RED LED Refugium Lighting?

bdare · 02/27/2017, 10:13 AM

Hey guys,

I'm starting to get back into the hobby after some time away. Trying to get a good consensus on what is the best light for refugiums. Used to be a spiral 6500K bulb in a clip on light fixture worked great.

I've been doing a little reading on algae scrubbers. Seems to be that RED led's are the way to go. Is there any reason to think that red led's therefore would not be the way to go with lighting macro algae in your sump?
http://algaescrubber.zohosites.com/lighting-led.html

The algae scrubber implementation says not to use lenses, but the lights are close to the screen. I would think we could throw some lenses on LED's suspended over the sump to light algae? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks,
Ben

jayball · 02/27/2017, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdare

Hey guys,

I'm starting to get back into the hobby after some time away. Trying to get a good consensus on what is the best light for refugiums. Used to be a spiral 6500K bulb in a clip on light fixture worked great.

I've been doing a little reading on algae scrubbers. Seems to be that RED led's are the way to go. Is there any reason to think that red led's therefore would not be the way to go with lighting macro algae in your sump?
http://algaescrubber.zohosites.com/lighting-led.html

The algae scrubber implementation says not to use lenses, but the lights are close to the screen. I would think we could throw some lenses on LED's suspended over the sump to light algae? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks,
Ben

If you are just growing chaeto and other green macro then red led's supplemented with a little blue or white works and is about as efficient as you can get. If you are going for more diverse algae than you may need something more balanced. I can not imagine a red macro like gracilla or dragon breath would do well under mostly red LED.

The cheapest way to do this would be to get some horticulture panels off of amazon.

d2mini · 02/27/2017, 11:15 AM

I dunno about red led bulbs, but I run the Mars Hydro 300 led, check Amazon.
It appears very pink but is a full spectrum grow light.
No problem growing red macros.

bo0sted2g · 02/27/2017, 11:26 AM

I use a TaoTronics 36w led grow bulb and have to harvest my chaeto every few days

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jda · 02/27/2017, 11:48 AM

Just get a daylight CFL bulb. Cheap, low wattage and very effective.

Algae has not changed since you got out.

marper331 · 02/27/2017, 11:54 AM

i use a 6500K LED 12 hours a day. Chaeto grows fast.

tc2007 · 03/18/2017, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marper331

i use a 6500K LED 12 hours a day. Chaeto grows fast.

Can you link to your LED?

hipertec · 03/21/2017, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bo0sted2g

I use a TaoTronics 36w led grow bulb and have to harvest my chaeto every few days

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is ti OK to keep this bulb on 24hr/7days wk?
Does it get hot?
And how narrow is the beam? Does it cover the length of your tank?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

frankv702 · 03/21/2017, 09:46 PM

When I had my refugium, I used a kessil H150 grow light. Best refugium light I've ever used by far. My chaeto was a deep dark green and would grow super dense. It outperformed my cfl 6500k bulb. I run it on my algae scrubber now and it outperforms the par38 bulb I have on the other side. They're pricey but it's a form of filtration so I don't mind spending the extra money on it.

Newms118 · 04/02/2018, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bo0sted2g

I use a TaoTronics 36w led grow bulb and have to harvest my chaeto every few days

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Any updates on this Taotronics LED bulb? I just go the full spectrum one and started using it tonight. The light is pink so I'm wondering how itll do. I have a range of macros in the fuge that were growing pretty slow, so hopefully this guy will speed it up.

Here is the one I ordered: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748D2SMB..._t3_B01FWZVBIC

redlobstor · 04/03/2019, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newms118

Any updates on this Taotronics LED bulb? I just go the full spectrum one and started using it tonight. The light is pink so I'm wondering how itll do. I have a range of macros in the fuge that were growing pretty slow, so hopefully this guy will speed it up.

Here is the one I ordered: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748D2SMB..._t3_B01FWZVBIC

I was wondering if you had an update on these bulbs, especially the full spectrum one.

bdare · 04/03/2019, 09:31 AM

Check out the BRS videos on refugium lighting. Pretty remarkable test results and definitely helped me choose a bulb.

redlobstor · 04/03/2019, 10:21 AM

Thanks I did see that which is why I was checking into the red and blue LEDs and saw the full spectrum light by Tao tronics. If you don't mind me asking what light did you go with?

bdare · 04/03/2019, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redlobstor

Thanks I did see that which is why I was checking into the red and blue LEDs and saw the full spectrum light by Tao tronics. If you don't mind me asking what light did you go with?

Kessil H380.

houstonreefer · 04/03/2019, 11:49 AM

If budget allows, go with Kessil.

redlobstor · 04/03/2019, 03:47 PM

Thanks for the replies. The kessil looks nice but expensive.

