Sump FOWLR ligthing
- Thread starter hocabien
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D-Nak
Active member
If you're planning to have algae growing in the fuge, such as chaetomorpha, then you'll need a light. Almost any light can grow chaeto, such as a standard incandescent bulb in a reflector, to CFL or LED spotlights. I like the new LED spotlights at big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes since they provide a lot of light without the heat, and are more directional. The amount of light needed depends on the size of your fuge, but you basically want to cover the entire fuge with light.
If you haven't built your sump/fuge yet, my recommendation would be to use black plexi between the fuge and sump -- this will block out light that may end up growing algae in the sump.
If you haven't built your sump/fuge yet, my recommendation would be to use black plexi between the fuge and sump -- this will block out light that may end up growing algae in the sump.
Thanks.
I was planning to have 4" DSB with some live rocks but people said that DSB cause problem later on so I decide have live rocks only for now. What do you think of DSB, do you know anything about DSB? As for sump, yes I already built them with clear acrylic glass.
Donkeykong
New member
I have steered clear of DSB, there are many people that have used them for years with out any problem but there is alot of people that have had them turn and foul the tank. So I have always just gone with rock and macro algae. If you are just having rock for the de-nitrification then no light is needs and the rock can be run dark. But if you want it to grow algae to help pull excess organics out of the water you will need light, how much is dependant on how big the fuge is.
Donkeykong
New member
3 most common
Caulerpa - probably the fastest growing macro that I have used, but can spawn and release spores that cloud the water. It never happened to me, but there are reports of it.
Halimeda - slower growing and has a calcium structure which means it does use up some calcium from the water. But it is a much more aesthetically pleasing macro and have seen it placed directly in the display tanks.
Chaetomorpha - strong growth, stays more compact then Caulerpa and will not spawn.
even though caulerpa is a faster grower which means it pulls more out, it has a tendency to try and spread out and is actually illegal in CA which makes it harder to get, combine that with the risk of spawning and I am much happier with Chaeto.
Caulerpa - probably the fastest growing macro that I have used, but can spawn and release spores that cloud the water. It never happened to me, but there are reports of it.
Halimeda - slower growing and has a calcium structure which means it does use up some calcium from the water. But it is a much more aesthetically pleasing macro and have seen it placed directly in the display tanks.
Chaetomorpha - strong growth, stays more compact then Caulerpa and will not spawn.
even though caulerpa is a faster grower which means it pulls more out, it has a tendency to try and spread out and is actually illegal in CA which makes it harder to get, combine that with the risk of spawning and I am much happier with Chaeto.
JBarnes
New member
Here is what I do for DSB. My main tank 200 gal has minimal sand in it and flows into the sump and is pumped back to the main tank as well as two 40 gallon breeder tanks which then dump to the sump. On of these tanks is packed with live rock that is not lit, its my bacteria farm. The other tank has three plastic bins in it with 6" of sand in each bin with calupera growing on top. Its lit by a two bulb T5 unit with 6500K bulbs. I will pull almost a 5 gallon bucket of calupera out of that tank every month. I also pull one bin of DSB every two years and replace it with fresh sand. I can't tell you if the DSB makes a big difference or not but by putting it in bins its easily removed from the tank and replaced. So I reduce my risk of a DSB failure by replacing the bed every two years. Jerry.
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