Refugium lights

Calireefer92 · Dec 26, 2020

Hey reefers what a good refugium light that’s not gonna cost me so much money?

OrionN · Dec 26, 2020

I use a cheap daylight LED flood light 120-150 Watts Equivalent ($7-$10)on a clip on socket (3 dollars). Used multiple of these for my 100 gal tub sump.

millticket · Dec 26, 2020

I bought a kessil h80 last year to power my 10 gallon refugium (gooseneck as well) and couldn’t be happier. Excellent light and it’s growing feather Caleurpa like crazy. I utilize the bloom spectrum at about 75% intensity.

Damon Jensen · Dec 26, 2020

millticket said:
I bought a kessil h80 last year to power my 10 gallon refugium (gooseneck as well) and couldn’t be happier. Excellent light and it’s growing feather Caleurpa like crazy. I utilize the bloom spectrum at about 75% intensity.

What color is the bloom, the red? I have the same light, bought the controller and it does not really explain what is what. So I have it cycle through different spectrums and intensities. My mangroves grow well, but nothing else.

Thanks

Vwluv10338 · Dec 26, 2020

I just swapped this one out to try something else because it has been sucking too much nutrients out of my tank
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cheap-fuge-led-par-readings.786615/#post-8358304

Yevoc · Dec 26, 2020

40w actually. Ton of PAR. Water resistant.

This was taking at the water surface.

Calireefer92 · Dec 26, 2020

Yevoc said:
40w actually. Ton of PAR. Water resistant.

This was taking at the water surface.

How fast does it grow?

Yevoc · Dec 26, 2020

Calireefer92 said:
How fast does it grow?

My tank was too clean, with zero measurable NO3. Which this light may have something to do with but I killed my Chaeto. It still grows hair algae well (better in the sump than the tank).

millticket · Dec 27, 2020

Damon Jensn said:
What color is the bloom, the red? I have the same light, bought the controller and it does not really explain what is what. So I have it cycle through different spectrums and intensities. My mangroves grow well, but nothing else.

Thanks

I’m not really sure but it doesn’t bring in a mixture of whites and blues it seems which I like. I ran mine for quiet a while on just the red spectrum but kinda I’d prefer having a mixture as I like to watch the critters in the refugium just as much as my display tank haha

Damon Jensen · Dec 27, 2020

Funny, I had feather dusters, anemone and tube worms on the fug, but now just plants. I liked the downstairs critters, but they did not seem to do well

Orm Embar · Jan 3, 2021

I'm looking to upgrade my refugium light, as while I grow a lot of chaeto it isn't outcompeting hair algae in the display, and my current bulb is more of a spotlight where the chaeto on the edges don't get much light.

I ordered one of the above 100-150w COB waterproof lights (I went with Kolem as it has an on/off switch). It's roughly 50 watts, compared to my TaoTronics PAR38 36w bulb.

I should add that my refugium/chaeto is my only real export mechanism outside of coral growth and live rock/sand; I don't run a skimmer. While I may need to add something else (a bit of ferric oxide, a skimmer, carbon dosing, etc), I hope that this works well enough.

Refugium area is 9x10 inches, shallow.