best light bulb for refugium?

Hey guys, so I had a lot of chaeto and macroalgea. However it all died an created a spike in phosphates. I am repairing that now but need advice on the best possible bulb I can use in the refugium without breaking the bank, and where can I get it.

I have a CREE daylight Par 38 led bulb for sump and my blue white compact flourescent in my 8g macro tank both work perfect

Do you have macroalgea and chaeto in you refugium? The specs on the creek match very closely with what I currently have. However, everything died on me. It lost its color and just disintegrated.

Any floodlight in the 5k-65k range will work
I use an LED version, a little more but lasts a very long time, and I use a dome from home depot, they make them in ABS now, no metal parts, works great, my chaeto grows like crazy

This is what I use

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...psnthjwrta.jpg

I ran a short t-5 for awhile switched to a led bulb from depot. Sounds to me that there is something else causing it to die. What's the light cycle and other params of tank?

So between 5k and 65k, I will try to go closer to the 65k range. I had a 3k led but that didn't help. Lesson learned now I have to find new macroalgea and chaeto. Thanks guys.

I just gave away a bunch of chaeto, if you are near vista ever I do have more

That would be awesome! I can drive out there. When are you free?

Sounds like Rudy may be here after work tomorrow, so typically evening time is good, or weekends, just keep in mind my place is a little hard to find in the dark, windy road, just PM me.
I'm also working a job east of carmel valley, 15 and rancho bernardo center, can bring a bag there if that helps meet, up to you.

I started using these really cheap led bulbs home depot had on sale a few months ago, they were 0.97 each so I picked up about 15. They seem to work great.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/760/2...87223164_c.jpg

I installed them on 12/6/15 here was the size of the algae then:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/760/2...0669d29c_c.jpg

Current as of today 2/28/16

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1683/...bc030fa3_c.jpg

Are those the ones that are like 2700 or 3k?
I see them most common, obviously they will grow, and the fact you have 3 probably helps a good bit as well.

Yeah they are 2700K, and actually only the two on the right are the cheap bulbs, the one on the left is a par 38. My refugium is 60 gallons so the 3 bulbs give pretty good coverage. I have some zoas under the par38 so I try to keep the algae at bay in the right 2/3 of the tank.