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Lighting Question for Fuge - AC30 in a Fluval Spec V


AlexM630

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Hi all!

 

I'd been wanting some kind of mini-fuge in my Fluval Spec V tank and today I finally picked up an AquaClear 30 which I modded into a fuge with some smaller live rock rubble and chaeto. I bought a clip on LED light at the LFS (not sure of the brand, I'll have to look it up) and mounted the whole shebang today.

 

Following recommendations I'd seen online, I set the light for the fuge on an inverse schedule to the main lighting for the tank. Right now both are as follows:

 

Tank Lighting

 

5-6PM "Sunrise"

6PM-12AM - Lights on (100% blue, 70% white)

12AM-1AM - "Sunset"

 

Fuge Lighting

 

12AM-6PM

 

Questions:

 

A) If you look at the images below, you'll see a lot of bleed through into the tank. Am I correct in that this could cause an algae bloom or maybe stress my corals by being exposed to some level of light all the time? The light is not very bright, could it simply have the effect of a "moon light"?

 

B) Is 18 hours of lighting too much for the chaeto? I can definitely tone it back a bit.

 

C) Theoretically, would it make sense to not have the fuge light on an inverse schedule but to have it run concurrently with the tank lighting, plus an additional 6 hours at the start (Fuge lights would run from noon to 12AM)

 

D) I'm open, let me know what your thoughts are!

 

post-91845-0-09782300-1477293103_thumb.jpg

 

post-91845-0-78332300-1477293104_thumb.jpg

 

post-91845-0-89948900-1477293100_thumb.jpg

 

Thanks a million! I definitely don't want to fry my corals or cause an algae bloom within the tank, but I do want healthy and growing chaeto.

 

--Alex

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I don't run a refugium but from reading I see the most common is 4hrs lighting and either a slight overlap with the display lights or when the display is off.

 

 

It is essentially like moon lighting but i'm not 100% on if it will encourage more algae or not. It may or may not. Maybe cutting down 6hrs to 4 may help that. The fuge light will be on 2hrs while sunset happens on dt and then 2hrs after.

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  • 4 weeks later...

 

A) Am I correct in that this could cause an algae bloom or maybe stress my corals by being exposed to some level of light all the time? The light is not very bright, could it simply have the effect of a "moon light"?

 

B) Is 18 hours of lighting too much for the chaeto? I can definitely tone it back a bit.

 

C) Theoretically, would it make sense to not have the fuge light on an inverse schedule but to have it run concurrently with the tank lighting, plus an additional 6 hours at the start (Fuge lights would run from noon to 12AM)

 

D) I'm open, let me know what your thoughts are!

 

 

A. The residual light could be effecting your display corals. I'd think your fuge light is too bright to simply be a "moon light." Could you attach the light horizontally to the back of the AC? Then if there's still too much penetration, you could black out the side facing the tank.

 

B. 18 hours seems a little excessive. People with certain Caulerpa, etc. species run fuges for that long (or 24/7) to prevent sexual sporulation, but that's not a concern with Chaeto.

 

C. No, you ideally want your fuge light to run opposite your display, not concurrently, to balance pH swings.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A) If you look at the images below, you'll see a lot of bleed through into the tank. Am I correct in that this could cause an algae bloom or maybe stress my corals by being exposed to some level of light all the time? The light is not very bright, could it simply have the effect of a "moon light"?

 

B) Is 18 hours of lighting too much for the chaeto? I can definitely tone it back a bit.

 

Hi Alex,

Congrats, on starting a refugium. I am starting one too. The purpose of the refugium is to reduce phosphates and nitrates...and to keep the PH balanced at night ....so Ideally YES....you would want to run the lights opposite from the main lights. I would run it for about 12 hours.

 

Looking at your pics, I would try and keep the refugium lighting shaded from the main display. IMO the fuge lights coulld cause algae to build up in the main display. I agree with jrad that the light maybe to bright to be a "moonlight".

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