Refugium lighting

Square_D · Dec 25, 2018

I see no reason this won't do better than the kessil h380 for a third the price.

BESTVA 1000W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum Dual-Chip Growing Lamp for Hydroponic Indoor Plants Veg and Flower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01871AHTC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2RDiCb3PEH0M4

James M · Dec 25, 2018

Thanks for sharing

madweazl · Dec 25, 2018

Considering it's rated at "1000w" but only consumes 185w, I'd be suspect of anything it actually produces. With that said, I'm sure it will grow chaeto as most anything will.

fermentedhiker · Dec 25, 2018

madweazl said:
Considering it's rated at "1000w" but only consumes 185w, I'd be suspect of anything it actually produces. With that said, I'm sure it will grow chaeto as most anything will.

If you read the description on most of these you'll find out that the 1000W(or whatever number) is the model number and not related to Watts in any way.

That being said I agree it'll work. My concern is placement. It's meant to cover an area over 4ftx4ft at a height of 24". Not many sumps need anything close to this IMO. My other concern is all of these black box lights are not waterproof or even water resistant. You can't fault the grow ones as they aren't meant for aquariums. I know from my own tanks that at some point salt spray will get on everything at least a couple times. Now if you have a basement refugium or a fishroom that allows you more freedom for size and placement this might be something I would consider.

I'm experimenting with one of these;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F25G5BD/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At 50Watts it's a little over half the power consumption of an h380(I would love to see some par data for it but don't have a meter yet) with a much lower profile. I do find it gets quite warm as it's passively cooled. I'm adding about 6$ worth of thermal adhesive heat sinks onto the back of the cob to see if this helps it run cooler. But at the end of the day I'm still only out of pocket 32$ with the added heat sinks. If I need more coverage I can just get a second one.

The other option I've seen people successfully use is;
https://www.amazon.com/Growstar-Spe...37&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=ufo+grow+light&psc=1

No direct experience with them though.

DuPageReef? · Dec 25, 2018

Yeah, I think that's way overkill. Mines still relatively new, but I've been running this bulb in a $5 hardware store reflector and haven't gotten a nitrate reading since I turned it on.

https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-L...taotronics&dpPl=1&dpID=516EwCLkyPL&ref=plSrch

Marcom12 · Dec 25, 2018

So has either of those lights done well with cheato? I'm wanting to start macro in my sump.

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 25, 2018

Square_D said:
I see no reason this won't do better than the kessil h380 for a third the price.

BESTVA 1000W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum Dual-Chip Growing Lamp for Hydroponic Indoor Plants Veg and Flower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01871AHTC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2RDiCb3PEH0M4

Lol.

A fwiw , like corals. It’s nutrient to light levels.

DuPageReef? · Dec 25, 2018

Marcom12 said:
So has either of those lights done well with cheato? I'm wanting to start macro in my sump.

The light I posted is what I have in mine. Sump is a diy 20L, the fuge is just under half the tank and has chaeto. I'm tossing out a few gallons of chaeto every two weeks, with no testable nitrate. It's only been running around a month, but seems to be doing really well.

AbnormalReefer · Dec 25, 2018

It’ll grow chaeto or other macroalgaes fine. Just beware that if they catch fire, there’s no warranty unlike the kessils have. So basically if insurance finds out the lighting doesn’t have a warranty, then you’ll have to pay for any damages by yourself.

Besides that though it’ll grow stuff, but you get what you pay for in this hobby from what I’ve learnt. Never expect a 100 dollar light to match the quality of a 300 dollar light. Whether it be warranty, quality, customer service, etc....

It’s like black boxes for coral light. Sure they grow coral, but if they fail, catch fire, malfunction, or just plain don’t live up to your standards, then it’s your problem!

scriptmonkey · Feb 7, 2019

AbnormalReefer said:
It’ll grow chaeto or other macroalgaes fine. Just beware that if they catch fire, there’s no warranty unlike the kessils have. So basically if insurance finds out the lighting doesn’t have a warranty, then you’ll have to pay for any damages by yourself.

Besides that though it’ll grow stuff, but you get what you pay for in this hobby from what I’ve learnt. Never expect a 100 dollar light to match the quality of a 300 dollar light. Whether it be warranty, quality, customer service, etc....

It’s like black boxes for coral light. Sure they grow coral, but if they fail, catch fire, malfunction, or just plain don’t live up to your standards, then it’s your problem!

I'm sorry this thread is a few months old but still relevant. I am trying to grasp the concept of warranty vs homeowners insurance replacing things in a fire. That is like saying you got into an auto accident and because your car is out of warranty they will not cover damages. Are you talking about a different kind of warranty?

Square_D · Feb 7, 2019

AbnormalReefer said:
It’ll grow chaeto or other macroalgaes fine. Just beware that if they catch fire, there’s no warranty unlike the kessils have. So basically if insurance finds out the lighting doesn’t have a warranty, then you’ll have to pay for any damages by yourself.

Besides that though it’ll grow stuff, but you get what you pay for in this hobby from what I’ve learnt. Never expect a 100 dollar light to match the quality of a 300 dollar light. Whether it be warranty, quality, customer service, etc....

It’s like black boxes for coral light. Sure they grow coral, but if they fail, catch fire, malfunction, or just plain don’t live up to your standards, then it’s your problem!

If they fail yes you get what you pay for ..
So get 2 more and still not equal the cost of one kessil, which will also, eventually fail.
No warranty will cover a fire