Light timing

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TangoTank

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 4, 2012
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If you're only supposed to run the lights 5-6 hrs per day, correct me if I'm wrong... what kind of schedule do you follow? I'm thinking run my white lights first part of the day then my blue lights later kinda like evening. Will that affect anything adversely? B/c the overall light exposure will be 10 hrs. Everything looks best w/ both lights running but I'd like to extend the amount of time the tank is lighted but I don't want to do that at the detriment of the tank. I have a 75 gal open top w/ fluorescent tube lighting, so there's 8- half length tubes, 1 fish & 1 shrimp & live rock, about 50 lbs short of what i need. Thks!
 
I run my lights on timers Blues on at 12:00 pm Whites on at 1:00 pm Off at 8:00 pm Blues Off at 9:00 pm Moon lights on a 9:30 Off at 1:00 am This lets me enjoy the tank when im home
I have a lot of coral so the longer photo period is needed
 
I run my lights on timers Blues on at 12:00 pm Whites on at 1:00 pm Off at 8:00 pm Blues Off at 9:00 pm Moon lights on a 9:30 Off at 1:00 am This lets me enjoy the tank when im home
I have a lot of coral so the longer photo period is needed

Great, thanks! Im pretty sure I don't have moon lights. I need to get something like that, they have no effect on the tank, right? And a longer photo period where my tank doesn't need it could instigate undesirable algae growth, right?
 
You don't need moonlights. Out in the ocean, the sun beats on the water for how many hours? The point is to give corals as close to their natural habitat as possible. Water parameters and a photo period.
I run my blues for 10 hours and my daylights for 6. No moonlights.
Algae growth needs 3 things- water, light, and nutrients. keep your water pristine and you'll be fine.
 
Right the moon lights are just for me. I like to watch and see what comes out after sunset
 
You don't need moonlights. Out in the ocean, the sun beats on the water for how many hours? The point is to give corals as close to their natural habitat as possible. Water parameters and a photo period.
I run my blues for 10 hours and my daylights for 6. No moonlights.
Algae growth needs 3 things- water, light, and nutrients. keep your water pristine and you'll be fine.

I want the moon lights b/c I just want extra light time w/out promoting algae growth. Of course my water won't be pristine b/c I buy my saltwater (some day I'll have RO/DI in my house if I decide I like keeping up w/ this marine tank). I do my best w/ all your recommendations mr_X ;)

Actually, today my NitrAtes were ZERO. No joke, my almost 9 yr old was jumping for joy showing me the test as we let it sit as we went about our biz today. I'm AMAZED. Totally attribute it to your help, Gregcoyote's, Sniperhank's & others' posts to me & just stuff I've researched from you guys in other posts. Really didn't expect that this fast as I haven't added the Chaeto yet!!

So I can do 10 hrs on blue tube lights & be ok?? I don't have any corals. The blues are my fave, when they run w/ the white, everything really pops. As for the algae, I just have purple coralline now but being a freshy, I want to PREVENT nuisance algae... once it's there, ugh. Harder to combat than just to prevent. I want to get an algae Blenny but I wonder about if he'll go hungry, do I wait for it to crop up first?? I imagine I can supplement his diet.
 
Right the moon lights are just for me. I like to watch and see what comes out after sunset

Yeah, who needs a TV?? I've got a fishtank! I actually say this regularly. And can watch my tank for hours.
 
You will be adding algae to the tank in the form of nori sheets (this can be found at asian markets and regular super markets, for much cheaper than the LFS). Algae blennies do eat this, but they also graze. They don't eat hair algae as far as I've seen. Just what you scrape off the glass with your mag float/algae scraper. They also take meaty foods, like flake, pellets, pieces of chopped seafood..etc.
These behaviors may not be immediate however.
 
You will be adding algae to the tank in the form of nori sheets (this can be found at asian markets and regular super markets, for much cheaper than the LFS). Algae blennies do eat this, but they also graze. They don't eat hair algae as far as I've seen. Just what you scrape off the glass with your mag float/algae scraper. They also take meaty foods, like flake, pellets, pieces of chopped seafood..etc.
These behaviors may not be immediate however.

Good to know, thanks!! I like Nori myself. HA!
 
Here's my light set up, it's Configuration C:

image-1315391646.jpgimage-3594534068.jpgimage-939129881.jpgimage-1479912748.jpgimage-2100275615.jpg

It's says there's a Lunar Light... Something about completing the 24hr lighting cycle. So what exactly is that?? I want to know the most amount of time I can leave the lights on even if just the blues.
 
I wouldnt do more than 14 hrs (less if algae starts to grow) as the tank will need a dark period so the fish can rest plus some of the stuff that lives in the tank will only feed after dark
 
The moonlight spawning thing is theory. Sure this may be just the thing in the wild, but I've had systems with and without moonlights and saw no difference. Just make sure the supplied moonlight isn't too bright. Some fixtures have some moonlights that look almost like actinics are on.
 
I wouldnt do more than 14 hrs (less if algae starts to grow) as the tank will need a dark period so the fish can rest plus some of the stuff that lives in the tank will only feed after dark

Oh man, I hate experimenting!! My LFS actually said that if lights are running well, like bulbs need replacement, it's actually a spectrum the algae will love. I plan to replace the bulbs as I'm pretty sure they're old. She said as long as I don't have corals the lights are fine as is.

The moonlight spawning thing is theory. Sure this may be just the thing in the wild, but I've had systems with and without moonlights and saw no difference. Just make sure the supplied moonlight isn't too bright. Some fixtures have some moonlights that look almost like actinics are on.

Mine are Actinics b/c there's no extra LED or anything for the "moon light." It's just the 8 bulbs, 4 Actinics & 4 white.
 
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