Less light is better?

[gilpi]

Months ago I planted an already well established tank with some amazon swords and some of the other more common easier to maintain plants.
I used the same regular gravel to root the amazons and the others were tied to driftwood or just floating. Tank is 40g with six med sized rainbows. I lightly dozed the tank with fertilizer every other week or so.
Lighting was a shop light right over the tank with three T8's two 5000K one 6500K on about 10 hours a day. Two weeks after I started getting brown algae then it all turned green and practically covered most of the gravel back and sides while the leaves on the plants started fading and wilting. After a couple of months I decided to remove one 5000K T8 and noticed a slight improvement but still lots of algae and plants just looked like they were not thriving at all so about 3 weeks ago I removed the 6500K and left only one 5000K bulb in the shop light.
Fast forward to today, 80% of the green algae is gone and the amazon and other plants are starting to grow and sprout new leaves.

Has anyone else experienced something similar?

 

[Old Scales]

Ten hour light period is a long time. I'm no expert, but the people in here that have awesome algae free planted tanks told me that high light for a short period is better than low light for a long period when it comes to keeping algae at bay. I run my lights (Quad T5 HO's) on my 29g on all four bulbs for 6 hrs only. Have done this for months and no algae, even when I started using pressurized CO2. However, a balanced fertilizing program is a must also. OS.

 

[Coursair]

Reduce lighting to 6 hours a day. Using a timer is best.
Weekly PWCs and Ferts are usually best.
Test your water also and post results for best advice

If you have high light, you need CO2.
Low/Med you may be ok without as long as you balance lights and Ferts.

 

[gilpi]

Pretty good advice. I will cut back the timer to 6 hours and add another strip back at this time. I don't use CO2.
Thanks.

 

[ashleynicole]

When you guys cut back lighting so much how do you really enjoy your tank? Especially in the evening's? I had my tank coming on later in the morning but my husband and kids miss seeing the fish before school.

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[Old Scales]

LOL That IS a problem. I'm retired and at the house all day. When I just have to look at the tank after the normal light period, I'll turn them on just as long as I watch them. Then back off. You can set your light period early or late in the day depending on when the most people can enjoy it also. OS.

 

[ashleynicole]

What if you had a really dim light for viewing purposes that stayed longer and then bright lights on a separate timer for only 6 hours. What color spectrum would be good to have on as a timer like a few hours before and after the other lights are on? Or a really weak led? It would have to be something that wouldn't contribute to algae growth.

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[Old Scales]

Yeah, that should work. I'd go with a flora-max bulb. (about 5000k) kinda red, cause algae likes the bluer end of the spectrum. OS.

 

[Mebbid]

When you guys cut back lighting so much how do you really enjoy your tank? Especially in the evening's? I had my tank coming on later in the morning but my husband and kids miss seeing the fish before school.

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We bite the bullet and count it as a price to pay for having a higher light planted tank The view light idea could work but I'm not sure as I've never tried it. I used to split my photo period up into two separate sessions to meet with my schedule.

 

[Coursair]

Mine are on a split schedule.

 

[Super_Blueberry]

+1. I too like to see my fish. On before everyone gets up so I can make sure nothing happened overnight, then after 4 hours they turn off when we're not home. Then back on before we get home for another 5 hours. Turns off around 9, but my moonlights are on so I can still see what's going on.

It is a bummer on the weekend with the. 6 hours of them off in the middle if the day, but that's my sacrifice. Though if I have company those lights are on. Period.

 

[Lady_Alia]

I keep my lights on for 14 hours a day with a 4 hour siesta from noon to 4. I've for no algae and m plants are thriving. I have 2 T8 bulbs at 8,000k.
Ohh and I use no ferts!

 

[Lady_Alia]

my tank at about a month and a half.

 

[gilpi]

14 hours a day? So with the 4 hour siesta that's actually 10 hours right? That tank looks real nice just wonder how you keep algae away?

 

[Lady_Alia]

Yes, 10 hours of light per day. I've not had algae issues. Diana Walstad says if your plants are doing good they'll out compete the algae for nutrients...maybe that's happening, I dunno. All I know is that I've not had that first algae bloom. (knock on wood!)

 

[ashleynicole]

Will plants suffer with a split photo period? I thought they needed a solid 6-8 hours for good photosynthesis but I dont really know.

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[ashleynicole]

Yes, 10 hours of light per day. I've not had algae issues. Diana Walstad says if your plants are doing good they'll out compete the algae for nutrients...maybe that's happening, I dunno. All I know is that I've not had that first algae bloom. (knock on wood!)

How long has this tank been up and running? With no fertilizers how often do you do water changes and how much water do you change? Seems you would deplete a lot of trace nutrients.

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[Mebbid]

Will plants suffer with a split photo period? I thought they needed a solid 6-8 hours for good photosynthesis but I dont really know.

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Mine didn't seem to but I honestly can't give a 100% answer since I didn't have my lighting running like that for more than a couple months.

 

[Lady_Alia]

This is my tank on October 30 and again on December 27th. Note: I've taken plants out but haven't added any. What I have done is trimmed so much new growth that the trimmings are what has filled my tank.
Ashley, I have my lights on for 4 hours, off 4 hours then on for 6 hours. Diana Walstad states that plants need co2, but by around noon the plants have used up most of it. By turning off the lights the plants quit photo synthesizing which allows the co2 to replenish. When the lights come back on the plants have lots of co2 to grow on

 

[Lady_Alia]

I forgot to add the pics lol