Cheap fuge light

DirtDiggler2823

If I can't break it, it doesn't exist
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Anyone got a suggestion for a good LED bulb that i can get from Lowes or Home Depot for my refugium? I've seen a lot of threads but some are quite old, and mostly focus on the old CFL tech.
 

Diesel

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One is more than enough.
I tested a few and this light did the best.
You can find them even cheaper on EBay but they don’t last as long.
 

Forsaken77

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I have 2 options. How big is your area in the fuge?

I bought a submersible 6500K Marineland LED light that works excellent for all types of algae. 6500K seems to work better than those reddish grow bulbs, ime. The price doubled from when I bought it, now $45, and it's also 17" long. So you can actually float it diagonally on the water surface to fit the fuge area. It's an enclosed glass tube that you take out of the plastic housing.

Another is a Chinese brand, Mingdak, that is also a submersible light, is $11, and comes in sizes from 7 inches up. People actually complained because the light grew algae in their tank, lol.

They're meant as a supplemental light, but work great for growing algae. I took them out of the plastic housing, so it's just an LED tube (looks similar to a heater) and used a Zoo-Med Mag-clip to hold it onto the sump instead of the included suction cups.

Those Mag-Clips are awesome btw. They come with one magnet, but all different sized clips. I have a small clip holding a grounding rod, a larger one holding a heater, and another holding the temp probe for my temp controller. These are all things that had suction cups originally.
 

tastyfish

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Go for a 6400k spectrum flood light, probably as good, if not better than the red/blue LED's. They will penetrate right to the bottom of an algae bed. Personally I use a 125w 6400K Hydroponic CFL grow light which has out performed every LED I have tried, but is large. As far as macro algae are concerned, fluorescent lighting is far superior to LED in my experience.
 

Sneakimonky

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I used a Ikea led grow light for a while (i asume they sell iT in the us also) had Some decent grow although it can be better with different lighting, more in the red spectrum.
 

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