Aqua sky settings

[Fro]

Hello fishy friends,

I’ve just completed a fishless cycle on a 250l fluval tank with 307 filter, heater and aqua sky lights. I’m planning on adding a few community fish in the coming days. Does anyone have any light setting recommendations? Im planning on using the auto settings. I’m in the room the most in the evening I.e. from 5pm till 10:30. I was therefore thinking of a late sunrise 8-9am, 9-7 daylight, 7-8 sunset, 8-10:30 strong moonlight (blue). Does this sound good or will I get too much algae with the lights on this much?

 

[Aiken Drum]

Do you have live plants?

This is my setting for live plants. Some light throughout the day so you can enjoy your fish, full light on the evening when im home which is long enough for my low demand plants.

 

[Fro]

I plan on adding Vallisneria as a live plant and a variety of community fish built up over time

 

[Aiken Drum]

I would just do max white for 6 hours, at a time to coincide with when you are normally home with 2 to 3 hours either side of that to transition from/ to low level of light. 5% white light will be enough to see your tank ok if you want some light on outside of the main lighting period. That will give low demand plants like vals enough light without too much algae.

Adjust the RGB to suit how you want the colour in the tank to look to your personal preference.

Overnight either turn everything off or leave 5% blue.

 

[Fro]

If I wanted to recreate the settings you have how would I do that? Can you give me the exact times and percentages? It’s a bit hard to tell from their graphs. The app could really do with some ux design!

 

[Aiken Drum]

White. Midnight to 7am 0%. Upto 5% at midday. Upto 100% at 3pm. Stay at 100% until 8pm. Then down to 0% at 11pm through to midnight.

Blue. Midnight to midday 5%. Upto 100% at 3pm. Stay at 100% until 8pm. Then down to 5% at 11pm through to midnight.

Green. Midnight to midday 0%. Upto 60% at 3pm. Stay at 60% until 8pm. Then down to 0% at 11pm through to midnight.

Red. Midnight to midday 0%. Upto 70% at 3pm. Stay at 70% until 8pm. Then down to 0% at 11pm through to midnight.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Actually this might show it better.

 

[Fro]

Thanks. On a side note, should I put the Vallisneria and initial fish in together or get the fish in first? I’m thinking fish first.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Its going to be easier to aquascape and plant a tank when its not full of water, so i would drain out some of the water, plant it, refill, then get your fish.

You can plant a tank while its filled, ive done it, but its more difficult to get things rooted, the plants tend to float away before you are able to get the substrate compacted around the roots etc.

 

[Jacky12]

I have 3 Aquasky lights. I don’t keep any nearly as bright as yours. I’m more at the 25% range. I have no algae issues. I keep the lights on the lower end because my cichlids seem to prefer it. Still plenty bright enough for me to enjoy the fish. I will see if I can get a SS

 

[Aiken Drum]

I have 3 Aquasky lights. I don’t keep any nearly as bright as yours. I’m more at the 25% range. I have no algae issues. I keep the lights on the lower end because my cichlids seem to prefer it. Still plenty bright enough for me to enjoy the fish. I will see if I can get a SS

25% is fine to be able to see fish. I can see them ok at 5% Are you keeping live plants with the lights as low as 25%? Im pretty sure java fern could survive with light that low, not sure about my other plants though.

 

[Jacky12]

I should have mentioned these low light cichlid/catfish tanks don’t have plants. Here’s a SS from one tank. The others are brighter, but not >25%

 

[ColdKoi]

Don’t be afraid to split up lighting times during the day also, especially if you start to see excessive algae growth

I have live plants in all my tanks, most are low tech plants that can basically take whatever you throw at them and my 75 has some more high tech plants in it. My smaller low tech tanks just run on timers 6-9am 5-10pm and the 75 has an aquasky that I set up quite similar. Ramp to full steam in the morning to utilize the built up co2, ramped down during the day when nobody is around and/or the tank gets ambient light, then back to the power of a thousand suns in the evening again!