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ghetto sump light ideas


rottingsoul492

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Can i get some ideas of lights to light up my sump to grow chaeto. I dont want to spend the money on a 50 dollar sump light lol

I use old reflectors off heat lamps that go bad then I use a 6400k CFL and a socket off eBay. All adds up to like $15. Grows mangroves fanominally and my chaeto it grows okay but I only pull about a handful out a month. Thinking on switching to one of those marsaqua e27 grow lights. That would grow chaeto really well.
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Interesting - almost this same question came up earlier today...

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/376713-leds-to-grow-chaeto-in-2016/

 

I'll say it again, the light doesn't grow the chaeto by itself. You need the appropriate amount of light given the sustainable nutrient level in the water. If you blast chaeto with light in a low to moderate bioload system the chaeto won't do well. Chaeto has it's own growing requirements just like anything else.

 

I think that going cheap and getting a $5 clip on aluminum shop light along with a spiral compact fluorescent is just as good an option as any. If you have a larger system or a high bioload just add another.

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rottingsoul492

Interesting - almost this same question came up earlier today...

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/376713-leds-to-grow-chaeto-in-2016/

 

I'll say it again, the light doesn't grow the chaeto by itself. You need the appropriate amount of light given the sustainable nutrient level in the water. If you blast chaeto with light in a low to moderate bioload system the chaeto won't do well. Chaeto has it's own growing requirements just like anything else.

 

I think that going cheap and getting a $5 clip on aluminum shop light along with a spiral compact fluorescent is just as good an option as any. If you have a larger system or a high bioload just add another.

so basically what your saying is higher nitrates grow chaeto faster?
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so basically what your saying is higher nitrates grow chaeto faster?

 

But there's more to it than that... Chaeto needs both light and nutrients to grow. But yes generally higher nitrates will result in higher growth rates.

 

It's probably best to have a balanced approach.

 

The last piece that's important in growing chaeto is helping it gain a foothold. In other words if your tank is already overrun by GHA or cyano or something the chaeto will probably starve for nutrients. So when you add the chaeto you should also make a significant effort to weaken it so the chaeto has some room to grow. Hope that makes sense...

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5500k LED lightbulb from Walmart. And a lamp base to screw it in. They have clip on desk lamps for $4 for back to school. Those bulbs last years. Set it on a cheapy $3 timer and never look at it again. Off in the day. On in the night. That'll also help with the pH swings.

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Why don't you plumb your sump towards a window and use the sun?

FREE!!

 

OP could also save money by not buying chaeto and just growing hair algae with all that free sunlight. :P

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I'm not really kidding about the sun. It's the greatest light there is! Only problem is it is not controllable, but it is the most natural. It WILL grow cheato and other algae which is kind of the point of the sump/fuge.

 

I really think that if it is possible to plumb the sump to be in a window you may have a neat and thriving setup.

If it's not possible, just grab a cheap PC or LED light off eBay and call it a day. Growing algae is not that hard. ;)

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