What lighting cycle do YOU use?

[DeeLee2013]

How long do you keep your lights on for your planted tank? Do you stagger them, have a midday blackout, or what? What bulbs are you using? What kind of tank? What is your tank's "sweet spot"?

Just looking for what others are doing. Thanks!!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

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36g Rescape in Progress!
10g Orchid Endler's N-Class
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[ImACoolguy]

Well you probably know I'm no expert with plants...at all...

Tank size: 75 gallons

Plants: your fairly common beginner plants plus bacopa.

Light: Finnex Planted Plus+ 48 inch.

Time: 4 hours in the afternoon.

My time is because I noticed some algae spots on my glass, it was at 5 hours. Maybe planning on a small pleco or catfish to eat the algae.

My plants are growing like weeds some such as bacopa have doubled in size since I got them!


Caleb

~10g tiger barbs
~45g ick is fixed!
~75g new community tank.

 

[Fresh2o]

Total duration is 8 hours. A 30" Finnex FugeRay is on at 3 PM and off at 8 PM. A 30" Finnex Planted+ is on at 7 PM and off at 11 PM. Overlap is 1 hour. Tank is 20g long. 12" tall. Not sure where the sweet spot is.


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[DaleV87]

Was wandering the same thing Dee.
Following...


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[fish wrangler]

2:20pm-8:54 pm with thw Fluval P24 LED(i know the turn off because im usually watching tv by the tank). Almost 7 hours of continuous light. 29 gallon. Still searching for "sweet spot".

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[F.Sam]

8 hours non-stop a day. No-one has come with concrete evidence yet zbout splitting the light-cycle. Some people claim it's beneficial, others say it doesn't change a thing. It depends on your setup I guess. There is no harm in trying


Sent per three-eyed raven..

 

[BBradbury]

Tank Lighting

Hello Dee...

I keep several, larger tanks and have a job and life too, so I try to keep things as simple as possible. The tank lights are all on a timer. I set them for 12 hours on and 12 off. It's the same as the tropics actually. Aquarium plants are tropical and used to long hours of daylight. So, I keep the lights on longer.

Pretty simple.

B

 

[DeeLee2013]

Thank you everyone for the answers thus far! Very helpful!!

Keep 'em coming!


? Diana Lee ?
? the St. Augustine Redhead ?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
36g Rescape in Progress!
10g Orchid Endler's N-Class
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

When I grew out my 17g rimless (24x12x14 " ) in its prime, I used two Current Sat+ staggered.. first light was on a ramp timer with a gradual sunrise then on for 7 hours.. the second fixture came on an hour after, so it was on for 6 hours. I also had extending viewing time with a very dim light setting that had little to no impact on photoperiod.

Other Stats:
PPS-Pro, co2 injection, and ADA AquaSoil Africana.

Here's a vid of my pride and joy.. she's still up, just not as pristine.

http://youtu.be/zJfC_x2Uckg

 

[fish wrangler]

When I grew out my 17g rimless (24x12x14 " ) in its prime, I used two Current Sat+ staggered.. first light was on a ramp timer with a gradual sunrise then on for 7 hours.. the second fixture came on an hour after, so it was on for 6 hours. I also had extending viewing time with a very dim light setting that had little to no impact on photoperiod.

Other Stats:
PPS-Pro, co2 injection, and ADA AquaSoil Africana.

Here's a vid of my pride and joy.. she's still up, just not as pristine.

http://youtu.be/zJfC_x2Uckg

I don't know what is more stunning. Some of those clips or the tank!

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[DaleV87]

That is absolutely amazing Brian!
Thanks for sharing.


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[Coursair]

I use a staggered photoperiod because I like to be home when my tank lights are on. 6-8 hours total
9-12
4-9

When my tank was in it's prime
(Cheesy music alert)
http://youtu.be/aptmdICahvM


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[Sk3lly]

Build my LED XB fixture suspended 20" above an ADA 60P tank.

On 3pm 10% intensity
5pm ramp up to 100% in 15mins
9.45pm ramp down to off

Works great for me


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[Brookster123]

Low tech 20l- current sat plus suspended @18"
Hightechs..
5.5- 16" finnex planted plus @12"
20t- 24" planted plus and 20" finnex stingray @15"
30l - 36" bml @15 running at 75%
All tanks run same light cycles, 6-9am and 4-8:30 pm

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[Delapool]

High tech (apart from the owner) co2 injected with box led lights (3).

Lights on 4 hours in morning and 4 in afternoon. Unfortunately only gravel substrate. Dry ferts and glut dosing.

The centre box LEDs are hydroponics reds but plants seem to be actually doing better on tank margins on the side box LEDs of white light. Might be too much centre light as centre plants perk up with substrate ferts and then seem to fade away.

 

[RightTurnClyde]

I do a split photo period with a Finnex Planted plus and I don't have a huge algae problem so it's working for me. 6 hours total. It's on from noon to 3:00 and then again from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm so I can enjoy it at night after work. Plants are growing fine with Excel and Seachem Iron, Potassium, and Flourish.


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[scarthell]

I use a current sat + on both my tanks. They are on timers. On around 630-7am, off at noon, on again from 4pm to 7pm.

Before the blackout period was established I had black beard algae problems but I also have ambient light from my windows hitting my tanks.

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[kspenz926]

My math was slightly off when I set my new timer, took me a week to realize that i had lights running for 15hrs straight. Algae explosion says 15hrs is NOT a good option.?


55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted