16 Hours of Light for My Fish: Too Much?

[kellyinvancouver]

Hello, I am relatively new to fish and after having 2 kribs mysteriously die of stress within a few weeks of introducing them to my community tank (20 gal, compatible tankmates, cycled), I am beginning to wonder if my fish are getting too much daylight. I turn the lights on at 6:30 am so that they have half an hour to wake up before I feed at 7:30 and run to work. The lights go off at about 10 pm. Their schedule therefore goes as so:

6:00am-bedside lamp on
6:30am-Tank lights on
7:00am- Feed/Go to work

6:30pm- Get home/Feed
10:00pm-Tank/Room lights out


I like to watch the fish for 20 minutes or so before I go to bed (at 10)... what is the best time to turn the lights on in order for the fish to get enough beauty rest (and how should their updated feeding schedule go?)


Thanks in advance for the comments,
Kelly

 

[FiShDuDe9]

do you have any other fish???? and your tank should only get about 8- 10 hours of light a day. you should try to get a timer because you have to go to work. my tank lights are on from 2pm to 10pm. also i don't think that the lights should affect the fish either. maybe there was a parasite or something

 

[mgamer20o0]

it shouldnt be much of a problem though i do agree maybe you sould invest in a timer. it would cut down the chance of algae for sure.

 

[Etunes]

Investing in a timer sounds like what you need. i keep my fish lights on for a 11 to 12 hour period. i also do the same thing with going to bed watching my fish. its very comforting.

 

[kellyinvancouver]

Good to know! A timer is officially on my shopping list

 

[kaiofcanada]

Aside from putting your light on a timer, ...there are some fish that are sensitive to light. If overexposed they can get aggitated and may pick on other fish. Some fish that are known to be sensitive to light or prefer very subdued light ...are various albino varieties, bristle-nose catfish and their eggs, zebra pleco, zebra loach, black talking catfish and some others in the loach family. It is also known that ciclid eggs are light sensitive, so be craeful if you are breeding the kribs.

One other thing to consider is the temperature change from explosing your tank to light for so long. Make sure your temperature doesn't fluctuate more than 2 degrees over the course of the day. Temperature shifts that are extreme can definitely be a huge source of stress. If you find the light heats the water too fast you might try opening the lid to allow some evapoartive cooling provided you don't have any fish the are jumpers or little escape artists within.