Salt Newbie w/Questions

[Otherone]

Got the refugium light and bought a 65W plant grow light both from Lowes. They didn't have a 50/50 light, so hopefully what I have works.

I also tested my water this evening, fully expecting the worst, and was pleasantly surprised: 1.023 salinity (which was my target, the fish were used to 1.019 and I've been moving it up gradually), 0.25ppm phosphate (I thought with all my brown algae that this was higher), and my nitrates were undetectable (bright yellow on the API reef test). I'm not worried about calcium and hardness now since I don't have corals, but I have tests for both of those too (someone let me know if I need to be concerned about those numbers with FOWLR).

Not sure how deep your frig is but 1x 65w might be good enuff and the "Blue" band isn't as critical with plants as it is with zooxanthellae algae.

As for Alk - so long as the PH is stable @ 8.2-8.4 your fine only thing that might be affected is coraline with too much or too little Cal + Mag. I wouldn't use Reef pro salt mixes for FOWLR.

"Brown" algae on the glass isn't algae - they are Diatoms a bactereria that also require Silicates from the sand and or water supply. Green algae spots on the glass are from Po4 and .025 is very good but keep monitering it if your gonna do corals someday. Po4 can build in aquariums -For FOWLR no big deal.