Light Timing, When On...When Off?????

[downhillbiker]

I have 760w metal halide fixture that i just bought light timers for and want to know when the lights should come on and go off. I have a mixed reef with sps, softies, polyps, and anemones.

I can turn on each separately so tell me when and what I should run for how long.

2-250w 10k MH
4-65w actinics
8-blue moon led
1-light fan
2-external fans on top of tank

I was thinking:

Actinics on at 10am

MH on at 12pm
Fans on at 12pm

MH off at 5pm
Fans off at 5pm

Actinics off at 8pm
LED on at 8pm

LED off at 10am

Is that enough light for my sps and other corals?

[Nazrac]

that is alot of light for a small tank but i run my halides 8hrs/day and 30 minutes before and 30 after on my actinics and my fuge light on when my halides are off. Makes a good light cycle closer to nature. Buy you have over 10w per gallon if you count the actinics which you really shouldnt and almost 7w/g of halides. I also run my leds 24/7 so i dont need a timer for them but they are just for looks mainly and they dont pull much of anything in the relevence of electricity.

[rbursek]

Ditto that, I do not the Actinics when the MH are on, and you can adjust the hours to your viewing time since I am home more in the evening to watch the tank MH off at 830, Actinics 900, Leds 10, but the Acts are on before and after the MH which are on for 9 hours.

[downhillbiker]

so are you saying more or less time with the MH? i can leave the led on 24/7 but how long should i have the MH on, and i will adjust schedule to my viewing times. i will also have the actinics on more like 1/2 hr before and after MH. But i will also run them with MH because i like the way it looks.

[downhillbiker]

watts per gallon is not a good measure. if you have a 5000 gallon tank with 2 250w MH on it in the middle of the tank, and have all the corals under them, the corals will do just as good as if they are in my tank which is a 72.

Does anyone have a recommended amount of time per day for me to run my 2 250 MH for sps corals?

[livelycorpse]

Personally, i like to give my tank about 8 hours of LED free darkness for some of the more shy critters in the tank. Just my .02
Don't know about the halides though, sorry :(

[downhillbiker]

ok thanks, actually the leds are ok all of the shy critter come out with them on at night, and have been for several months.

[ACBlinky]

My schedule:

11am:
Actinics on
Fan #1 (under the lights) on

1pm:
MH on
Fan #2 (over sump) on
Refugium light off

9pm:
MH off
Fan #2 off
Refugium light on

11pm:
Actinics off
Fan #1 off

Moonlights (8 LEDs running the length of the display) are on 24/7

[psteeleb]

I'd run the atincs 10-12 hours and the MHs about 8 hours. But a lot depends on when you want to view the tank. I might even run the MH's for up to 10 hours as long as heat was not a problem. I'd do this primarily for coral growth. As things start to fill in you can cut the MHs back to maybe 5 to 6 hours and save on some heat and electricity. Makoj (Feb TOTM) started reducing his MH photoperiod a few months back, I think he only runs his 5 hours a day now. His corals all look heathly and still have great color with the shorter photoperiod

[Nazrac]

here is my schedule with my tank. 1230 actinics on 1300 mh on 2100 mh off then at 2130 actinics off. Run my led's 24/7 but they are very low light. you can barely tell they are on until your eyes adjust and the room is pitch black. i aim them at my actinic bulbs which diffuses it immensely.

[Nazrac]

here is my schedule with my tank. 1230 actinics on 1300 mh on 2100 mh off then at 2130 actinics off. Run my led's 24/7 but they are very low light. you can barely tell they are on until your eyes adjust and the room is pitch black. i aim them at my actinic bulbs which diffuses it immensely. Any yes i agree W/gal means very little if you are trying to say I'm getting away with less than 3 but my corals are all up near the surface under the bulbs but you have gone the other way. I am not saying that its bad just a lot of light.