Help choosing fuge lighting

[newbreefer316]

I'm looking to light a roughly 18x18x16 fuge and am looking to get some input on lighting options.

I'm looking at some sort of t5 fixture, Kessil H380 or a Radion XR15 FW.

I read that t5 give the best spectrum for growth but I never really see any fixtures and bulbs under 24". I'm really leaning towards the XR15 based off the form factor and coverage. The Kessil has proven to be a cheato growing monster but I'm not sure how well it would work for a variety of macros, plus i've found it difficult to find the balance between mounting low enough to prevent getting too much spill over but high enough not to completely burn the macros on another tank.

 

[Orm Embar]

After reading about people using PAR38 grow bulbs (red and blue LED's to hit chlorophyll peaks) with good results, I use a PAR38 24w LED bulb from Mars Aqua which works well and cost under $20. Other people I know are using the TaoTronics 36w grow bulb as well. Bulk Reef Supply sells a light mount with clip (which was more expensive than the bulb, but is a really nice light so I don't mind). The gooseneck allows you to adjust the height and angle.

 

[Blue Carbon Reefing]

There are some great videos on bulk reef supply about different Fuge lights and the ability to grow Chaetomorpha. My opinion is you will get what you put into it. T5s may give the best spectrum for growth of corals and even that term is subjective. If Chaeto is what you want to grow you will get the most out of the proper light set up in the red and blue spectrum. I personally have the H380 and I am glad I spent the money for it. My local fish store was paying me money to bring them Chaeto so it is a win win. I am removing nutrients from the tank and getting store credit to buy other things. I will tell you that the light is not picky about what kind of algae it grows. Depending on your water chemistry you can just as easily start growing hair algae in the fuge instead of Chaeto. Although on a bare bottom glass it is easy to remove the hair algae (nutrients) that way too, I can't take the hair algae to my LFS for store credit.

 

[Kayvon]

I use something like a Chinese blackbox led unit.

 

[newbreefer316]

There are some great videos on bulk reef supply about different Fuge lights and the ability to grow Chaetomorpha. My opinion is you will get what you put into it. T5s may give the best spectrum for growth of corals and even that term is subjective. If Chaeto is what you want to grow you will get the most out of the proper light set up in the red and blue spectrum. I personally have the H380 and I am glad I spent the money for it. My local fish store was paying me money to bring them Chaeto so it is a win win. I am removing nutrients from the tank and getting store credit to buy other things. I will tell you that the light is not picky about what kind of algae it grows. Depending on your water chemistry you can just as easily start growing hair algae in the fuge instead of Chaeto. Although on a bare bottom glass it is easy to remove the hair algae (nutrients) that way too, I can't take the hair algae to my LFS for store credit.

Yeah, the hair algae was the issue I was having with it on the setup I had it on. H380 over the fuge section of a Trigger Systems Sapphire 26 sump. It was way too much light for left it too high and had hair algae all over my sump, too low and it nuked the cheato. My only wish is that they made the light intensity adjustable, turn it into a 2 knob light where 1 controls spectrum and the other controls overall intensity.

I'll probably give the Radion a try to, I'd like to grow a bunch of different macros and I think it would be cool to see them under a more white spectrum.

 

[GeoffSLC]

I have a simple Par38 from Home Depot placed about 8 inches above the refugium. It grows chaeto like crazy and I have to thin it out about every month or so. Cheap and reliable option!

 

[gpwdr]

I've been using the Giesemann Razor T5 Retro Kit 2x24w along with their Tropic T5 6500K bulbs

 

[Idoc]

I have a simple Par38 from Home Depot placed about 8 inches above the refugium. It grows chaeto like crazy and I have to thin it out about every month or so. Cheap and reliable option!

Do you happen to have a picture of the packaging for your bulb from HD? I looked them up and there are so many different wattage par38 bulbs at HD!

 

[newbreefer316]

Do you happen to have a picture of the packaging for your bulb from HD? I looked them up and there are so many different wattage par38 bulbs at HD!

I've used these bulbs for awhile and they work great.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart...d-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-A6PR38120WESD02/300401654

 

[Idoc]

I've used these bulbs for awhile and they work great.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart...d-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-A6PR38120WESD02/300401654

Thanks! Are you getting good chaeto growth with those? How far from the surface of the sump are you hanging them?

 

[newbreefer316]

Thanks! Are you getting good chaeto growth with those? How far from the surface of the sump are you hanging them?

About 8-10" inches off the water and pretty good growth. I've considered just running 2 lights over my fuge section and calling it good.

 

[GeoffSLC]

I've used these bulbs for awhile and they work great.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart...d-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-A6PR38120WESD02/300401654

http://www.homedepot.com/p/VividGro...8-LED-Light-Bulb-VGRO-38-NFL-120-G2/300903839

 

[Idoc]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/VividGro...8-LED-Light-Bulb-VGRO-38-NFL-120-G2/300903839

You may want to check this one out in the link below. It's a grow light as well and hslf the cost. It's by the sister company (Mars Hydro) of Mars Aqua who makes aquarium LED lights. I just got one, but i don't have my refugium set up yet. These look like they are hitting the sane spectrum as the Kessil refugium lights that they are seeking for $300! Even if it produces half the growth of the Kessil light, it's worth the $285 difference in price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ARI3HIG/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Orm Embar]

You may want to check this one out in the link below. It's a grow light as well and hslf the cost. It's by the sister company (Mars Hydro) of Mars Aqua who makes aquarium LED lights. I just got one, but i don't have my refugium set up yet. These look like they are hitting the sane spectrum as the Kessil refugium lights that they are seeking for $300! Even if it produces half the growth of the Kessil light, it's worth the $285 difference in price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ARI3HIG/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this bulb - works quite well, gets a bit hot but otherwise no complaints. The gooseneck mount was more than the bulb

 

[Velcro]

The marsaqua style PAR38 bulbs (red and blue diodes) are absolute monsters at growing chaeto. I actually had to pull mine offline because it was dropping my nutrients too low!

 

[ReefingwithO]

I have a small 3 gallon refugium and to maximize growth I've been experimenting with a few lights that I can find used.

The UFO grow lights from Ebay work and work well. - It's power hungry 150 watts and the spectrum is similar to the bloom spectrum on the Kessil H380 or A80. Not the growth spectrum. The fan is loud. Light spillover was a lot in my sump so much that it grew algea everywhere. I gave it to my friend Dave after I was done with it and he did a teardown on Youtube - .

Here is a photo when it was in my sump.


I also used the Kessil A360 but because my refugium space is tight and it was only a few inches form the light it burned my cheato. It needs to be at least 12 inches about the refugium for the proper spread.

I'm now using the Kessil H80 because its a good balance of getting my cheato to grow fast and can work a few inches about the refugium.

If you can mount the UFO grow light 15 or so inches above your fuge and don't mind the light spillover. It works. My buddy Rico uses it to grow cheato in a 40 breeder and that along with a skimmer is all he uses on his 500 gallon system with no water changes. -

 

[Jaculus]

I have 7 of the 90 watt equivalent led 5000k (daylight) bulbs over my 125 gal refugium section. I'm planning on switching over to triton method and I'm keeping these bulbs.