bulbs for refugium

aceiswild7

Member
i finally got my refug set up and i have three light bulbs that can fit on .. i have 2 actinic as a third should i put another actinic or a 50/50? the tank is a 25 gal and the bulbs are 15w each
thanx
 

car guy

Member
i have a 20 gallon with 2 20 watt flo., one 50/50 and 1 plant growth bulb, my caulerpa is spreading like wildfire
 
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diatom

Guest
Ace~
Why did you choose Actinic lights for your fuge? If it were me I'd pick all plant grow lights and run them opposite of the main tank lights.
 

nosmada

Member
i use the LOA 75 watt PC. thats all. for the price you cant beat it !! cost me $14.99. i have it on all day but have to turn it off at night per the ol' lady :D the light keeps her up at night.(shes pretty picky) ive got tons of algae growing in there and just a trace of green hair in my main tank which has dissapated since i set up the fuge.
hth
chris
 

aceiswild7

Member
arent those plant grow lights for fresh plants? i wasnt aware they would work for salt algae and i know blue lights is what corals and anemones use for photosynthesis i assumed the same was true of algae
 
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diatom

Guest
Ace~
The lower K lights actually work better for growing algae. I think the Actinic's will work fine, but you probably won't get the growth that you would otherwise. You might want to consider switching them out when you replace them in 6 months.
 

aceiswild7

Member
ijust ordered a 20000 k bulb for the tank because it said it was good for growing macroalgae.. how about this what three bulbs or types of bulbs do you all use for your refugium
 
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diatom

Guest
Ace~
For my 30 gal fuge I use 2 6500k Lights of America Power Compacts run on reverse cycle from my tank lights.
HTH
D~
 

sonny

Member
You can use a cheap grow light you buy at Wal-mart for a refugium. You're growing plants, not corals in there. They need a little more red light than corals. I like the idea of running them opposite of the main tank lights to counteract the fluctuating ph at night.
Sonny
 
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