Quartz halogen light and macroalgae

[steelhealr]

Hi...would 10 watts of quartz halogen lighting, spectrum 3000K, support macroalgae in a small refugium? In a 24G nano cube without upgraded lighing, ie, 72 watts 50/50 cpf, do you think it would cause a major heating problem (with an upgraded swapped out stock pump with a Maxijet 1200)? Thanks for your time and expertise (got no responses of late in the OTHER forum..lol). SH

 

[sammydee]

It would work as far as the spectrum is concerned (not brilliant bu perfectly useable) plenty bright enough too... heat is the real issue. Make sure the hood's well ventialted and you shouldn't have a problem. I don't have a nano-cube though so I don't know anything about their hoods.

 

[Navarre]

3000k i? we are talking a very yellow light ifi read you correctly. yes it willprmote algae.. lots of it. totally unsuitable for corals though.

If we are talking about the halide 10k 14k and 20k range then these are far more suited for a marine tank.

 

[sammydee]

I think he means like those table lamps you get which have a 12 volt halogen bulb in. They are around 3000k, which is perfect for algae but as Navarre, said unsuitable for corals.

If it's a refugium though, that's exactly what he needs I would have thought.

 

[steelhealr]

Exactly Sammydee...I found a possible great idea to avoid all the rewiring and retrofitting of that 'darn' Nano Cube' hood. The hood has two fans so I think it should handle the heat. The comment above is correct..it is to supply light in the back sump to convert one of the cubes chambers into a refugium. I think it's a go. SH

 

[RamJet]

I think I might know the light your talking about, or at lest a simalar light. I used it on a 2.5 gallon nano I had. If it has any metals, it will rust quicker than you can say "sassafrassmelonjelly". (Just made that up myself ) Might want to coat it with something to prevent this from happening. Other than that it sounds like a good route to take. I cant think of any reason why it wouldnt work.

 

[sammydee]

Well if it is on the back - doesn't need to exactly be above it. If there's only algae in the refugium, I'm sure it won't mind if the light comes from the side. That would also mean less work to try to get the light into the hood as well.

I could probably have a better idea of what you are trying to do if you posted some pics of your hood?

 

[steelhealr]

The light is entirely sealed with rubber. No exposed metal at all. It actually fits right between the two fans over the middle chamber. I'm about ready to do my test run on my tank...so...I'll see how the temps go. I would think that the heat management would be better with the light OUT of the water since the fans might handle it better vs heat being transferred directly into the water. SH

 

[RamJet]

Sounds like a go. Photos would be nice when you get a chance.

 

[amstar15]

what if the light is on a hang-on refugium? some of the light spreads into the tank, and its epescially noticable at night. can this cause algae blooms in the main tank? there is about an inch between the plexi-glass of the refugium and the tank. Its just a light that says 13 watts and it has two little seperate plugs on each side of the tube. its got two tubes, but they are not connected at the end. do i need to find a different light?

 

[steelhealr]

Hi..I think the light that you are describing is a small two tube fluorescent light and I think it is safe to use. It is a popular DIY hookup for the Nano Cube to make a refugium out of the middle chamber. I don't think it would be a problem. I'm going to run a test on my tank over the next 2 days to check heat before and after the light is on. If temps stay OK....then..I'm ready to give it a go. When it's time to put macroalgae back there, I'll post if it survives or not. SH