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09/06/2017, 12:32 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Elkton, MD
Posts: 110
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Do you cycle your fuge lighting or run it 24/7/365?
Because of the fact no one seems to be willing to carry anything other than home lighting LED bulbs I had to temporarily go with a Phillips 90W replacement floodlight bulb (11W) PAR 38 flood for my refugium to give my chaeto at least 5000k, despite wanting 6700k.
I did order this though: https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-li...row+light+bulb which should be in this weekend. When I first had a fuge I could only use a CFL bulb (which is about all there was) as lousy as they were. My question is does anyone cycle their lighting just at night for your fuge since it keeps the pH up or do you just run 24/7/365? Please feel free to chime in. |
09/06/2017, 05:55 PM | #2 |
Dogmatic Dinosaur
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 6,256
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Mine is on for 10 hours, just like the tank.
Daylight CFL bulb is plenty capable of growing enough macro to rid your tank of most nutrients. If you want to keep the PH up, run the fuge on reverse light cycle, not 24/7. |
09/06/2017, 06:36 PM | #3 |
Grizzled & Cynical
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Stamford, CT
Posts: 17,319
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Reverse cycle - never seemed to do all much for pH though.
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Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs |
09/06/2017, 07:34 PM | #4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Elkton, MD
Posts: 110
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Thank you, that's what I was wondering .
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09/06/2017, 08:06 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Glenn Dale, MD
Posts: 1,613
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I run mine 12 on and 12 off. Like to give the pods etc a dark/rest period.
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No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock |
09/07/2017, 08:10 AM | #6 |
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
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another 12 on 12 off (opposite of display light just because)
I use a "Chinese Black Box" LED for mine just because it fits the space perfect and I had a spare Mostly running the "white" channel now and its growing chaeto,etc.. like crazy even with low nutrients...
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09/07/2017, 08:39 AM | #7 |
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Elkton, MD
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So maybe the type of light isn't as important as enough of it? I've seen chaeto reactors running straight white and some using hydroponic coloring and both seem equally as productive?
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09/07/2017, 09:12 AM | #8 |
Dogmatic Dinosaur
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 6,256
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While I absolutely do not care for most BRS videos, they had one on growing chaeto and even a 5.5K Screw in CFL was able to grow enough chaeto to strip their experiment water of N and P to zero. Just stop there... They go on to say that the mass of chaeto under an expensive fuge light (that they sell) weighted more, but since both used up all of the nutrients, the only way that it could have weighed more is by having more water in it - this second part is why their videos are still commercials and not education. I digress...
Other types of macro will do more for PH control than chaeto... some can go sexual and give a whole different set of problems. Don't worry about PH. |
09/07/2017, 09:13 AM | #9 | |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
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Quote:
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09/07/2017, 04:56 PM | #10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Mtl. Canada
Posts: 7,824
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I have my cheato under 4 24 w t5 a daylight led strip and a cfl.
12 hours on reverse daylight. The growth is crazy.. However, I think it is due more to a comprehensive additive I add to my reef which contains iron, potassium, Zinc, manganese amongst others. My experience with cheato is that when it is happy, you can grow it with just a big bright smile but when it isn't happy, even the sun ain't gonna make it grow.. Certainly, under good conditions, brighter light and better spectrum will have a more beneficial effect than poor lighting..
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Matt. Current Tank Info: 53x32.5x26 190g dt 60g of sumps 3 tank-100 gal frag system 6xAI prime 8xt5. 4x maxspect gyre. Skimz Dual internal sicce pump skimmer Deltec PF601s ca rx+Kalk stirrer |
09/13/2017, 05:43 PM | #11 |
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Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Elkton, MD
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So far the only things I've noticed between running a Phillips white(?) LED light at 5000k and the Tao grow type LED light is that the chaeto seems to grow a little darker with the Tao light but breaks off in small pieces easier?
I do use Kent Marine Essential Elements and Coral Vite in between water changes to at least keep some trace elements avialable since I also use a protein skimmer. The chaeto isn't tumbling since it's in my middle refuge chamber of my sump so I run a small 80 gph pump to circulate the water around it. |
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