refugium lighting

[jstewart0]

I'm sure this has been answered before but I was wondering how long you guys leave the lights on your refugium on?  Right now mine are on reverse cycle with the main tank and my caulerpa seems to be doing fine.  Any way I often hear people advocate leaving the lights on 24/7.  The guy at my lfs said he leaves his on all the time and has never had a problem.  Thanks...

[printerdown01]

Most people leave their lights on 24/7 like you mentioned... However, if your refugium gets light from another sourse (like your tank or indirect sunlight) there is no need to keep the lights on durring that period. The reason that people leave the lights on in the refugium longer is to encurage algae growth in the refugium over the algae growth in the tank.

[jstewart0]

That sounds logical but have you ever heard of the algae "going sexual " and ruining water quality?  I just thought I had heard that somewhere.  But it seems that the algae would benefit from the increased light. thanks

[Nishant3789]

i have heard of trurning ON the refugium lights after u turn of the main lights so taht the pH doesnt get imbalanced. hth,

nishant

[suprax]

I let mine on 24/7. I notice a pH shift between night and day, but Im guessing its because my tank is still very new. Does anyone know more about the macro going sexual?

[quiksilver5768]

If the macro algae is allowed to grow too big without pruning it back once and a while it will go sexual. This will only happen if the refugium is lit opposite from your main tank or anything less than 24 hours a day. If it is lit 24/7 then it will stop the macro algae from going sexual. The algae will still grow but it wont release the toxins. If you macro algae does go sexual, it will release toxins into your tank which aren't haremful but make your water turn a light green color. It takes a lot to get this green color out. Just make sure you prune it back once and a while and it wont go sexual...

[reef hugger]

from what i understand by running the refugium lighting on a reverse cycle or 24/7 the pH will be more stable. b/c the macro uses CO2 and releases O2 back into the water. just like trees. with the tank and refugium running on the same lighting cycle there will be a large change in pH between day and night. running the refugium 24/7 will IMO keep the pH the most stable. more CO2 will lower the pH. more O2 will raise the pH.

 

my take on the macro going sexual also has to do with lack of nutrients in the water. like nitrate and phosphate. like quick said if you keep it trimmed it shouldn't go sexual. hth

[Strife]

my take on the macro going sexual also has to do with lack of nutrients in the water. like nitrate and phosphate.

 

im not too sure what this means...but is that a period, (end of sentence so the nitrate and phosephate is a whole different word....

 

or is it suppose to be a comma?

 

if so , lack of nutrients like nitrate and phosphates....

 

who would want them in their tank? and i dont consider that a valuable nutrients, that your tank needs, maybe when your tank is first established, you do....just my opinion.

 

NO OFFENSE

 

(Edited by Stryf3 at 12:23 pm on May 18, 2002)

[Toyfreek]

Actually I was just reading an article from the San Diego zoo  think that said that the 24/7 approach will CAUSE calupera to go Asexual. I have heard it the other way around alot lately so I'm not sure what I believe there. IMO the easiest way to keep PH from major flucuation is the alternating lighting method.

Untill I see some scientific proof either way I wouldn't swear by anyones oppinion.

HTH,

Toy

[Toyfreek]

Strife,

I believe what he means is that Calupera goes Asexual when it is making a last ditch effort to survive. This is usually caused by stress of some sort like not enough food or lighting. That is why he suggested that Nitrates and phosphates play a role in Asexual reproduction in Calupera. He is right to a certain extent, However there are other causes as well, Sometimes over pruning will cause it as well.

HTH,

Toy

[Strife]

AAhhh ic....

 

but wanting nitrates and phosphates in your tank just to keep caulerpa healthy is a bit, dangerous as an idea...

 

when caulerpa goes sexual....it really wont harm your tank...(it could) but the most it should do is turn your tank green.....

and if you let it stay green, then thats your fault

 

Ph shifts can also cause a tank to crash, specially if you have a refugium. just like fish, caulerpa can be sensitive to Ph shifting, so when caulerpa gets affected, it can die, and decaying caulerpa will release more toxins than when it goes sexual.....IMO

[Toyfreek]

well kinda,

When it goes Asexual it also realeses all the nutrients/toxins it has absorbed to that date. that sudden spike will stress out everything in a reef except micro and macro algae. as for taking the green out of the water you would need to do several large percentage water changes in a row to lessen it but not take it out completely. This can often be more stressfull to tank inhabbitants than the nutrient spike, as we rarely have that much oxygenated clean saltwater laying around. best to take the green out over a period of several days sudden swings are to be avoided at all costs.

