lighting period for cheato

[jhoff]

Will be getting some cheato i know to use a reverse daylight cycle when lights go out in the DT but for how many hours..

[Chiefsurfer]

currently mine turns on within 15 minutes of my DT lights going off, and turns off within 15 minutes of my dt turning on. DT is on 9 hrs actinic, 7 hrs daylight.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Yeah the entire time the DT lights are off will be fine. You can even leave them one 24/7

[redfishsc]

+1. All day, every day.

[mndfreeze]

Can someone explain the reverse lightining purpose? I'm about to put cheato in my tiny back first HOB overflow chamber and pick up some cheapy bulb for it, but with my setup light would bleed into the DT if it was reverse. With some work I can probably change that, but I'd really like to understand what the benefit of a reverse cycle is?

Also, Can someone point me in the right direction for a CHEAP light for just the cheato? I have a 12G nano and I peeled the outside black off the back of one of the chambers making it so I can light it down the side. However, I dont want to spent a chunk of money on a 'grow' bulb if I can use some sort of standard cheap bulb.

[Metal Man 1221]

well the purpose of reverse lighting schedual is to keep pH levels more constant by alowing the cheato to produce oxygen when the DT doesnt, skimmers help with this effect as well, reverse lighting scheduals arnt needed but do help, i would not suggest running lighting 24hrs a day because part of the photosynthetic cycle needs dark to process the nutrients, as long as the lighting cycle is consistant and doesnt fluxtuate then the cheato wont go sexual and release its stored nutrients

youcould easally pick up a cheap T8 grow bulb and put it into a standard florescent socket, thats all i use and my cheato grows well