Cheapest Refugium Lights from Home Depot?

[themastr]

Hey guys

Just wondering if anyone has research on the Cheapest best possible Compact Florescent lights for the Refugium. I'm not looking for anything fancy but the correct spectrum for growing plants. I'm also planning on running it 24 hours a day. I have a 55 gallon drum with a deep sand bed, live rocks, cheato and mangroves as a Refugium. I have a MH setup but electricity will cost me too much. Hoping to use those low wattage CF bulbs. Anyone have any inputs?


LMK

Thanks
Erick

[mark]

See Melevsreef article (http://melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html)

I'm using the type with the integral reflector (23W 5000K) and great growth with Chaeto but good luck finding at HD (ended up getting from lighting rep).

HD carries the regular spiral CFL with the high colour, in a clip lamp with reflector probably would be okay.

[whatcaneyedo]

I've been growing caulerpa, chaeto and gracillaria for a few years with 23W CF 6500K Daylight bulbs in a clip lamp. But I have a sheet of glass between the waters surface and the bulbs because cleaning salt off of a spiral bulb is a real pain... plus I doubt its good for them.

[Myka]

Buy a couple of those clip on ulitity lights for like $12-15 each and put 6500K spiral fluorescents in them. You can find the lamps in different colors; usually stainless steel, black or white, and then stainless steel or white on the inside. They all do the trick. I use Philips 23w 6500K bulbs in mine.

http://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/1556122052c-1.jpg

[pinhead]

Get yourself a Circline screw-in circular fluorescent tube - the type where you take out the incandescent bulb and replace it with a circular fluorescent. They sell these in 23W and in 28w. The 28w ones are more difficult to find but you can just take the circular tube off and replace it with a 27W daylight CF bulb. These are the flat 4 tube replacement bulbs. The connector on the Circline will fit into the CF bulb (it is a Square pattern) with no cutting or soldering. Should cost you less that $25 for everything and you will get more light directed at the refugium than the spiral bulbs.


If you're not sure what you are looking for, I'll try to dig up some links on Home Depot's site.

[BadPhish]

Anyone know if Home Depot carrys come kind of cheap small submersible light? I want it for a fuge in my biocube.

[themastr]

So I'm going to order 3 of these online.

http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/PROD/Reflectors/1P381951

Will place an order tonight so if anyone is interested let me know. Shipping is pretty expensive so I'm going to order enough to last me a year or two.


Thanks for all the help and advice

Erick