Newms118 · 04/05/2019, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redlobstor

Thanks for the replies. The kessil looks nice but expensive.

I can vouch for the Taotronics. The one that I listed above is still kicking and puts out some serious light. The macros I have left will "pearl" or start releasing bubbles quickly when the light is on, and I had no issue growing plants. I ended up losing a lot of my plants but thats because I'm still battling the hair algae and didnt out compete it enough with the macros. But for sure this one works well, and I'm just using one screwed into a clip on light I picked up from Home Depot.

redlobstor · 04/05/2019, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newms118

I can vouch for the Taotronics. The one that I listed above is still kicking and puts out some serious light. The macros I have left will "pearl" or start releasing bubbles quickly when the light is on, and I had no issue growing plants. I ended up losing a lot of my plants but thats because I'm still battling the hair algae and didnt out compete it enough with the macros. But for sure this one works well, and I'm just using one screwed into a clip on light I picked up from Home Depot.

Thanks for the feedback. Out of curiosity what kind of macros did you have?

reelredfish · 04/05/2019, 10:12 PM

AI Fuge working well here.

Nrdau · 04/12/2019, 06:41 AM

Second the ai

02/27/2017, 10:13 AM	#1
bdare Salty Dude Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Rockwall, TX Posts: 1,322 Blog Entries: 3	RED LED Refugium Lighting? Hey guys, I'm starting to get back into the hobby after some time away. Trying to get a good consensus on what is the best light for refugiums. Used to be a spiral 6500K bulb in a clip on light fixture worked great. I've been doing a little reading on algae scrubbers. Seems to be that RED led's are the way to go. Is there any reason to think that red led's therefore would not be the way to go with lighting macro algae in your sump? http://algaescrubber.zohosites.com/lighting-led.html The algae scrubber implementation says not to use lenses, but the lights are close to the screen. I would think we could throw some lenses on LED's suspended over the sump to light algae? Has anyone tried this? Thanks, Ben __________________ 220 Mixed Reef GeoCaRx, GHL Profilux 4, Octopus Skimmer, Kessil 360X 2 x Maxspect Gyre XF350

02/27/2017, 11:15 AM	#3
d2mini Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 10,344	I dunno about red led bulbs, but I run the Mars Hydro 300 led, check Amazon. It appears very pink but is a full spectrum grow light. No problem growing red macros. __________________ -dennis Elos Diamond 120xl \| Elos Stand \| Radion G4 Pros \| GHL Profilux Controller \| LifeReef Skimmer \| LifeReef Sump Photos taken with a Nikon D750 or Leica M.

04/03/2019, 09:31 AM	#12
bdare Salty Dude Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Rockwall, TX Posts: 1,322 Blog Entries: 3	Check out the BRS videos on refugium lighting. Pretty remarkable test results and definitely helped me choose a bulb. __________________ 220 Mixed Reef GeoCaRx, GHL Profilux 4, Octopus Skimmer, Kessil 360X 2 x Maxspect Gyre XF350

04/03/2019, 10:21 AM	#13
redlobstor Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Kissimmee, FL Posts: 92	Thanks I did see that which is why I was checking into the red and blue LEDs and saw the full spectrum light by Tao tronics. If you don't mind me asking what light did you go with? __________________ but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon mixed reef. Fish are a powder blue tang and a lightning filefish. Smokeless with some macros growing in the sump.

04/03/2019, 03:47 PM	#16
redlobstor Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Kissimmee, FL Posts: 92	Thanks for the replies. The kessil looks nice but expensive. __________________ but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon mixed reef. Fish are a powder blue tang and a lightning filefish. Smokeless with some macros growing in the sump.

02/27/2017, 11:26 AM	#4
bo0sted2g Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Vail Colorado Posts: 215	I use a TaoTronics 36w led grow bulb and have to harvest my chaeto every few days Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/27/2017, 11:48 AM	#5
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Just get a daylight CFL bulb. Cheap, low wattage and very effective. Algae has not changed since you got out.

02/27/2017, 11:54 AM	#6
marper331 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Boston Posts: 62	i use a 6500K LED 12 hours a day. Chaeto grows fast.

03/21/2017, 09:46 PM	#9
frankv702 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 132	When I had my refugium, I used a kessil H150 grow light. Best refugium light I've ever used by far. My chaeto was a deep dark green and would grow super dense. It outperformed my cfl 6500k bulb. I run it on my algae scrubber now and it outperforms the par38 bulb I have on the other side. They're pricey but it's a form of filtration so I don't mind spending the extra money on it.

04/03/2019, 11:49 AM	#15
houstonreefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 53	If budget allows, go with Kessil.

04/05/2019, 10:12 PM	#19
reelredfish Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: DFW,Area Posts: 798	AI Fuge working well here.

04/12/2019, 06:41 AM	#20
Nrdau Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 50	Second the ai