refugium question

[byrself]

hi, i recently got some caulerpa from a friend of mine (thanks irishstout =) and would like to know if there's any supplements that help the macros to grow. also, do they need high wattage lamps to grow? i was thinking of putting some in the back of my filter with a small pc bulb over it. thanks.

 

[old hermit]

kent sells iron for calerpa but i dont think it is really all that important. just get some light on it.

 

[byrself]

thanks, i asked the lfs owner about it and he said they have an iron supplement for freshwater, but wasn't sure if it was okay for salt. i've noticed the kent essential elements has iron in it, so i'm just gonna use that.
what about the lighting? what's something small that would work? would one 55w pc do the trick? would the superdaylights or actinic be better for it?

 

[demosthenes]

At a LFS they have an awesome refugium with a DSB, some corals due to space, a customer is moving his tank, and they are keeping his stuff for him. He has a ton of caulpera also, and he keeps 4 VHO bulbs over it, but I'm not sure of the wattage, and there are 2 actinics and 2 super daylight. HTH

 

[jim27]

According to what MR. SALTY told me, regular NO bulbs are enough to grow macro.

 

[frankl15207]

I have a 10 gallon "refugium/QT" with caulerpa in it and 30 watts of NO Lighting which is on about 12 hours/day. The caulerpa grows very slowly in it and is easy to control.
I have a CPR hang on refugium in my 75 gallon tank with a 13 watt power compact that is on 24/7. Caulerpa grows very fast in it.
No supplements are added for the caulerpa.
Hope that gives you some parameters for what you want to use it for.

 

[byrself]

yes it does, thanks frank

 

[nm reef]

I run a 35 gal refugium on my reef...lighting is 2x40 watts of NO (50/50)...the caulpera grows like crazy. I trim it back on a regular basis and even return bags of it to a LFS for purchase credit. No suppliments added...not for the caulpera anyway.