how long should I run my MH?

[ekoroknay]

How long should I run my lighting for my 12g aquapod. I recently bought a 150w Sunpod and love it. I have slowly added more and more lighting lime to the tank and now am up to hours on, 2 hours off and 3 hours back on.
How long should I be running my lighting?

[leftcoastreefer]

You should only turn you halide on once a day to prolong the life of your bulb. As for photoperiod, watch your corals. I used to run my halide 8hrs a day, and when I switched to 6hrs a day I noticed better sps growth and my zoas stay open all the time.

[imchris]

I run mine for 6hrs too.

[dogstsx]

Same here 6 hrs a day.

[boakley]

A stupid question, sorry. For the sunpod in a small tank, what other lighting do you run when the halides are off, just the supplemental LED's? Can't really fit any other lights over the tank. I have a sunpod over my Solana and don't get to enjoy it too much if the main halide is only on for 6-8 hours a day. What time to you bring it on and off if you only run for 6 hours?

[xmadcowx]

I have an outer orbit, same thing as a sunpod + 4 t5s. Here is a rough idea of my period:

T5s ON - 3pm
HQI ON - 3:30
T5s OFF - 4pm
T5s ON - 9pm
HQI OFF - 9:30pm
T5s OFF - 10pm

Still gives me time to enjoy the tank with the lights on, while making sure the lights are on in the tank when the sun is on that side of the house.

[leftcoastreefer]

A stupid question, sorry. For the sunpod in a small tank, what other lighting do you run when the halides are off, just the supplemental LED's? Can't really fit any other lights over the tank. I have a sunpod over my Solana and don't get to enjoy it too much if the main halide is only on for 6-8 hours a day. What time to you bring it on and off if you only run for 6 hours?

Evil66 makes an LED retro with 3x cree xre that slides into the leg rails of the sunpod. For all of you wanting extra supplements. I'm sure the retro would fit orbit and satellite fixtures from current as well.

[boakley]

That would be interesting retro. I searched for "Evil66" and there is no such member on RC (lots of other "Evil..." though). I currently have the sunpod on the legs to sit on the rim of the tank, but maybe it could still fit. Right now I am using the white and blue LED's in the Sunpod to simulate sun up/down and to supplement light when the MH's aren't on. I was running my MH's for about 10 hrs a day from a Galaxy ballast which I am finding out is way too long.

[leftcoastreefer]

That would be interesting retro. I searched for "Evil66" and there is no such member on RC (lots of other "Evil..." though). I currently have the sunpod on the legs to sit on the rim of the tank, but maybe it could still fit. Right now I am using the white and blue LED's in the Sunpod to simulate sun up/down and to supplement light when the MH's aren't on. I was running my MH's for about 10 hrs a day from a Galaxy ballast which I am finding out is way too long.

My bad, Evilc66 is his SN. He also makes the LED spotlights they sell on nanotuners.com. The retro for the sunpod is 3 led's, you take one of the legs off your pod, slide the retro in and put your leg back on. Your legs are still usable with the retro. The led's on your sunpod are very old technology. Just 3 cree leds would completely light your tank up, and there so bright you cannot look directly at them. I run 4 3watt luxeons over my tank, and they are comparable to the sunpod retro. I would say they do the same job as t5 actinics would.

[cubow78]

wow good to know i was going to leave mone on for 11 hrs ty