Growing red ogo

[Notophthalmus]

I'm a newbie to SW, and my first tank is laughably simple- a ten gallon with a UGF (I know, but I intend to keep the bioload small) and some gravel. I picked up some amphipod-and-polychaete-infested red algae at the lfs today, which the clerk called 'red ogo'. I asked what sort of lighting it needed to survive and grow; he told me "fluorescent", which was not all that helpful.

So...can any of you tell me more about this alga and its needs?

 

[Amphiprion]

Preferably power compact lighting or brighter if you really want to encourage growth.

 

[Notophthalmus]

Thanks, Amphiprion. Is there a specific wattage or color temp I should look for?

 

[Amphiprion]

As far as wattage (though this is heavily generalized), shoot for higher ones. I use 2 65w compacts on my refugium, for instance. I'd also shoot for a warm color temperature--one that reasonably approximates sunlight. I use a 6500K and a 5500K bulb.

 

[Notophthalmus]

Much appreciated! It'll be a while before I can afford a PC fixture, so I may just set it in a sunny window with a couple CFLs shining on it for the moment.

 

[Amphiprion]

Compact fluorescent = power compact for all intents and purposes. Try out one of the compact fluorescent spotlights (bulb is built into a spot lamp with reflector, etc.) from the hardware store. Those work well, IME.

 

[Notophthalmus]

That'll work. I've got some old incandescent reflectors in which I can put a high-wattage CFL or two. I thought perhaps PC's were more efficient than screw-in CFL's.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Amphiprion]

More efficient? Some may be, whereas others may not. You'd need to measure them to reach that conclusion. I'd think that a highly reflected spotlamp CF with a low Kelvin rating would be more photosynthetically "intense."