lighting schedule

[jjoos99]

I have controllable led lights that I am trying to get my schedule set. Im just wondering what others are running their lights at? I currently have my lights start to ramp up at 2pm and shutting down at 11pm. My full strength time is set at 3 hours. Im wondering if I am running my lights long enough especially while at full strength? What do you all think?
thanks
Jeff

[outy]

11 blue on 12 whites on-----8 whites off, 9 two of three blues shut off, at 10 the center blue shuts off.

So I'm 8 hours full on and really an hour before and after

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by jjoos99

I have controllable led lights that I am trying to get my schedule set. Im just wondering what others are running their lights at? I currently have my lights start to ramp up at 2pm and shutting down at 11pm. My full strength time is set at 3 hours. Im wondering if I am running my lights long enough especially while at full strength? What do you all think?
thanks
Jeff

I'd say your schedule is iffy at best.

The zooxanthellae in coral needs 'fairly' intense light to do photosynthesis. Different corals have different levels of PAR requirements so some may be getting enough during part of the ramp up and down cycle. But corals that need higher PAR may not be getting as much as they could use with just 3 hours at your peak setting.

In the wild it's roughly from 9 or 10am through 2 or 3pm. That's 4 to 6 hours. Before and after that the sun is at too steep an angle to penetrate the water well enough to have enough PAR for photosynthesis. Over the millennia corals have evolved to this schedule and longer intense PAR doesn't improve photosynthesis (coral feeding) but the longer schedule doesn't seem to do any damage either. However there are other processes that go on inside the coral that could benefit from a longer day.

I do a 4 hour sunrise, a 4 hour midday (at rather high PAR levels) and a 5 hour sunset. I feel that the last hour of sunrise and the first hour of sunset is still intense enough that my corals get a 6 hour 'peak'.

[ktownhero]

My schedule is as follows (using an AP700 and 2x39w ATI T5s Coral + and Blue +)

12pm - on - Deep blue
1pm - 30% - 20k-ish
2pm - 70% LED peak - 14k-ish
4pm - 2xT5s turn on - Still 14k-ish, just brighter
8pm - 2x T5s turn off
10pm - Begin sunset - 20k-ish
11pm - 30% - Deep blue
12am - moon lights

So I have 12 hours of light with 8 being rather high light and 4 hours being an intense "peak" period -- though, arguably, the whole 8 hour period could be defined as "peak". Seems to work fine for me.

[billdogg]

Even with programmable LED's I am using the same schedule that has worked for me for as long as I've had tanks.

A short ramp up at 10AM to full intensity (AI Sol blues x 2 @ 45W/65B/65RB) and a slightly longer ramp down at 10PM. The only problem I have encountered doing it this way is algae growth if the nutrient level goes up. Well, that, and almost too much growth from many of my corals.

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by billdogg

Even with programmable LED's I am using the same schedule that has worked for me for as long as I've had tanks.

A short ramp up at 10AM to full intensity (AI Sol blues x 2 @ 45W/65B/65RB) and a slightly longer ramp down at 10PM. The only problem I have encountered doing it this way is algae growth if the nutrient level goes up. Well, that, and almost too much growth from many of my corals.

Yes and yes!