HTH,

Toy

[reef hugger]

sorry that was supposed to a comma. what i was trying to say is, if there are no more nitrates or phos in the water, it has no nutirents to consume. so then it goes asexual. im not saying to add phos or trates to your tank. that would be stupid IMO. they are being produced all the time. like when you feed your fish.

 

wetwebmedia.com has some good info on macro. the link,

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/maralgae.htm

 

my theory (and a poor one at that) is that it goes asexual when nutirents (trates&phos) are gone or from being over trimmed. it releases the spores(?, i have no idea what it actually releases) into the water to be carried off by the current to find a new place to start growing. but b/c our tanks are a closed system it just ends up clouding the water. i have no data to back this up. i just thought of it while sitting here.

[reef hugger]

actually i just found something to back up my theory:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/week...ly/aa112000.htm

 

richard durso has different kind of macro that he is using and it sounds better than caulerpa.

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/misc/chaetomorpha01.htm

 

hth

[SaltyDog]

(Edited by SaltyDog at 3:08 am on June 29, 2002)

[SaltyDog]

That Chaetomorpha linum the joshnemily points out looks like the hot ticket!

 

Anyone use this before, or know where you can buy it?!?

[cowfishlover]

Quote: from joshnemily on 5:04 am on May 18, 2002[br] more CO2 will lower the pH. more O2 will raise the pH.

I always thought that more CO2 raises the PH level. Am I wrong?

[mxpro32]

my local fish store owner who is a marine bioligist and a real smart guy told me that caulerpa releases a poisin called caulerpin all the time.  he said it is little known.  has anyone else heard of this?

[ekudl]

I just recently got some chaetomorpha for my fuge from inland reef Aquaria , web site www.inlandreef.com. So far it seems to be good and everyones says that it doesn't go sexual and it cannot attach to anything with a holdfast because it is like a brillo pad. Cost was $15 for a bag and I don't believe they will send it out via web order. I traveled to their store in Nashua , NH to get that and my Aquafuge refugium.

[cmoreash]

cowfishlover, you are very wrong

 

when co2 is dissolved into water, it becomes a liquid called carbonic acid. since acids are acidic , the pH of the water drops.

 

hth

[BCOrchidGuy]

Cowfishlover, it is an easy mistake to make.

 

In your aquarium, carbon dioxide will combine with water molecules and calcium in a dynamic equilibrium that produces hydrogen protons, bicarbonate ions, and calcium carbonate. The level of these compounds are influenced by the amount of carbon dioxide production in your aquarium.

 

Carbon dioxide can profoundly affect your water quality. Excessive amounts will lower your pH, however, it will also affect the buffering capacity of your water to lower your carbonate hardness. Moreover, carbon dioxide will also affect calcium levels in your water.

 

cmoreash, when CO2 is introduced from resperation or other means it reacts with the water to form carbonic acid which quickly dissociates to produce bicarbonates and hydrogen ions. Partial water changes and the addition of suppliments like calcium hydroxide etc, help restore and maintain alkalinity. If respired CO2 is removed almost as quickly as it is produced the tank will remain in aquilibrium, and there will be no net change in the pH. On the other hand if carbonate and bicarbonate ions are being removed from the aquarium by photosynthesis the pH may rise. The effects of photosynthesis should be closely examined because photosynthesis is a light dependant process. In the dark, plants and algae respire more or less identically to animals etc.. For this reason the pH of an aquarium is likely to drop at night and typically be at its lowest just before the lights go on in the morning and at its highest just before the lights go off at night.

 

I am sure I will face criticism from some but lets face it water chemistry is NOT a simple subject, keep the comments subjective folks and lets figure this out.

[cmoreash]

thanks for expanding that for me BC

[ekudl]

I just recently got some chaetomorpha for my fuge from inland reef Aquaria , web site www.inlandreef.com. So far it seems to be good and everyones says that it doesn't go sexual and it cannot attach to anything with a holdfast because it is like a brillo pad. Cost was $15 for a bag and I don't believe they will send it out via web order. I traveled to their store in Nashua , NH to get that and my Aquafuge refugium.