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View Full Version : Lighting Question - How Long? (Pics) - 180 Gallon Tank

ibjhb
03/28/2009, 01:37 PM
Hello all!

I'm slowly starting to stock my tank; I don't have much in it right now. I'm slowly adding live rock as I buy some each week. The tank is 180 gallons and has an pretty powerful lighting system.

I currently have ~30+ lbs of live rock (I know, I need more) and a few anemones on one of the rocks. They seem to be doing well and I feed them every couple days.

I'm trying to figure out how long I should leave my ligths on each day.

I have three 400W Radium HRI-T bulbs (very bright) and 2 banks of 2 (4 bulbs total) purple lights (I think they are 6' long each).

Here's the 400Ws:
http://www.ibjhb.com/fish/180Gallon/DSC03940.jpg


Here's more about my tank:

http://180gallon.blogspot.com/

Here's the whole tank before I started stocking it:
http://www.ibjhb.com/fish/180Gallon/DSC03983.jpg

Here's a picture of the lights:
http://www.ibjhb.com/fish/180gallon/DSC03925.JPG
Geodriller
03/28/2009, 01:52 PM
By the sounds of you have aiptasia or majanos on the LR. If that is the case I would be trying to kill them not feed them.

If you are still cycling you dont need to run lights at all. after all is said and done and you have corals, w/ that amount of light you should be fine w/ 6-8 hours of daylight a day.
ibjhb
03/28/2009, 01:59 PM
The tank has been running since January and isn't still cycling.

Here are the anemones:
http://www.ibjhb.com/fish/180Gallon/DSC04490.jpg

They aren't very open in that pic (that was after I first brought them home three weeks ago).

I'm running the main lights for 8 hrs a day now but was reading online that I should be running them 10-11 hrs but wasn't sure if that was necessary.
Geodriller
03/28/2009, 02:09 PM
IMHO it is not necessary to run your lights that much (10-11). I think you are fine as is.

Cool nems to. what are they, black anemone?

nice looking linkia aswell
ibjhb
03/28/2009, 02:12 PM
Honestly, I'm not sure what kind they are. They're dark reddish (not black). I'll take some pictures later when they are fully open so you can get a better idea.
Geodriller
03/28/2009, 02:17 PM
cool.

They may be RBTA