Lamp for refugium?

[reefknight]

I pucrhased your standard metal reflector clip on fixture from Lowe's earlier today, but I wasn't sure about the lamp itself. what is everyone using? I thought about a CF flood lamp, but wasn't sure it would put out enough light to grow anything.

I also bought a cheap Rubbermaid container(meant as a stacking basket) with holes through out it, thought it would be good to hold some chaeto in my sump. Planning on running this as reverse daylight photo period .

Any thoughts would be great!

 

[jade76]

yep thats the light fixture that you need for sure....its the bulb thats debatable...I use a compact flourescant in a flood bulb design(with the reflector material dipped onto the inner walls of the bulbs glass and look for about 7200K. Thats what ive always used with spectacular results.

 

[calireefer]

I second what jade says. I use two of the 26w over my sump and grow all kinds of macro algae, mangroves and xenia.

 

[navyreefer]

Jade, can you link one of those bulbs from somewhere so I can see what you are talking about?

 

[reefknight]

Thanks folks, that was along my line of thinking as well. It never hurts to ask though.

 

[haninja]

The recommended bulb is 5100 K.
Read all about it:

 

[krb]

the curly daylight bulbs from HD are around $5 and are 5500K

 

[reefknight]

haninja;155619 wrote: The recommended bulb is 5100 K.
Read all about it: http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html">http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html</a>[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the link, I didn't even think about looking at Marc's site. I think it should be everyones first stop.

 

[corigan]

Really any bulb from around 5100-6800k will do what you want it to do. The low spectrum will look more yellow and the high spectrum will look more white. This is highly debated on some forums, but the general consesus seems to be that 6500k is a close match to noon sunlight.

Matt

 

[slayer]

walmart has 5500 k cf bulbs ...you get 2 of them for $5.. thats what i use over my 120 gall refuge...cheato grows all the time..