Fuge light yellow vs red spectrum

[MichaelP]

Hi,

looking for opinions on fuge light spectrum. I previously used a v300 vipraspectra which was great on my larger sump fuge but a bit overkill on my current AIO fuge. So I went down to this light but it appears to be too weak as the light can’t penetrate well past the first inch or so of cheato. And I found it has been growing more hair alage then my previous light.

https://www.amazon.com/ACKE-Lights-Spectrum-Lights，Growing-Hydropoincs/dp/B01LX1EO3W/ref=asc_df_B01LX1EO3W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198107334619&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15364562218146342576&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9057239&hvtargid=pla-319250133802&psc=1

When I look lately it seems like most of the grow lights are more in the yellow 3-5k spectrum vs red. Has anyone tried these newer style grow lights on their fuge? here is the one I am considering but there are a lot of ones like this for sale

 

[jda]

Don't over think this too much. A simple screw in CFL in a clamp on reflector grows chaeto like crazy in a 10g tank. While there might be some studies that this or that spectrum does something a bit more efficiently for one thing or another, daylight still works well for this stuff.

I have always found that changing water or otherwise adding iron, keeping N and P from getting too high and pruning the chaeto did more than anything.

 

[mfinn]

Don't over think this too much. A simple screw in CFL in a clamp on reflector grows chaeto like crazy in a 10g tank. While there might be some studies that this or that spectrum does something a bit more efficiently for one thing or another, daylight still works well for this stuff.

I have always found that changing water or otherwise adding iron, keeping N and P from getting too high and pruning the chaeto did more than anything.

I used just that. A clamp-on light fixture and a spot bulb usually in the 75 watt to 100 watt range.
15-16 years ago ( give or take a few) Melev's Reef posted a article on his website where he found that a light in the 5k range grew chaeto better than a regular soft white bulb( 3k?) so that's what I've used and never had any issues with it growing. I never had to add anything, just light, flow and water.
When the led spot bulbs got cheap, I went that way so I would only change them out every 2-3 years.
Usually when the clamp-on fixture got really corroded is when I changed bulbs.

But recently I bought a new sump and decided to skip the cheap fixture and went with the AI Fuge light on my big tank and a Reef Breeders refugium fixture on my smaller tank.
The change was more about appearance at first. But I've noticed a improvement in the chaeto growth and color since changing. I'm thinking maybe the red spectrum isn't a bad thing.
Time will tell if it was the best move.
Not sure how many years I'll have to make the new light fixtures work before I can justify the increase in the budget for these. lol

 

[MichaelP]

I have always found that changing water or otherwise adding iron, keeping N and P from getting too high and pruning the chaeto did more than anything.

Thanks this is interesting I have noticed slower growth lately but my N&p are also higher which I assumed was because the light wasn’t working well which was causing slower growth and therefore not using as much nutrients. But maybe it’s the nutrients themselves that are slowing down the growth

 

[jda]

It is a cruel joke from nature, but macro slows down as N and P gets higher. How are your numbers?

 

[MichaelP]

Nitrates are at 15-25 and P between .05-.08

 

[jda]

That is not that bad or anything. 15 is better than 25, of course. Change some water like 20-25% a few times and see if the chaeto takes back off with slightly lower nitrates and some traces that were added with the water change.

 

[MichaelP]

Thanks will do. I decided to go with the yellow panel one in the first link. I’ll see if that helps as well once it comes in

 

[Matt Carden]

BRS did a basic experiment without considering the 1000s of potential nutrient export pathways in our complex ecosystems: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...e-best-refugium-light-and-what-is-coming-next

The end result was that the Kessil produced 3 time as much Cheato as the cheap lights.
In part III of their refugium experiment they determined that having a high powered Fuge light will help the refugium outcompete the Display for algae growth. It is because of this that I have decided to build high power fuge lights. I happen to have 3 - 200watt Meanwell drivers that I ordered the wrong ones but they will work fine for fuge lights.

 

[MichaelP]

As an update I went with this fuge light and it has been a night and day improvement vs the previous light I have been using. I have been running it at 50% and growth has doubled the past two weeks. I would recommend it as a good cost effective fuge and it would light up a very large as well. At 100% it is very bright

 

[jda]

I don't care what lights people use, but that BRS experiment only recommended the Kessil because they sell it. The kessil did not use up N and P any better than a $10 screw-in CLF or the other cheaper option. The only difference was more mass with water weight.

The BRS videos are infomercials and advertisements - don't think otherwise. I know that people don't want to hear it, but after you have been around long enough, they don't use lots of best of breed techniques or stuff and especially if they don't sell it. I am not saying that they are worthless, only that they are very much biased.

Use your brain and you can see that the Kessil light does not do a better job than the clamp light at what people are wanting the chaeto to do - N and P export.

I can make you a bit argument that having a larger ball of chaeto that is less dense is a problem, as well. Chaeto slows down when it gets tight and constricted, so a more dense ball that is smaller will continue to function for longer if good maintenance is not done.

 

[Duncan62]

I used just that. A clamp-on light fixture and a spot bulb usually in the 75 watt to 100 watt range.
15-16 years ago ( give or take a few) Melev's Reef posted a article on his website where he found that a light in the 5k range grew chaeto better than a regular soft white bulb( 3k?) so that's what I've used and never had any issues with it growing. I never had to add anything, just light, flow and water.
When the led spot bulbs got cheap, I went that way so I would only change them out every 2-3 years.
Usually when the clamp-on fixture got really corroded is when I changed bulbs.

But recently I bought a new sump and decided to skip the cheap fixture and went with the AI Fuge light on my big tank and a Reef Breeders refugium fixture on my smaller tank.
The change was more about appearance at first. But I've noticed a improvement in the chaeto growth and color since changing. I'm thinking maybe the red spectrum isn't a bad thing.
Time will tell if it was the best move.
Not sure how many years I'll have to make the new light fixtures work before I can justify the increase in the budget for these. lol

Tunze refugium light will grow algea.

 

[Reefing102]

I use a simple screw in LED in soft white spectrum, honestly I think it’s the dollar tree LED bulb, anyway it grows my Cheato no issues. I’ve never used any special light and have no plans to.

 

[mfinn]

Tunze refugium light will grow algea.

Yes, pretty much any light will.

 

[oreo54]

Law of diminishing returns..

 

[oreo54]

They did have to use "some" brand but the real factor was amount of "par".. not the spectrum.
I caution about using "pur" really..

a real 50W led flood light should work just as well.

 

[MichaelP]

Interesting data so it sounds like the PAR/intensity is making a bigger impact to growth vs. spectrum

 

[oreo54]

Interesting data so it sounds like the PAR/intensity is making a bigger impact to growth vs. spectrum

That is the current theory..with an "exception"

 

[jda]

Like I said in my first post, don't overthink this too much. Any kind of daylight source is probably fine. I currently use a few 6500k T5s to grow my chaeto and it grows like crazy. IMO, you will never get the money back in any kind of energy savings over buying an expensive fuge light, but if you think that it is cool, then they probably work OK too. The best fuge light is probably some old light that you already have.

Who knew that IR was important?

 

[oreo54]

Like I said in my first post, don't overthink this too much. Any kind of daylight source is probably fine. I currently use a few 6500k T5s to grow my chaeto and it grows like crazy. IMO, you will never get the money back in any kind of energy savings over buying an expensive fuge light, but if you think that it is cool, then they probably work OK too. The best fuge light is probably some old light that you already have.

Who knew that IR was important?

The effects are not even across the board btw.
For some plants it is not " important"