albatross666 November 24, 2007 Share November 24, 2007 Hi I my great wisdom, I purchased a CPR HOB refuge. It works great, I already have a lot of critters, cheato and red grape algae and aptisia :( growing in it. BUT, I also have a bit of brown algae growing in the display tank, and i think i figured out why! My timer turns the main lights off and the refuge light on, so the refuge has about 14 hours of light. The light on the refuge sits about 3 inches high on pedestals. So, there is 3 inches of open space between the light and teh refuge, and light from this gap enters the tank and places quite a bit of weak light on almost all areas of the tank. Wheverver I have this "light creep", I have brown algae. So, i put a piece of cardboard to cover the opening, and it works great to block the light, but looks UGLY. So I had to put the fuge on the same schedule as the main lights. How do other members who have HOB fuges deal with this issue of light creaping into the main tank? Thanks for any ideas! As a note, the CPR refuge has black acrylic on one side so that the light does not enter the tank throught the acrylic. Here is a link to a stock picture: http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=649 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer November 24, 2007 Share November 24, 2007 (edited) Yep, I had the same issue. I fixed it with aquarium backing and double-stick tape. Not nearly as "ghetto" as you might think. tracy Edited November 24, 2007 by zotzer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 November 24, 2007 Share November 24, 2007 You could also get a piece of black acrylic and mount it as a shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albatross666 November 24, 2007 Author Share November 24, 2007 Yep, I had the same issue. I fixed it with aquarium backing and double-stick tape. Not nearly as "ghetto" as you might think. tracy EXCELLENT IDEA!!! I never thought of that! Easy, unobstrusive, cheap and EFFECTIVE! THANKS A TON Tracy! I'm headed to petco very soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer November 24, 2007 Share November 24, 2007 You'll have to measure out a couple of cuts for the fuge supports, but it's really easy. Let us know how it works out! Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier November 25, 2007 Share November 25, 2007 I did the same thing... works like a charm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albatross666 January 5, 2008 Author Share January 5, 2008 Hi I am STILL having trouble with light at night. The "sheild" covers the direct light that enters the tank, but the light reflects off the walls and through the sides of the CPR aquafuge and enters the tank too! The back of my main tank is black, so no light enters from there, but the sides are clear. The CPR light throws a halo of light around the refuge and the walls reflect the light back into the tank. The reflected light has more effect in the tank than the 8 led lunar lights i purchased. HELP! Any suggestions? I will try to remember to take a picture at night and post it here for your help. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer January 5, 2008 Share January 5, 2008 Wow....I don't know how to help you with that one. I know what you mean about light reflecting off the wall, but it doesn't seem to creep around to the sides of my tank. How big is your fuge...like is it about the same width as your tank? On my set up, the black background of the tank is plenty to keep out any stray light, but the fuge doesn't extend to the edges of my tank either. Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest webshout January 5, 2008 Share January 5, 2008 Tracy: What is that blue box haning off your 'fuge? William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zotzer January 5, 2008 Share January 5, 2008 Tracy: What is that blue box haning off your 'fuge? William The cheapest form of emergency tank life-support you can get. It's a circuit-sensing battery powered air pump. It's plugged into the power strip, and if the strip loses power, the air pump turns on automatically. Best 12 bucks you can spend in the hobby, IMO!!! Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest webshout January 5, 2008 Share January 5, 2008 The cheapest form of emergency tank life-support you can get. It's a circuit-sensing battery powered air pump. It's plugged into the power strip, and if the strip loses power, the air pump turns on automatically. Best 12 bucks you can spend in the hobby, IMO!!! Tracy Where did you pick it up? William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier January 6, 2008 Share January 6, 2008 I covered my whole fuge with tank backing... almost no light gets out... you don't get to look into your fuge but that will take care of the light. Hi I am STILL having trouble with light at night. The "sheild" covers the direct light that enters the tank, but the light reflects off the walls and through the sides of the CPR aquafuge and enters the tank too! The back of my main tank is black, so no light enters from there, but the sides are clear. The CPR light throws a halo of light around the refuge and the walls reflect the light back into the tank. The reflected light has more effect in the tank than the 8 led lunar lights i purchased. HELP! Any suggestions? I will try to remember to take a picture at night and post it here for your help. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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