How long should a tank be lighted in a day?
- Thread starter Yodlem
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
Is it planted?
For a planted tank, its best to leave the lights on 8-10 hours. For an unplanted tank, 8 hours will do.
For a planted tank, its best to leave the lights on 8-10 hours. For an unplanted tank, 8 hours will do.
Bhunsucker
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have a planted tank and my lights are on a timer they turn on at 09:00am and I have them turn off/on for an hour and half during the mid-day and then they turn off for the night at 11:00pm. So mine are about 12.5 hours a day all total.
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
I'm not sure the plants would make the tank cloudy. Is it a white colored cloud or green? What kind of substrate do you have?
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
Our tanks are all on timers and the lights are on for 12 hours per day (planted and non-planted). They turn on at 8:30, off at noon, then back on at 1:00, then back off at 8:30. So far we do not have a single speck of algae in any of the tanks.
fish_4_all
Aquarium Advice Addict
Mine are on from 8:00a.m. to 10:00p.m. or so. I have a little algae but I have to keep my BN happy. 
Probably a little too much but my fish don't seem to mind, nor do my plants.
Probably a little too much but my fish don't seem to mind, nor do my plants.
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
12 hours for a planted tank is fine. Plants do not make the tank cloudy; only algae, bacterial blooms or detris will do that.
Justonemore is on the right track, what color is the cloudiness?
Justonemore is on the right track, what color is the cloudiness?
joannde
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not to steal the thread - but what is the rationale behind turning the lights off for an hour during the day (I see that a few of you do that). Does it somehow control algae or is it to keep the heat from the lights down ? Or some other reason ?
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
Algae thrives in constant light. By turning the light off for an hour, the algae can not compete for it. Since I started on this schedule I have not had a single spot of algae. This is not saying that it will work for everyone, but we don't have that pesky green spot algae anymore.
Lonewolfblue
Aquarium Advice Addict
Fishyfanatic said:
This has been helping against algae? I'm thinking of having my timer go off from 12-2, then back on again til night time.
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lone- Yes. When I used to leave the lights on for a constant 12 hours we would have green spot all over the place. Now that there is a break in the light schedule, we have not had a single speck of it. The plants do not suffer in the slightest because of it.
Lonewolfblue
Aquarium Advice Addict
Cool, will have to give it a try.
So my new lighting hours will be 8am-12am, then 2pm-9pm. That's 11 hours.
So my new lighting hours will be 8am-12am, then 2pm-9pm. That's 11 hours.
Yeah When I did the pwc, I saw that the water was green
so i think it might be the fact that I light my tank too long...
and the color of the cloudiness seemed to have no color as i said in my other forum...but I now have a bunch of plants so that might be the other reason why there may be algae growing there.
hm. I don't think it's really affecting my fish, but it does look polluted and a little unsightly
here's a picture:
so i think it might be the fact that I light my tank too long...and the color of the cloudiness seemed to have no color as i said in my other forum...but I now have a bunch of plants so that might be the other reason why there may be algae growing there.
hm. I don't think it's really affecting my fish, but it does look polluted and a little unsightly
here's a picture:
mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
i keep my lights on wayyyyy to long. but my algea is always under controll(except when i run out of co2!!! erggggg) timers turn mine on at 7 and then off at 11. 16 hours is alot but i like to look at them in the morning before i go to school and then at night before i go to bed. i am thinkin gabout doing the 1 hour break thing but havent decided yet. my algea doesnt seem to be to bad. a light amount on the glass everyonce in a while but that is only becasue i have a single otto fighting the battle in my 20 gal. my plants love it though
malkore
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yodlem said:
Not that I have ever seen or heard of.
For those of you that turn your lights off to keep down the algae- are your set-ups in dark places? I am wondering if turning the light off will make a difference for me- mine's not in direct sunlight but its in a fairly bright room?
