opposite to your display?

I knew someone on here would have already gone through the research for me I'll have to look into it.
Yes it is on an opposite cycle. My pods population got pretty dented when I had my return pump go out a couple weeks ago, which happens to corrside with the light addition. Theyhavent bounced back like they initially took off so I was worried it was the light.
Thank you!

 

[Hitman]

I have a 300 watt hanging 10” off the water on my fuge and I have hundreds of amphipods and copepods crawling all over the basketball size chaeto.

 

[sbash]

Yeah, see... 300 watts is intense, lol...

So it must be a 'food' problem... Your fuge looks nice and dirty; just they way I like them! But, if the right nutrients are not making it down there, then the pods will not eat enough and die off...

I just started researching growing pods in a bottle, and it looks like they will reproduce well on a phytoplankton diet (copepods at least). You could try dosing some phyto feast or something similar.

What macro algae do you have in there, and how often do you cull it?

 

[Hitman]

Sbash is correct on the food. I pour in about 10 ml every few days of phytofeast into the fuge to support my pods. I failed to do so on a 2 week trip and had to repopulate my fuge as they were either all dead or made it into the tank and became food and well still dead lol

 

[Clinton]

All I have down there for macro algae is some red grape tree. I haven't had to cull it since it has just now started growing with the new light. The cheato died! I think I'm the only one to ever kill cheato. I have gotten boosts of pods with phyto but haven't dosed it since I'm seeing so few.

 

[Clinton]

They are doing well in my overflow but I'm not seeing them in the DP or fuge.

 

[Hitman]

As last my as you see them feed them as they repopulate pretty fast. They are also great at hiding and if they are in your display you will not see them when your lights are on. Use a red light and look for the lil buggers at night when all your lights are out. With the Red light you may find other hitch hikers. Heck I found a 6” bristle worm as fat as my middle finger one night this way!

 

[Clinton]

Haha, I'm just sad that I don't see them with the naked eye even during the day like before the crash. They were thick as thieves for a month but having that pump go out for almost a week wreaked havoc. I used to see them burrowed in the sand swarming around my live rock, just an insane amount :'(

 

[pdisner]

I grow them to sell...they eat phytoplankton and I throw in a little flake food once in a while. Growing them in a well planted refugium with lots of rock and macro algae to hang on to. Of course the best way is a separate small glass aquarium or light 5gal bucket with a light dusting of phyto once a day

 

[pdisner]

They won’t just die off though. When they are short on food or some other stressor, they’ll throw out these cyst eggs that will hatch when conditions are right

 

[Clinton]

They won’t just die off though. When they are short on food or some other stressor, they’ll throw out these cyst eggs that will hatch when conditions are right

Thank you