Cheap refugium light: how to

[Sk8r]

Get an aluminum shop light cone, abt. 8.00, from Lowes or other hardware store.
Get a 6500 k CFL 'floodlight' bulb---they come in a packet of 2, often.

That's it.

I run mine 24/7, cheato/sand/rock fuge, with CUC. I've got a dark green mass of cheato and a very prolific colony of mysis shrimp.

 

[Hitch08]

Thanks!

Where is a good place to get Cheato? And is there such a thing as adding it too soon in a new tank?

 

[Sk8r]

You can set up the fuge as you set up the tank.
Cheato comes from places like our reefing sponsors, and from some lfs.
I'd get about a pound of it for a 20 gallon fuge, and have the light ready: it doesn't cope with long dark.

Watch it for ANY appearance of caulerpa weed: that stuff in any tank under 100 gallons is horrid. Nothing that fits that size tank even can eat it, let alone will. Google it, recognize it, and do not buy the cheato if it's contaminated. Cheato may have aiptasia, asterinas, cyano, etc, etc, no problem, or there are things that eat or cure them: in your sump they're harmless. But caulerpa is almost impossible to get rid of once it gets into your dt, and it can go right through the return pump.

Keep cheato lit with 6500 k at 24/7 and in pretty good flow. Flip it over now and again. Contrary to myth, it doesn't have to roll. It's an excellent broodery for mysis, amphipods, copepods, and other microlife.

 

[davocean]

This is what I use as well, and they also make those same floodlights in both energy saver and LED.
I have since swapped to the LED version, works great.

 

[ericarenee]

I have Cheap Chinese led 7000k Flood Lights.. You can get them for 10.00 each on ebay.. down to 5.00 of you buy 4 or more...