Timers...

[Lonewolfblue]

Currently I'm using a timer to turn on the lights on the planted tank, and then the moonlights at night. Just wondering if I should add 1 more timer, and have 260W come on in the morning, then maybe 11am, the other 260W come on, then at 5pm, 260W go off, then at 9pm, the other 260W go off and the moonlights come on. Does that sound like a good idea or just leave it as it is? Or does it really matter?

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

I use 2 timers,

1) turns on a 32w T8 at the front around 11am. and off @ 11:30pm
2) turns on the other 96w T8 and 80w T12's at 11:30am and off @ 11:00pm

Moon lights are on 24/7, why not, they take very little power and aren't effecting the light level.

Still think yer nuts

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Still think yer nuts

LOL. Was the only way I can get my Ludwigia repens to turn back to red. They are almost all red now. 260W wasn't enough, they were turning green.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Still think yer nuts

LOL. Was the only way I can get my Ludwigia repens to turn back to red. They are almost all red now. 260W wasn't enough, they were turning green.

Red by nature, or red cuz their burning

 

[CGGorman]

I run a dawn/dusk effect, too. My ramp is much faster than yours, though. I think I ramp up/down in about an hour. I also have a timer on my moonlights. Those overlap dawn and dusk by about 30 mins. each.

It's a mess under the tanks with all those timers. I'm using an "octopus" extension cord at the moment, but I think I'm going to build a timer panel. I have trouble with the timers moving around and getting jammed against the cannister, CO2 cylinder, stand, each other, etc. or bumped and re-set by me fumbling around under there for chemicals or the python, or whatever.

 

[Zezmo]

I use 3 timers on my 55g main tank. Timer 1 has half the lights, they go on for a half hour in the morning so I can feed the fish. Then they go on from noon to 10pm at night.
The second timer, turns on the other half of the lights, the CO2 solenoid, and the cooling fan for the lights. This goes on from noon until 10 minutes before 10pm at night.
The Third timer runs the moonlights and a air-pump/airstone It is on from 10pm at night, until 10am in the morning.
They are digital timers, so those are the Monday to Friday settings. On the weekends, everything turns on at 8am and stays on until 10pm