I am on the verge of setting up one of my empty 70 gallon tanks as a fish-only aquarium. I would like to use a 20 gallon tank with a deep sand bed as the filtration/refugium, and I would like to try to grow some macroalgae in there as a source of nutrient export. I have been perusing the net lately and have seen some impressive refugiums that were filled with macroalgae and lit by incandescent bulbs. All of the literature I can get my hands on suggests that macroalgae need lighting along the lines of that needed for corals, ie; metal halide or gobs of fluorescent light. What's the thinking these days along these lines? It seems to me that an incandescent fixture is a much more economical way to go. If it works, that is. Can anybody give me a little insight on this and/or suggest some web sites that contain tips on successfully growing macroalgae? Thanks.
Incandescent lighting for macroalgae?
- Thread starter Frank Mularo
- Start date
I've awlays read that regular incandescent bulbs were no good for reef tanks because the spectrum is skewed toward red which promotes algal growth. Sounds like the perfect application for a refugium. A 100 watt bulb should do the trick on a 20 gal refugium. I use one of those 27 watt spiral power compact flourescent bulbs from Home Depot. It's supposed to put out 100 watts worth of light. I don't know if that's true, but the caulerpa in my refugium seems to be doing fine with it.
Steve
8{I
Steve
8{I
You can use an incandescent bulb to grow the stuff, but what you've heard is true. It's a very reddish spectrum light, and will cause the algae to grow tall and stringy. The Bluer the light, the tighter and more compact the algae will grow.
I like the idea of using the PC's. I've replaced several incandescent bulbs in my house with those screw-in PC lamps, and they seem to work great. It would also be a cheap and electronically efficient way of producing the light. However I'd go with more than just 100 watts.
- Mac
I like the idea of using the PC's. I've replaced several incandescent bulbs in my house with those screw-in PC lamps, and they seem to work great. It would also be a cheap and electronically efficient way of producing the light. However I'd go with more than just 100 watts.
- Mac
Here are some bulbs you can get from Home Depot. They have the same output as PC's of the same rating, a spectrum of 6500K, and are very affordable--even when you need to replace them(I think a couple dollars a bulb.)
They should be perfect for your refugium and growing macro. There might be a slight diatom bloom in the beginning because of the intensity of light.
Many people are using them for their nanos and successfully keeping softies and LPS.
They should be perfect for your refugium and growing macro. There might be a slight diatom bloom in the beginning because of the intensity of light.
Many people are using them for their nanos and successfully keeping softies and LPS.
randy holmes-farley
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Arlington, MA
I use incandescent spot lights (2 or 3 x 60-75 watts each) on one of my refugia and macroalgae growth is at least as good as in the second refugium on the same tank lit by a 175 w mh lamp.
Incandescent lighting will work, but it's not an economically sound choice. The cost of running incandescent or halogen lighting far exceeds the actual cost of the fixture, mostly by energy consumed and bulb replacements. Also, with incandescents that put out any good amount of light (say 3000-4000 lumens or so), much of the energy used is wasted as heat. In the case of aquariums, this is not a trivial issue.
A good option is using one of the 65 watt compact fluorescent fixtures found in hardware stores for outdoor flood lighting. With at least 60 lumens/watt efficiency, 6400-6500k color temperature, and 10,000 hour life, it's hard to go wrong. Usually Home Depot carries either Lights of America or Lumark fixtures with these bulbs for $25-$35. The difference in cost to a comparable halogen fixture is paid off after three months of usage (assuming 12 hours/day instead of 24 and $0.10/kwh).
This may help to see what you'd be dealing with in the realm of compact fluorescent consumer fixtures:
http://www.taligentx.com/projects/compactlighting/
The spiral type compact fluorescent lamps (20-27 watts) are useful if you only need one or two of them. After that the cost of fixtures and replacement bulbs begins to exceed the cost of 65 watt fixtures and their associated replacement cost.
Another good option is overdriving a pair of 24" NO fluorescents in series off of a 4xF32T8 electronic ballast. This would get you 90 watts of lighting for $35.
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=48133
HTH,
Nikhil
[ April 21, 2002: Message edited by: NikhilC ]</p>
A good option is using one of the 65 watt compact fluorescent fixtures found in hardware stores for outdoor flood lighting. With at least 60 lumens/watt efficiency, 6400-6500k color temperature, and 10,000 hour life, it's hard to go wrong. Usually Home Depot carries either Lights of America or Lumark fixtures with these bulbs for $25-$35. The difference in cost to a comparable halogen fixture is paid off after three months of usage (assuming 12 hours/day instead of 24 and $0.10/kwh).
This may help to see what you'd be dealing with in the realm of compact fluorescent consumer fixtures:
http://www.taligentx.com/projects/compactlighting/
The spiral type compact fluorescent lamps (20-27 watts) are useful if you only need one or two of them. After that the cost of fixtures and replacement bulbs begins to exceed the cost of 65 watt fixtures and their associated replacement cost.
Another good option is overdriving a pair of 24" NO fluorescents in series off of a 4xF32T8 electronic ballast. This would get you 90 watts of lighting for $35.
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=48133
HTH,
Nikhil
[ April 21, 2002: Message edited by: NikhilC ]</p>
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