Light for refugium?

[Luky]

So I think I am going to keep my CPR HOB refugium but I need a new light for it. I had a small coralife 2x9w CF fixture, but the plastic ends/lens got all brittle and it is falling apart (crappy quality for something meant to be used on a fish tank) so I set it on my kids 3gal FW aquarium to keep the elodia and platys happy.

The Fuge is 13" long x 4.5" wide x 11.5" deep. The water is 6.5" from the surface to the fiji mudd bottom. I have some live rock rubble and a wad of Chaetomorpha Algae (that I harvest now and then) in it. I also have my aquachef auto feeder mounted on the end that feeds back to the tank (takes up about 3").

How much light do I need for a small refugium? I like the CPR fixtures but $60 (with acrylic stands) seems way high. I found a 12" LED "bar" on ebay for $26 delivered. From ebay:

You get a 12-LEDs fully submersible Lighting Bar unit with power supply!

This item is one of MeasureExplorer LED aquarium lighting bar serial products. It holds 12 ultra bright blue (465 - 470nm) LEDs with 12 inch long and 5/8 inch diameter. It can be located under water surface for up to 50 inches deep. Universal switching power adapter comes with the item. The tube generates intensive blue light beam, is ready to use by simply plug in the adapter to any AC outlet in the world, it take only 1.2W.

This item is assembled with wide view angle White LED (daylight white, 5600K) and pure blue (465-470nm) narrow view angle LED alternatively. Color effect of this light bar is light blue, or high temperature white (15K-25K), and also blue light beam pattern is generated in the water.

Any comments if this would be enough for some algae in the fuge?

I also saw a 10" fixture (from Taiwan) with a 18w CF bulb (6500k) for $40 delivered that looks similar to the CPR light. Would that be a better choice? Any suggestions?

(Can I post links to these lights? I am not sure if that is allowed on here.)

[curiousclam120]

you don't really need any fancy lighting. a bulb from home depot will do just fine if you are growing chaetomorpha. check out this video to see more about it:

‪Refugiums in a Saltwater Tank: Viable Nutrient Control or Just a Safe Harbor?‬‏ - YouTube

[Luky]

That is a pretty good video. Thank you!

I used to keep caulerpa when I lived in Michigan. Great stuff. Too bad I can't get it here .

Maybe its time to dump the mudd and fill it with live rock.

Also, its not the bulb so much, but a light fixture that is not too ugly or expensive... I think I may give the LED bar a try.

[curiousclam120]

haha ya i love all his videos they are fun to watch and great advice! glad i could help a little

[deepseadan]

Originally Posted by curiousclam120

you don't really need any fancy lighting. a bulb from home depot will do just fine if you are growing chaetomorpha. check out this video to see more about it:

‪Refugiums in a Saltwater Tank: Viable Nutrient Control or Just a Safe Harbor?‬‏ - YouTube

I'm not really convinced you even need a light for chaetomorpha, a while back I put a small piece (maybe an inch) in my hob cpr fuge skimmer by mistake, and it grew to a handful in a month, and there's no light on it because it's broken.