can i use LR in my wet/dry filter?

[Mebbid]

I think most lights, other than incandescent, work fine. I prefer using a cheap compact fluorescent, but I would use several. Chaeto does like a lot of light to grow at peak efficiency. But it doesn't care much about the spectrum of the light.

Algae, like all plants benefit from having a rest cycle. So the 24/7 lighting might not be benefiting you the way you think it might.

Yep, I agree and I'm 90% certain that's why my other macros haven't grown at all. But it's hard to argue that I haven't had good results from running my lighting this way where my caulerpa is concerned. My available space in the refugium has been filling to capacity every month, my nitrate is undetectable, and my phosphates have dropped to 0.

 

[Gregcoyote]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Mebbid]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My thoughts exactly I'm actually thinking it's pulling too much nitrate out of the water.

 

[Hesselrode]

Feed the tank.

I haven't fed my fish I probably 6 months. Got tired of it just going down the sump and with my setup too much trouble to just turn the pump off as it needs re primed.

 

[Hesselrode]

I have 2 fairly powerful 6500k spiral CFL bulbs in clip on shop lights. I was having issues with caulerpa too until I increased the amount of light it was getting. I also leave my lights on 24/7 which seemed to help as well. With the lower light my caulerpa went sexual and my nitrates skyrocketed.

Sexual? What does that mean?

 

[Mebbid]

Sexual? What does that mean?

It gets stressed out from something which is usually a lack of light and starts dumping spores in the tank. What it means in a tank is that the nitrates will skyrocket because of it. My nitrates hit 60ppm when most of mine did it.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Your protein skimmer didn't get them?

 

[Mebbid]

I don't use a protein skimmer.

 

[Gregcoyote]

At a certain stage you might want one. They are the first line of defense in the filtration system. I am pretty sure it would have removed those spores before they broke down.

 

[mr_X]

I haven't fed my fish I probably 6 months. Got tired of it just going down the sump and with my setup too much trouble to just turn the pump off as it needs re primed.

You don't ever feed your fish? what fish do you keep?

 

[Hesselrode]

You don't ever feed your fish? what fish do you keep?

I only have one blue damsel. It eats the little algae that does get a chance to grow.