Should I turn off my aquarium lights at night?

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bpch2o

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 22, 2017
Messages
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Hi everyone, please bear with me as I am a newbie to Aquarium Advice. Pleased to be a part of this aquarium community!:fish2:

I have a blood parrot cichlid, he is approximately 4 years old. Water is healthy, I feed him pellets and the occasional frozen bloodworm as a treat. I was reading on other forums that fish have circadian rhythm just like humans and it is advised that the aquarium lights are turned off at night to reduce stress and let the fish know it is time to rest. My blood parrot cichlid sleeps at night when the house is quiet and there's no outside (of the tank) activity to distract him. Sometimes if I wake up early I catch him still sleeping inside his house with his tail sticking out, and he comes out when I approach the tank. I decided to give turning off the aquarium light a try but he only felt more distressed by pointing his nose downwards, going in and out of his house, and then swimming around. After a little bit, I turned the lights back on and he seemed less distressed. He has been used to having lights on 24/7 for the last 4 years and I was unaware of the light situation up until now.

Is there a way I can transition my blood parrot cichlid to become accustomed to lights off at night or is it too late now? I simply want him to relax at night, he is a ball of energy whenever I'm around the tank, which I know is normal. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of this information or if additional information is needed.

:thanks:
 
I would just turn them off every night from now on if he goes into the dark to sleep at night anyways he should get used to it
 
May I suggest a night light? Or a dimmer if you have dimmable lights like incandescent. They make extension cords with a dimmer on it. If you have flourescent that won't work. So adding a small light with lower lumens could help transition.
 
In addition, you could put your main light on a timer and slowly increase the amount of "night time" over a period of time. That should allow for a gradual transition.
 
Maybe he could try lunars they sell just a one pod lunar circle disk or strips which replicates moonlight
 
Or turn the tank light off while the room lights are still on for a couple hours before having an actual dark time. In my experience they just don't enjoy sudden changes, which makes sense, as the sun doesn't just blink off or on in real life
 
Potluck: Moonlight as in the dark blue light for the aquarium at night, is that correct?
 
I like the night light idea too, like a very low watt lamp next to the tank, and gradually move the lamp farther away each week or longer.

If that lighting 24/7 is all he's known then I would imagine it would be stressfull to be in the dark all of a sudden.
 
Potluck: Moonlight as in the dark blue light for the aquarium at night, is that correct?
Yes it is, sorry for the late reply
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