lighting question

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rev190

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 30, 2006
Messages
19
This may be a lame question to some but im gonna ask anyway.How long should the lights be on? and which part of the day?

i have a 15gal (edited=2' x 1' x 1') thanks!!
 
Well that depends on what you have in your tank is there corals ?if there are you will want the lights around10-12 hours .
There is no set time to run them like 9-5 most run them for 10-12 hours (watch for algea)
I run mine from 11am-7pm daylights and acitinic 915am-815pm other than that there is no set time of day :mrgreen: HTH
 
It depends on what technology you are using. Fluorescents tend to be run for around 12 hours per day while metal halides are usually less.
 
I run my lights for 8 hours on my FOWLR. For my 125, I don't have anything in the tank yet (cycle just finished) except rotten shrimp, but I plan on the same 8 hours. I think 8-12 is a decent range.
 
actually..my bro started the 15gal setup so Im not too sure on what kind of lighting im running.its 2 tubes..1 flourescent and the other is slightly pinkish. what combo is that?

will that setup be sufficient for corals with moderate lighting needs?regarding wattage n all, i have no idea.

no i dont have any corals in there yet. I usually have my lights on at 7pm to bout 12pm. guess its alright.

thanks for the replies.
 
No by the sounds of it you do not have enough lighting for any corals ...it sounds like you have NO lights the pink sounds like it could be a full spectrum lamp for plants .... I think you would want to upgrade to PC like these
lights

light


light
or look into a MH light or retro HTH :D
 
Sadielynn said:
No by the sounds of it you do not have enough lighting for any corals ...it sounds like you have NO lights the pink sounds like it could be a full spectrum lamp for plants .... I think you would want to upgrade to PC like these
lights

light


light
or look into a MH light or retro HTH :D

:( okie. The lamp i have has only 1 on/off switch.so i dont think i can have a daylight/moonlight setup. so youre suggesting get a pc light with athnic blue light? sorry this lighting issues are so foreign to a noob like me.i think i need more info/advice on this cos i sure just wanna do things right the first time :lol: ive been browsing a few topics on lighting in the forum but i...still cant get it :oops:

thanks for the advices..
 
Any chance you can get a pic of the lights and the outside of the lid? The lights, should have Wattage printed on the bulbs. Do you have a brand name or model number?
 
for lighting you will want to try to get 10k and acitinic they do not have to have seprate switches to work .My light on the 7GMB is 72 watts pc lighting 1 50/50 and one acitinic there is only one switch . Moons are also not required they are mainly used for your viewing at nite time.... tho some argue that it encourages spawning . I really do not have an opinion one way or the other on that subject... the light on the 10 also has 72 watts pc same combo as above 50/50 and acitinc with 2 switches that just allowes me to have a diffrent program sequence than on the 7 GMB 2 swithces are nice but not required ...
Perhaps you can better discribe your lights are they just normal looking floruecent bulbs or are they "U" shaped with a plug on the end ?
As Roka said picts of the bulbs will help also the wattage will be printed on most bulbs on one end or the other ...
 
it states 36W white and pink.SHL. it came w the HETO 24" light casing/set

just another question..i cant seem to get my nitrate below 40.i checked ystrday and today after doing a 30% PWC..its still the same. im using tap water though.dechlorined and left 24hrs to cycle with a powerhead. i know i should be using RO/DI water but at this point in time..i dont have it.
 
What are your nitrAtes out of your tap? Can you updat "my info" with your tank size/equipment/critters? This will help us help you.
 
roka64 said:
What are your nitrAtes out of your tap? Can you updat "my info" with your tank size/equipment/critters? This will help us help you.

Its less than 5. i have 1 hermit,4 snails,1 damsel & 1 clown. previously my tank was overpopulated and i realised ive over fed (twice a day).becos of that most of my fishes died and the damsel n clown are the only ones ive managed to salvage. ive been trying to get my nitrates down by doing pwc's till it gets a nice reading.after that ill go for 10% weekly pwc's. but sadly i cant seem to get it down. pls advice. my fishes are doing fine though. im hoping to maintain a 10-20 reading.

Will a powerhead help?actually ive asked this in the Nano forum already.

ive also updated my profile.maybe now everyone knows wat setup i have and pls do advice if theres things to be added or ditched. my intentions is to get some moderate lighting corals after i get the nits stabled.
 
As for the nitrAtes I would seriously consider switching your H20 source to either distilled or RO/DI ... do your water change then weekly 10-20% water changes there after it will take a few changes of H20 to get the nitrAtes down so dont panic, it may take up to 4 to start seeing a steady decline you should see some decline with the first couple but give it time to get it to 0 regular changes are key to keeping them in check as to the lights sounds like regular old NO lights . If this is the case I would suggest diffrent lighting if you are seriously considering corals .
 
For a 15 I would go with 1 150 pendant with a 14k bulb(No acintic needed) but it needs to be up off the water a little.

My new 2 250's are about 7" above the water.


Or T5's on a tank that size could work wonders.
 
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