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View Full Version : How important is a light schedule and why?


jackets22
03/10/2008, 01:07 PM
How important is a light schedule and why?

Just not educated enough about this and would like to be :)

Aquarist007
03/10/2008, 01:11 PM
If you are talking about simulating a day on the reef or lenght of light or photoperiod.

simulating day
attinics on for 12 hours
metal halides on for 10 so the attinics stay on one hour before the halides and one hour after representing morning , mid day, and evening.
In this case I have found alot of corals prefer to eat in the morning or evening and this is when I feed them

as far as photoperiod--extending halides ect when not needed can accelerate nuisance algae growth, can make cyano outbreaks worse, can cause heat problems and can definetly make a dent in your pocketbook on hydro bills

NewFish3
03/10/2008, 01:17 PM
It depends on what you have in the tank.

If fish only.....they dont realy care if the lights are on or not.

Corals....and anemones need light. About 6 to 8 hours a day.

However if you keep the lights on too long like some people do...you WILL get algae. at first I had the lights on from 8 am to 9 pm...... way too much, I had a algae pond.

I now have the lights on timers

It really doesn't mater when the lights are on... AM / PM....just need to be on for 6 to 8 hours or so.

papagimp
03/10/2008, 01:34 PM
As you seen from previous replies, this can be imporant, also may not. Fish typically don't care, although keeping lights on 24 hours will surely effect their "rest time". As well as massive algae growth being fueled from constant lighting.

Some species will require a night time, such as the nocturnal bangaii cardinal fish, they spawn about an hour or two after lights are out. They will readily adapt to day time life, but many nocturnal species will not. And changing the time lights are out is not the same thing, they KNOW what time it is, lol.

Stuff like corals and other photosythetic livestock will require a light cycle for sure. Keeping a good working light regime will make a big difference. Doesn't have to be 100% consistant though as their will be cloud cover, rain, storms, ect. ect. in nature that may block lighting to a portion of the reef for however long. But keeping some things such as when lights come on and off the same may be more important than most think.

jackets22
03/10/2008, 06:02 PM
Thanks for the replys.

I just have been getting up in the morning and turning the lights on and turning them off at night whenever I am done viewing or heading to bed. It is a schedule of sorts but not real structured. They do get enough light maybe a bit too much but they also get the downtime at night when I am sleeping.

I think my best bet is to get a timer..

jamest0o0
03/10/2008, 06:08 PM
yes get a timer!!! makes life so much easier : )

bertoni
03/10/2008, 06:10 PM
I use a $20 timer from the hardware store. It's worth it for the convenience, in my experience.

Aquarist007
03/10/2008, 06:14 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12058969#post12058969 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
I use a $20 timer from the hardware store. It's worth it for the convenience, in my experience.

After going through 6:rolleye1: corallife timers(all under warranty)
I went to the 20 dollar timers---actually I didn't splurge like Bertoni did--they were 12 dollars each and I have had no problems with them.

tuckrule
03/10/2008, 06:41 PM
I run my actinics 2 white and 2 blue from 7am to 7 pm and 2Mh's from 11 to 3. To me, that closely represents out door lighting.