Refugium lighting
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5833
Printed Date: September 23 2025 at 9:15pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Refugium lighting
Posted By: bugzme
Subject: Refugium lighting
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 2:32pm
|
How much light do you need for things to really grow and what kind of lighting? ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Replies:
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 3:01pm
| hey jeff .. I have been using http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5832 - --> This Blub <-- and am going to track down a couple more. It has worked really well for me.. |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 4:06pm
Those bulbs are 19watts. Not very much but I guess the 5100K bulb has done very well for many people growing chaeto (not sure about other macros). I would love to see someone compare growth between the 65watt 6000K floodlight with the 19K 5100k bulb. I have always thought...the more light the better when growing macros. In my fuge, I tried PCs, NOs, and MHs. By far, I got the best growth with a 4200K MH bulb. I now have some macros in full sun and Ive never seen such rapid growth (at least in the chaeto). But....if you can get rapid growth with a 19watt bulb, do it for sure and save some money.  ------------- 
|
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 4:19pm
Its done pretty well for me... I'm not pulling out fist fulls every month. So, i wouldnt say rapid growth but ... You can always add another bulb  You can also order them 4100K.<edit> adam: do you think the 4100K bulbs would be better? |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 4:42pm
|
My problem is the light I have on it is not bright enough so the cyano grows and the macro just sits there. Corey if and when you find those bulbs locally let me know. I'm going to probably go with 2 of them. would regular grow lights work? I guess i don't understand what I really need----HELP
------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 7:47pm
|
adam: what do you think the about the 4100K vs the 5100K version of this bulb? jeff: IMO I think you'd be fine w/ PC bulbs over your 'fuge. Just a matter of how many watts you want to run. I was running 100 watts of PC over my second fuge and just cut it back to 55. wait and see how things do.  |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:04pm
|
Corey, have you seen the thread on RC where Melev does some comparisons between the 2700k and 5100k? The 5100k appears to do much better! Dont know about the 4100k though. Page 24 talks about it http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=313318&perpage=25&pagenumber=24 - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&thre adid=313318&perpage=25&pagenumber=24 -------------
|
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:15pm
|
Thanks Adam .. I think i'll prob stick w/ the 5100K.
|
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:31pm
|
By far, I got the best growth with a 4200K MH bulb. I don't want to confuse here. I was about to switch to a 5500k bulb before I decided to sell my tank. Most macros grow in shallow water and get light which isn't filtered too much. The sun is about 5,800K. So its my belief that the more intense and closer to 5000-6500k range is best. This is a generalization and there are many species that may prefer bluer, less intense light. -------------
|
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:39pm
|
Adam so is there a fixture with bulb that I can buy from h.d. that would give my fuge a kick start? ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:49pm
|
Ive never tried the 19watt bulb, but if I were to setup a refugium right now I think id try it. Go to the link I posted above and you'll have more info on that bulb and how to mount it than you'll know what to do with. You'll be in PC spiral heaven! Or you could try the Lights of America 65 watt PC spiral floodlight. But I tried 2 of them and they both stopped working within a month. Or if you really want a high-energy, high-productive refugium...you could go with MH. All three of the above are available at HD. I bought my MH refugium bulb for $85 (including a 4200K bulb). I was pulling out chaeto left and right. But to be fair, I was also dosing "Plant Fuel" sold at Florida Aqua Farms. Its basically fertilizer minus the nitrates and phosphates. I probably doubled my growth (which means doubled my nutrient export...well maybe)
-------------
|
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:51pm
|
Can you buy a mh that will work at Home Depot? ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:53pm
|
I edited my post...look above -------------
|
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:55pm
|
http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3263&KW=home+depot - http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3263& KW=home+depot -------------
|
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 8:59pm
|
I know some people have looked for it and haven't been able to find it. It seems they carry it only occasionally. The reflector it comes with isn't the best since its parabollic and is SUPER bright directly below the bulb (brighter than my 400 watt bulb). Id get some of that reflective material and shape my own reflector. -------------
|
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:02pm
|
So did you use the bulb that came with the fixture? ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:13pm
|
Yes, it was either 4000k or 4200k. Its one of those small bases (looks like a mini mogul base). If you want to get a different bulb, it would be cheaper to buy the components from hellolights. Id go with a 5500k bulb. -------------
|
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:18pm
|
http://www.hellolights.com/17unmagm57ba.html - http://www.hellolights.com/17unmagm57ba.html plus http://www.hellolights.com/methal175wat.html - http://www.hellolights.com/methal175wat.html plus http://www.hellolights.com/methalparref.html - http://www.hellolights.com/methalparref.html So thats about $150 for the complete setup. Or you could do the 19watt bulbs for about $30 for complete setup and get good growth. -------------
|
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:19pm
| what size refugiums are you guys talking about? |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:21pm
|
My 175watt MH was over a 19 gallon refugium, but 6" was sand. It was maybe 12 gallons of water.
-------------
|
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:30pm
| looks great! thats a ton of light! :) |
Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:36pm
|
But was the extra growth worth the extra cost of setup and electricity? That, my friend, is the question -------------
|
Posted By: coreyk
Date Posted: March 19 2005 at 9:49pm
... and my biggest concern right now. currently i'm running 4x250w MH,
1x150w MH, 1x55w pc, 1x19w pc, 6x24w T5 .. plus pumps, etc. That bill
starts getting pretty high. 
|
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 21 2005 at 1:08pm
|
Jeff, You asked but never got an answer about what can be purchased at HD that could work for you. Your Refugium is pretty small compared to the need supplied by the two tiers of fraggin tanks. You definitely need more light.
I would suggest the "Fluorex" flood light made by Lights of America. It's about $40 at HD comes with a ~8" long 65W rated bulb that puts out something like 3000 lumens. That's a lot of light for a Power Compact bulb in a 6"X10" package. 
Adam Blundell has had good luck with these units and they have exchanged them for me even when they burned out after 3 months of operation. They do have a reputation for burn out over refugiums, but that may be simply because we modify them, run them in high humidity, without the lens cover, etc. etc.. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
|