Chaeto Box Idea

[Clueless Reefer]

Hi everyone! I'm working on designs for my upcoming tank build later this year and obviously am trying to take a lot of best practices from others before doing so. I've been pretty happy with my chaeto grown and using my Kessil H380 but am aware of what UV light poses to long term exposure to acrylics and how 3-4 years exposure can create acrylic crazing.
I'm seeing more people building DIY algae reactors, which is cool but I think its limited application and not necessarily a good fit for someone who wants to grow a giant, green spaghetti monster! Does anyone have some thoughts for me on the idea of doing one of the following:

• A separate sump chamber that is reinforced with UV resistant acrylic and blacked out to harness the H380 light but not create light-leakage.
• A separate box that is plumbed, similar to an algae reactor, using the same principles of the above bullet point.
• Either of the above two but with integrated reflectors inside to amplify the growth and potentially reduce photo periods due increased intensity. The reflectors could be inserts into the bottom of the acrylic or physically in the water OR integrated into the acrylic when its made (via sprinkling the reflective material into the base materials during construction).

I feel that if you maintain one of these options you get a scalable solution that provides the specialized channel for growing the chaeto and also helps keep it maintainable.

 

[dbl]

You could just use a black acrylic in the refugium section of your sump - assuming you're building it yourself. I used the same light for nearly fours years on a glass sump with acrylic baffles. When I swapped out my sump last year and cleaned up the old one, I did not notice any glazing on any of the baffles, including those that were blasted by the light for 10 +/- hours per night.