What makes a refugium light a refugium light? (Share your setup!) | BRStv Investigates

[Tyler Flynn]

If the fuge stopped growing after you reduced your water changes, and you have both nitrate and phosphate, I would suspect you have a limiting nutrient. Are you dosing the Triton Core additives? They are supposed to have extra nutrients to keep the macro growing. If you are using a different brand of additive, or the 'other' variant of the Core Elements, I would try dosing a bit of Iron to see if your macro is Iron limited. Iron is considered safe to dose as long as you don't drive it to excessive levels as it is used up very quickly.

If you are doing ICP testing (for triton), how is your potassium level?

Dennis

I don’t do icp testing or triton additives. I only have to dose alk a couple times between water changes, never magnesium or calcium. I run a low demand tank with mostly rics, rock flower nems, 1 torch, 1 fiji leather.
I am looking to switch to red sea coral pro salt and their additives possibly.
My algae has never really grown, even when doing 18% weekly water changes.
Mag 1240
Calc 405
Alk 8.4
1.026
78.5 degrees

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I don’t do icp testing or triton additives. I only have to dose alk a couple times between water changes, never magnesium or calcium. I run a low demand tank with mostly rics, rock flower nems, 1 torch, 1 fiji leather.
I am looking to switch to red sea coral pro salt and their additives possibly.
My algae has never really grown, even when doing 18% weekly water changes.
Mag 1240
Calc 405
Alk 8.4
1.026
78.5 degrees

Ok, you are not really running Triton then. Have you tested phosphate? If you are phosphate limited, it would definitely stop your macro from growing, and people often see nitrate rising when they become phosphate limited. The corals you have listed are often viewed as doing better with higher nutrients (10 nitrate is fine), so I would not be too concerned with lowering the nitrate for them. However, if you are phosphate limited, that would be more of a concern as softies and LPS will get very unhappy with too little phosphate (or nitrate). So it is still a good idea to figure out why your macro is stalled just to make sure you don't have a nutrient imbalance.

Dennis

 

[Tyler Flynn]

Ok, you are not really running Triton then. Have you tested phosphate? If you are phosphate limited, it would definitely stop your macro from growing, and people often see nitrate rising when they become phosphate limited. The corals you have listed are often viewed as doing better with higher nutrients (10 nitrate is fine), so I would not be too concerned with lowering the nitrate for them. However, if you are phosphate limited, that would be more of a concern as softies and LPS will get very unhappy with too little phosphate (or nitrate). So it is still a good idea to figure out why your macro is stalled just to make sure you don't have a nutrient imbalance.

Dennis

From my understanding film algae grows more readily when phosphates are up. My glass and rock has become increasingly dirty a lot quicker than normal. I have never tested phosphate, but i might have to start.
My torch, rics, and nems are all looking great, the fiji leather is the only one not looking pristine.

 

[Ryanbrs]

Iron ?

 

[themcnertney]

I have a 18” Marineland Advances LED strip light that came with the 75 gallon that I bought as a package. This became my Refugium. The light is just blue and white. Grows cheato really well.

 

[Tyler Flynn]

Iron ?

Would my salt be lacking iron? Is use h2ocean now, but i am looking to switch to red sea coral pro and use their additives. I feel this would be better suited for my set up than triton with how low demand my tank is