In need of a new fuge light

[crazy 11]

Happy New Years Eve Everyone!
I am in need for a new fuge light. Can anyone give me some guidance on the best fixture & bulbs for this? I am thinking along the lines of a PC, about 20 to 24 inches long, I will keep it about 6 inches above the water, the fuge is a 15 gallon with Caulerpa prolifera. I am considering going to Chaetomorpha.
Thanks for your input.

 

[wrott]

WalMart has those PC bulbs that screw into a regular socket (like clip-on lamp) and are 6500K and I believe 25W all for ~$15. I use one of these along w/ a PC strip(~$40). If I went to WaLmart first, I probably would just be using 2 of the lamp bulbs.

 

[jasper24]

The bulb is a "Lights of America" bulb from Walmart. I use it in a aluminum reflector. Total was $10. I have about 10 G of water in an 18G rubbermaid container that I use for a sump. This is the only fuge light that I use and my Chateo grows like crazy.

 

[Dubbin1]

His site seems to be running at a snails pace right now but take a look at this http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html

 

[crazy 11]

Thanks guys, I have tried these bulbs and have such little growth I thought a PC would be better. Could there be something I am missing? I will list below my tank info
Thanks again

Tank: All Glass 125 gallon with twin over flows (6 feet long X 18 wide X 22 Deep)
Lights: (2)-6 bulb,T-5, Tek lights with (1) 6000k Sun, (2) Blue plus atinics, (3) 11000k Aquablue specials in each fixture @ 39watts each = 468 watts of T-5 (Installed on 10/15/04)
Pump: Magnetic Drive utility pump (model 9.5) 950 gallons per hour
Power Heads: 2 Maxi-jet 900s
Filter: Kent Bio-Rocker (Br300D) in a 20-gallon sump with
Skimmer: Euro-reef CS6-2 plus
Heater: Ebo-Jager (model TS) 250 watts
Sterilizer: Angstrom 2537 Ultraviolet sterilizer & Aqua 40watt
Gravel: Crushed coral gravel by Diazrock (3-25lb bags) about 1-1/4 deep
Salt: Instant Ocean
Water Source: Home well filtered by Kent Marine maxxima r/o-DI 50gpd
Live rock: 92 lbs of Fiji live rock from Harbor Aquatics put in on 12/20/03. Plus more added as new corals are added. (About 135lbs now)
Fuge: 15-gallon fuge with 1 Inch of Miracle mud ,Caulerpa prolifera, Caulerpa racemosa & mels reef light bulb 12/10/04.

Occupants to date
Tank was set up on 5/15/03
4 Clown fish 5/15/03
1 Red Fire shrimp added 5/18/04
92 lbs of live rock was added 12/20/03.
2 Feather dusters and the yellow tang were added 5/30/04.
2 Cleaner Shrimp added 6/8/04
2 Banggai Cardinal fish added 6/8/04
1 Peppermint Shrimp added 8/22/04
1 Purple Fire fish added 8/23/04
3 Hippo tangs added 10/18/04
4 green chromis
1 Blue Mushroom added 10/18/04
1 Green Mushroom added 10/19/04
1 Daisy polyp added 12/10/04
1 Yellow polyp added 12/29/04
1 Electric blue hermit crab 1/10/05
Pumping Xenia added 1/15/05
Green star polyps added 1/15/05 with fuzzy grass mushrooms on it
Green eye zoanthid 1/15/05
Another yellow polyp added 1/15/05
4 inch long Squamosa Clam 2/5/05
1 Bubble tipped anemone 2/5/05
1-1ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ tall finger leather 11/30/05
1-3ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ tall Toadstool Mushroom leather 11/30/05
Bunches of different snails
Food: Mysis shrimp, Ocean Plankton, Cyclopeeze, Kent ChromaPlex, Julian Sprungs Sea Veggies Green & Purple seaweed

Water temp: 78-80 Degrees
Salinity: 1.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: .0
PH: 8.0
Alk: 8.4 dKH
Calc: 410
PO4: .0

 

[PsychoKnight]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6393103#post6393103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crazy 11
Thanks guys, I have tried these bulbs and have such little growth I thought a PC would be better. Could there be something I am missing?

Not neses-celery. (just read a rant about mispelling, couldn't help it)
Maybe its a good thing.
With water containing so little nitrates and phophates, would you really expect to grow much macro? Unless you're intentionally cultivating a macro-garden, I personally think its a good thing that chaeto won't grow, even under good lighting.

While my tank was stabilizing for the first several months, my chaeto grew to a size which would fill a 10 gal tank. Now, the water barely supports a fist-sized clump.

 

[crazy 11]

Tanks Psychoknight, LOL
My only problem is I have hair alge starting to grow real fast in my main tank, thats why I started looking at my fuge in order to pull out the fuel for its growth.
What ya think??

 

[PsychoKnight]

How about a sea hare? One of these cleaned up my 58 real quick, nobody wanted to "borrow" him, ended dying of starvation I think - disappeared behind the rockwork & never saw him/her again. In your size tank, it will probably survive on persistent growth.

 

[sean48183]

Go to home depot and get the 65 watt pc fixture from lights of america. It compares to 500w incandescent. It's only $40 and is worth everypenny. The bulb comes with it and is 6500k. This is not a screw in bulb and has a different ballast. Serious business. Don't buy critters to eat it because they will not. Must get that macro growing.

 

[old salty]

Crazy 11,

PM me as I have a light that you can use for your fuge. It's a Home Depot PC flood light that is 24 watts, but equivelant to 150 (or something like that). I also already wired in the plug, so you could use it immediately.

These are about $35 then you have to wire in a plug. I'll ship it to you for $25. It's about 2 weeks old!!

Brian

 

[NexDog]

I need a light that hopefully doesn't need a ballast and can be bought online. Any recommendations?