What's a good PAR to run in my fuge

[ShakeyGizzard]

My chato is not thriving, but has slow growth. If its light related I use a Finnex fuge blade on refugium. The 30 w light might be lacking with 250 PAR at the surface with both sides turned on. Have not used chato grow, my Nitrate is at 5 and Phosphate is at .20 , using I.O. reef crystals and dosing AFR , What's a good PAR for my fuge so I can rule out the light being the problem

 

[Reefering1]

Idk par, but one of these is all you would need...

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Pretty cheap, I used the finnex on freshwater plants. Will look into it

 

[KrisReef]

Iron, not PAR is likely your limiting element in this equation. Also, Photoperiod of 12 hours?

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Iron, not PAR is likely your limiting element in this equation. Also, Photoperiod of 12 hours?

12 hr period opposite the tank lighting, don't have a way to test iron, Have had a bottle of aquaforest micro E for awhile but never used any. Any recommendations to raise iron levels

 

[KrisReef]

12 hr period opposite the tank lighting, don't have a way to test iron, Have had a bottle of aquaforest micro E for awhile but never used any. Any recommendations to raise iron levels

I don't recall what the MASTER's recommend, but I am thinking SeaChem has an iron supplement that is iron without anything else? You said your No3 and P are measurable... Otherwise, a plant fertilizer that has it could also work, just have to be careful adding too many things at once, (!).

 

[Lavey29]

You can also dose chaeto gro which is a blend specifically for chaeto health and growth.

 

[dangles]

When I first started a fuge in the back of an AIO 2 years ago I struggled getting chaeto to thrive. What did it was cranking my light to the max for 24 hours (all day, every day) and starting ChaetoGrow. No issues since. YMMV.

My second tank (120g w/sump) I adopted the same method with Pom Pom Gracilaria and it has also done very well.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Working 12 hr shifts until Tuesday, will figure it out then.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

12 hr period opposite the tank lighting, don't have a way to test iron, Have had a bottle of aquaforest micro E for awhile but never used any. Any recommendations to raise iron levels

No need to test iron. Heres my diy:

One Fergon tablet (ferrous gluconate) contains 27 mg of iron. Dissolve that in about 27 mL RO/DI (my recommendation, but other concentrations are OK, just don't dilute too much), the concentration is about 27 mg/27 ml ~ 1 mg/mL.

I dose ~1 mL to my tank with a volume of about 300 gallons ) once or twice a week.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

No need to test iron. Heres my diy:

One Fergon tablet (ferrous gluconate) contains 27 mg of iron. Dissolve that in about 27 mL RO/DI (my recommendation, but other concentrations are OK, just don't dilute too much), the concentration is about 27 mg/27 ml ~ 1 mg/mL.

I dose ~1 mL to my tank with a volume of about 300 gallons ) once or twice a week.

Ill give it a shot, don't have a 300 gallon, but can dilute based on your amounts you dose

 

[Subsea]

My chato is not thriving, but has slow growth. If its light related I use a Finnex fuge blade on refugium. The 30 w light might be lacking with 250 PAR at the surface with both sides turned on. Have not used chato grow, my Nitrate is at 5 and Phosphate is at .20 , using I.O. reef crystals and dosing AFR , What's a good PAR for my fuge so I can rule out the light being the problem

With respect to algae refugiums, I have found lower PAR (around 100 at bottom) to be better than higher PAR.

As I understand ATS, intense PAR is advised.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

With respect to algae refugiums, I have found lower PAR (around 100 at bottom) to be better than higher PAR.

As I understand ATS, intense PAR is advised.

What happened when part was too high?

 

[Subsea]

What happened when part was too high?

Film algae begin to grow on Gracilaria Hayi

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Film algae begin to grow on Gracilaria Hayi

OK, thanks.

 

[Subsea]

With respect to algae refugiums, I have found lower PAR (around 100 at bottom) to be better than higher PAR.

As I understand ATS, intense PAR is advised.

What happened when part was too high?

@Randy Holmes-Farley
I have a more specific answer with respect to Bortacladia. When I grew it commercially as an ornamental macro algae, I noted that at 100 PAR, its color was fire engine red. When I increased PAR to 150, I noticed an accumulation of flock which was easily blown off the branches, but undesirable in a display tank. When PAR exceeded 200, the seaweed turned yellow/orange and disintegrated.

PS: Bortacladia is collected in the GOM/Caribbean between 30’ & 120’ and when I get it from the divers it is a rich burgundy color. Once when first acclimating to a growout system, I shocked it with too much light and it went sexual and disintegrated. One year later, I had emerging Bortacladia everywhere in 55G grow out tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley
I have a more specific answer with respect to Bortacladia. When I grew it commercially as an ornamental macro algae, I noted that at 100 PAR, its color was fire engine red. When I increased PAR to 150, I noticed an accumulation of flock which was easily blown off the branches, but undesirable in a display tank. When PAR exceeded 200, the seaweed turned yellow/orange and disintegrated.

PS: Bortacladia is collected in the GOM/Caribbean between 30’ & 120’ and when I get it from the divers it is a rich burgundy color. Once when first acclimating to a growout system, I shocked it with too much light and it went sexual and disintegrated. One year later, I had emerging Bortacladia everywhere in 55G grow out tank.

Great info, thanks.