Cheato Reactor

[HB Fisheye]

I've been thinking about this way too long so I decided to just do it. I had a biopellet reactor I wasn't using anymore and I thought this should work as a cheato reactor. I bought a Tunze 8821 ecochic white LED and strapped it to the side of the reactor. What do you think? Will this keep the cheato alive?

 

[fishbox]

I'm no expert but I think you would have better results with wrap around lights. That light is only lighting one side of the reactor

 

[fishbox]

Something like this would be better

ABelle LED Strip Light Plant Grow Lights 16.4ft 5050 SMD Waterproof Full Spectrum Red Blue 4:1 Growing Lamp for Aquarium Greenhouse Hydroponic Plant Garden Flowers (5 M) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAC7ZOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Fin9zb4XHFMTB

 

[lion king]

You can get pretty inexpensive lights on amazon or marine depot has a string that I used on mine. Check out the marine depot video. Macro algaes actually do better with white light in the range around 6500k. Red and blue are better on scrubbers, they grow a different type of algae.

 

[JonCollegeReefer]

I agree with @fishbox, the wrap around led lights are going to be much more effective, plus they're very inexpensive. My set up was super jerry rigged at first: zip-tied a 12 inch bulky Finnex LED on because I had it already, trust me just spend like $15 and the time to do the wrap around leds.

 

[JonCollegeReefer]

I use these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-10M-SMD...hash=item2a3e664aa9:m:mmgadYafbc7VDDFUDiSYJzA

Color: Warm White, Led Type: 5050, Led Quantity: 300, plus it's waterproof (a MUST imo).

 

[fishbox]

You can get pretty inexpensive lights on amazon or marine depot has a string that I used on mine. Check out the marine depot video. Macro algaes actually do better with white light in the range around 6500k. Red and blue are better on scrubbers, they grow a different type of algae.

Most of what I've read suggests that people are getting better growth after switching from warm white to red blue .

 

[Scurvy]

I use the warm white deom Marine Depot and get great growth out of mine. Harvesting every 2-3 weeks.

 

[HB Fisheye]

This is tuff. The reactor has to sit in water (no room anywhere else) so the lights have to be submersible.

Thank you for everyone's feed back.

 

[fishbox]

I use the warm white deom Marine Depot and get great growth out of mine. Harvesting every 2-3 weeks.

Which reactor is that? I thought about getting those lights but I believe they're are only 6 feet long

 

[Scurvy]

This is tuff. The reactor has to sit in water (no room anywhere else) so the lights have to be submersible.

Thank you for everyone's feed back.

Tricky but i belive the Tunze will work for you. I have heard of water proof strips but dont know exactly which ones they are.

 

[fishbox]

This is tuff. The reactor has to sit in water (no room anywhere else) so the lights have to be submersible.

Thank you for everyone's feed back.

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/310047/

There's a ton of good info in this thread.
Be careful of the term waterproof. Ip65 is waterproof but to a certain extent. I wouldn't trust them without wrapping them for Extra Protection. You'll see in the link above someone used vinyl wrap. Ip68 is the true waterproof rating but they're harder to come by and a lot more expensive.

 

[Scurvy]

Which reactor is that? I thought about getting those lights but I believe they're are only 6 feet long

Pretty sure its the medium AquaMaxx BioPellet. Same one as the Marine Depot video.

 

[fishbox]

Just thought you guys should know that the IP67 rated led's are only submersible up to a half hour. IP68 is continuously submerged. The first number, 6, is how dust-proof it is with 6 being the highest. The second number, 7 or 8, is how it reacts to liquids. 7 is one meter depth for 30 minutes and 8 (the highest) is over one meter depth and continuously submerged. So the people on Amazon that claim their IP67 led's are waterproof are only telling half the story.


So those of you using them in your sump be mindful and may want to put the reactor on a stand. I just looked up the IP ratings from an led manufacturer, not what the people on Amazon say.

This is what I was trying to say [emoji23]