Time to upgrade Fuge lights

Reef Box · Jan 31, 2018

Looking for some suggestions on what lights to put on my 40gal tall display fuge.

I currently have some red Halymenia, Green Gracilaria, Red Gracilaria, Green Ulva, Brown Sargassum and Red Botryocladia.

Currently using Geissman 24w Super Flora and Super Purple along with some red DIY LEDs. Greens look pretty good but the reds are looking pretty pale despite growing pretty fast.

Thoughts and experiences appreciated. THANK YOU!!

Crabs McJones · Jan 31, 2018

Reef Box said:
Looking for some suggestions on what lights to put on my 40gal tall display fuge.

I currently have some red Halymenia, Green Gracilaria, Red Gracilaria, Green Ulva, Brown Sargassum and Red Botryocladia.

Currently using Geissman 24w Super Flora and Super Purple along with some red DIY LEDs. Greens look pretty good but the reds are looking pretty pale despite growing pretty fast.

Thoughts and experiences appreciated. THANK YOU!!

What sort of budget are we talking here?

Reef Box · Jan 31, 2018

Possibly no budget. I’d rather pay for something that works well than save a few bucks and struggle.

Rufus’ goofs · Jan 31, 2018

For those dimensions, I would stick with the t5s unless you we’re interested in kessils.
In my opinion, those are the better options for lighting a fuge. But not necessarily very frugal.

Reef Box · Jan 31, 2018

Ergodyne said:
For those dimensions, I would stick with the t5s unless you we’re interested in kessils.
In my opinion, those are the better options for lighting a fuge. But not necessarily very frugal.

The problem that I am having is the colors are not very good under the t5s I am running now. If anyone has suggestions on another spectrum possibly I’d try that. FYI cUrrent bulbs are only about 4-6 months old

Crabs McJones · Jan 31, 2018

Reef Box said:
Possibly no budget. I’d rather pay for something that works well than save a few bucks and struggle.

If that is the case I HIGHLY recomment the Kessil H380. Easily the best fuge light i've ever used. I created a whole thread here if you'd like to check it out. I, along with other users, share our experiences with it

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/why-the-kessil-h380-was-my-best-purchase-ever.341821/

Reef Box · Feb 2, 2018

crabs_mcjones said:
If that is the case I HIGHLY recomment the Kessil H380. Easily the best fuge light i've ever used. I created a whole thread here if you'd like to check it out. I, along with other users, share our experiences with it https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/why-the-kessil-h380-was-my-best-purchase-ever.341821/

Thanks for the link. So now I'm seriously considering the Kessil H380. My Fuge is slightly smaller than I thought. Measurements are 30in long x 12in deep x 20in tall so it's really only about 30 gallons. Either way, now I need to know whether 1 will be enough or if I should run 2. I saw that they are good for about 18 inches widthwise (substantially less than the full length of the tank) but would 2 be too much? And will the spectrum work for the heavy red Macros that I have in my Fuge? I'm not really growing Chaeto here which seems to be what most are utilizing this light for.
Maybe @Ryanbrs or @randyBRS may know the specifics and can help out here Dropping $600 + hardware on lights will suck if they aren't what I need.

Ryanbrs · Feb 2, 2018

I haven’t tested the kessil light on red macros nor do I know a lot about He spectrum they prefer. Just shooting from the hip here I think I’d elect something wider spectrum to be sure. The freshwater kessil or freshwater Radion XR15 maybe.

With a fuge that size I would also start with one and hang it high. Easy to add another if you want later.

Ryanbrs · Feb 2, 2018

Double post

Reef Box · Feb 3, 2018

Ryanbrs said:
With a fuge that size I would also start with one and hang it high. Easy to add another if you want later.

Thanks Ryan. I hate to bother you on your vacation. (One more reason we love you guys and all you do for us) Do you think the par would be fair to the bottom of the tank if mounted higher?

Ryanbrs · Feb 3, 2018

Reef Box said:
Thanks Ryan. I hate to bother you on your vacation. (One more reason we love you guys and all you do for us) Do you think the par would be fair to the bottom of the tank if mounted higher?

Well it's a lot easier to buy another one than it is to sell a used one so i'd still start there

With many older fuges the macro prevents much light going much past the surface so how much that matters is up to your design and selected algae.

BTW answering reefing questions is much more fun in Kona than Minneapolis