- Today's focus: Neptune's new GRO Refugium Light,
which is one of the lowest cost options fuge options
in its wattage class, and you don't need an apex to use it.
Plus, for all you nerdy reefers out there
I have some spectrum and par data just for you.
So now, I'm going to show you
what the new GRO Light is all about.
While most fuge lights out there
have high powered single point or smaller rate LEDs,
the flat panel GRO has 84 low powered LEDs
that span six to nine inches,
giving your refugium a more even spread of light,
even at very low mounting heights.
It can cover an 18 by 24 inch refugium area,
but I would use it in a 12 by 18 inch fuge
to maximize edge to edge even coverage.
The GRO is IP64 rated,
meaning it's fully protected from water and salt spray.
So, if you have space limitations under your tank,
as most of us reefers do,
or are concerned about mounting your light
too close to the refugium's water level, don't be.
The GRO Light's water resistant design
not only allows for mounting options in tighter areas
as close as two inches from the surface of water
but also eliminates the risk or worry of salt creep damage,
the single point hotspots
which can burn or stunt macroalgae growth,
and the spillage of light outside the sump,
which can cause undesired algae to grow in other areas
like the body of your protein skimmer and the pump chambers,
which you often get when using
a higher wattage refugium light.
Also, at 20 Watts, the GRO produces almost no heat.
So there's no need for a cooling fan
and no moving parts to get salty and wet,
meaning less maintenance and longer-lasting performance.
On that same note, at 20 Watts,
which is 70 Watts less output than
some more expensive and powerful fuge light options,
you have less of a need to dim or adjust intensity
for that common 12 by 18 inch fuge area.
So, instead of wasting unused wattage or power
by dimming the light, with the GRO
you wind up using all 20 Watts you paid for.
The GRO Light has two mounting options.
The first is a clamp mount allowing you to mount
your light to any flat surface on or around your sump.
The second is a pipe mount option,
which is great when space around your fuse is limited.
You can simply attach the light
to your standard one inch PVC piping
or three quarter inch fittings, like elbows or tees,
without having to come up with some 'creative' DIY option.
So if you don't have one,
all you need is this $20 power supply.
If you already have an apex however,
there are a few additional features.
You can connect to any DC24 port
on your energy bar, 832, FMM, or 1Link module.
The bonus here, no need to take up an outlet
and no additional power brick to clutter the area.
Plus, you can follow your tank's pH trends
allowing you to dial in your fuge lighting schedule
to help offset your tank's naturally lower pH at night.
Now, for all you nerdy reefers out there, it's data time.
As a quick reminder, optimal production
of Chlorophyll A and B is commonly understood to be achieved
at peaks around 662 and 429 nanometers for Chlorophyll A,
and 642 and 445 nanometers for Chlorophyll B production.
From our spectrometer readings
the Neptune GRO peaks at 625, 660, and about 450 nanometers.
Which puts the GRO Light pretty dang close to the ideal
spectrums needed for optimal chlorophyll production ranges.
Now let's take a look at what this thing pushes out for par.
In line with our other BRStv investigates,
we tested the GRO on air rather than under water since the
majority of keto and macroalgae float up near the surface.
Starting at 14 inches, which is probably higher
than most reefers would mount a refugium light,
the GRO pushes just over 55 par in the center.
Moving the light down to 12 inches, 10 inches,
eight inches, all the way down to two inches,
which on the other end
is probably lower than most would mount,
we got par readings from 75 to 550.
So with that, because you're using all 20 Watts
of this light, instead of dimming,
you can adjust the intensity
simply by raising or lowering the mounting height,
which I would recommend sticking to about six inches
from the water surface, giving you that balance between
output and spread in a standard 12 by 18 inch refugium area.
So if you're ready to start growing your fuge,
checkout Neptune's GRO Light right over here.