Problems from running without lights?

I'm wondering if I'll regret going without my light for a few weeks.

First of all, it is a 20g FOWLR with a few hitch hikers such as feather dusters, pineapple sponges, snails, coraline algae, brittle stars, some kind of copepod-like things, and some cool looking translucent white sponges I posted about in the ID This forum. Also my light is not that great in the first place(15w 18" T8 ), so I haven't tried to add anything that would require good lights. That's why I ws thinking it wouldn't be a problem.

I want to borrow the fixture to augment my seed starting setup for my garden and greenhouse. I'll be using it for at least 3 weeks, more if possible.



Will the coraline algae suffer? Will the snails starve? Will I regret this? Should I buy a new and better light? (of course, lol)

 

The coralline will indeed take a hit.

Not sure if the sponges are photosynthetic or not. If not everything else might be fine.

To be on the safe side I would get another fixture.

 

Coraline will suffer, and the snails..possibly, if there is no growing source of algae/food of them to munch on then that's a problem.

 

What kind of snails? Some eat detritus.

Might be a good excuse to invest in a quality unit.

 

Agree with all the above.

FWIW, actual grow bulbs for terrestrial plants, both fluorescent and incandescent, are fairly cheap, as are shop fixtures in which to run them. Might that be a better alternative for starting your seedlings?