'Fuge lights...

[grouperhead]

I'm going to setup a 7g minibow fuge for my 20g sometime this summer. I figure I'll need to ditch the lights it comes with. What lights should I get? The caulerpa will be a mix of razor, mini-grape, and chaetomorpha. A little liverock rubble and a sandbed. Thanks for the help. Bo

 

[stacyt]

Any light should be fine. You could probably even use the one that comes with the tank. I don't think that macro algae acutally really needs a specific light spectrum. If you wanted something a little more powerfull you could get a small powercompact bulb.

 

[grouperhead]

So you think the dinky little light that comes with it would be ok? I might buy a little pc though. More opinions please. Bo

 

[stacyt]

I think the only advantage to having better lighting would be to get the algae to grow faster. If you get FAMA magazine there was a good article in there about making your own pc setup using parts from home depot. I have a 30 gallon fuge with a 32 watt pc setup, and it seems to work very well. I have another freind with a 30 gallon fuge, and he just has a standard 40 watt bulb over his. He's seems to be doing just fine. For a 7 gallon it wouldn't take much lighting. I've seen some 13 watt pc's bulbs that where pretty cheap. These maybe be a good choice to look into.

 

[grouperhead]

Thanks for the help Stacy! What caulerpa do you grow? I really am starting to like the chaetomorpha, as it doesn't go sexual (or atleast that is what I've read.) What kinda critters do you have in your fuge? Bo

 

[stacyt]

I have several different type of critters. Tons of copepods, amphipods, and worms. Some od the pods are huge, and they multiply like crazy. It's just really starting to take of after being up and running since November. I have a few different type of calupra, but I don't know the scientific names. I have red grape, green saw blade, some red feather type, and some that just looks like grass. I pciked up the blade, and grape from a freinds tank, and the other 2 I picked up in LA at a wholesaler.

 

[dreeves]

I use a screw in, 40 or so watt grow flood light about 18" above one, and a set of older 40watt 50/50 and actinic on the other...this light is about 4 feet above the refuge.

 

[wrassecal]

I just use 2-24" ho coralife bulbs on my 20 gal fuge. My grape caulerpa took over so that's all I have right now. I also have dsb, tons of worms, pods, stomatella snails, some reef rubble. I have so many pods running around in there I can sit and watch them in the day time.

 

[grouperhead]

Kip, got any pics of the fuge? Sounds a lot like what I'm going to do. Bo

 

[wrassecal]

Oops sorry missed the 7g part and only picked up on the 20 gal part

 

[xxvietxjustinxx]

Grouperhead, may I suggest Kips Website? He has a few pics there.

 

[spider crab]

Someone above said that the light spectrum wouldn't be important for growing caulerpa. Is there any danger of causing nusance algea's to grow if you use lower kelvin lights? I thought I heard that lights in the 4000K range contributed to green hair and other unwanted algeas. Is this true?

 

[dreeves]

There shouldn't be a problem with the lower K lights. The macro algea is being grown to out compete the micro algea for the nutrients to diminish and even possibly all together halt the growth of the micro.