Left lights on overnight. Is this okay?

[Mac11]

So I usually turn my lights on in my planted/community tank at noon and turn them off at 10 pm. I ended up staying out last night and got home a 8am this morning to realize i left the lights on all night. Should i leave them off for the day or keep them on til 10 and continue with my regular schedule? Is this going to harm my fish? Help!

 

[sabrinarichard]

No your fish will be just fine if it happens more often you might get an algae problem..

 

[Mac11]

thanks! I think I might invest in one of those timer electrical strips

 

[foxyhasswag]

I went away and the lights where left on for week

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[Coursair]

Don't leave lights on for more than 6-8 hours a day or you'll grow Algae. ?

Timers ftw


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[BBradbury]

Tank Lighting

So I usually turn my lights on in my planted/community tank at noon and turn them off at 10 pm. I ended up staying out last night and got home a 8am this morning to realize i left the lights on all night. Should i leave them off for the day or keep them on til 10 and continue with my regular schedule? Is this going to harm my fish? Help!

Hello Mac...

Your fish will likely be a little tired. The lights out time is needed to signal the fish that it's time to rest. Without it, their reproduction processes won't work. But, once will hardly matter.

It would be best to put the lights on a timer. A timer is inexpensive and you can pick one up at any hardware store for a few dollars. Then, you won't need to worry about the tank lights.

B

 

[schoeplein]

$9-10 wall timer - saves the annoying factor of turning lights on and off daily. Wish I'd bothered to invest in one back in my saltwater days (I was nervous about killing power to my ballasts - my metal halide ballast had a fan that ran after the power switch was turned off to extend its life). Set it for 7-8 hours and you're done. The single-outlet knob based timer was a little confusing at first, but it's actually way easier than it appears. Turn the knob to the current time, plug it in, then push back the side switches for the hours you want power running to whatever is plugged in! After spending $100-1000's on other equipment, this piece seems a obvious requirement now.