Lighting Cycle Poll - What time does your light come on?

[dinokath]

I am curious what times everyone runs their planted tank lights? Do you run them with the natural sun cycle, do you run them when you are home and into the evening hours? Do you bother with trying to maintain dusk to dawn cycles?

I know they need to be on for 12 hours, but no one has (that I can find) addressed at what times would be best. My tank sits in a room that is well lit with natural light (no direct sunlight, but it comes in through window sheers and blinds) and am wondering if anyone takes that 'light' into consideration.

Anyway, the poll is up and let's see what everyone does! If you try to follow the dusk/dawn cycle like a reef tank and turn 1/2 your lights off a couple hours before turning them all off and then use moonlights, you can select that in the poll above along with what your normal cycle for lights is (the poll allows multiple answers to be selected)

Thanks!

 

[atomiclord]

I keep my tank generally with the sun, but the lights are so strong they actually heat my tank, so I've got them on a timer to come on for 4 hrs, then off for an hour, then on for another four hours etc.

 

[dinokath]

What size tank/lights atomiclord? Do you have any problems with growth on your plants with the whacky timing?

 

[dinokath]

Anyone else out there have an opinion? 35 people have looked at the thread but only 5 votes? Come on ya'll! Let's get some data together here! Thanks!

Dean

 

[timwag2001]

lights on from 2pm till 10pm.

 

[dinokath]

Thanks Tim.

 

[cars4fun2001]

I am a bit different so I will explain. I have 2 40 watt incandescent with where they are setting they very dimly light the tank. They are 6500k ge daylight bulbs. These 2 lights stay on all the time. Then I have 4 40watt 48" 7500k bulbs and 2 9320k 18" 15 watt lights that are on a timer that come on at 11am and go off at 11 pm. Where my tank is it gets 0, absolutely no sun light. If I could finds some 48" 9320 bulbs to match my 18" I would witch them all over to them.

Mike

 

[dinokath]

Thanks Mike. Do you have any problems with algae in your setup? What kinds of plants are you growing? Thanks for the reply!

 

[cars4fun2001]

I did have a problem with algae before I bought the timer and the oto's. I was real bad about turning the lights on when I got up in the morning around 6:40 am and not turning them off tell I went to bed around 1 or 2 am. I picked up the timer and the oto's and it was gone in about a week. I did have dwarf lillys and apongany I just added Red Tiger Lotus, Java Moss Amazon Sword, and Dwarf Sag

 

[dinokath]

Did your Red Tiger come as a bulb? If so, how long did it take to grow? How do you like it?

Thanks!

 

[jsoong]

I go 7:30 to 7:00, and I don't change the timer with daylight saving time, so it is a hour later in summer.

 

[atomiclord]

What size tank/lights atomiclord? Do you have any problems with growth on your plants with the whacky timing?

I'm still working the kinks out of it. It's about 5 gal, but my problem is the handy lid with enclosed lights actually heats my tank. I don't ever need a heater. I keep it in there just in case, but I have to keep turning the lights off to keep the temperature below about 80F. I'll just have to see how it goes :-j

 

[jcarlilesiu]

I have a pretty crazy setup that was custom built from catalina aquariums.

This is how it works:

- (2) atinic bulbs come on at 11 am

then

- (2) 6700K T5 come on at 1 pm

Then

- (2) 150W 10,000K MH come on at 3 pm

Then

- The MH turn off at 8 pm

Then

- The T5 turn off at 10 pm

Then

- The atinic turn off at 12 am

All other times (night) I have 6 1 Watt blue LEDs

 

[dinokath]

Wow, that is pretty crazy, but pretty darn cool too.

The reason I am asking is because I have a Current USA Sundial light (on the way, will be here on Friday) that allows you to turn on 2 of the 4 light at a time and at different times and then the moonlights are on a photocell timer.

The light is REALLY bright, I mean like really bright (I assume. I have a Current USA 2x54 T5HO running right now and it is pretty bright, so I assume the 4x54 will be twice as bright. Yeah, I gragitated hi skool..). So I was thinking that I would set it up to turn on both lights at 10am, turn off 2 of the 4 lights at 8pm (sun goes down, prime time TV time, etc) when we are home and then the second set of lights out at 11pm with the moonlights doing their thing.

Any opinions on that strategy? The plants should get a 'full on' dose of light for 10 hours or so and then a 1/2 dose of light the other three. That should be enough, yeah? I mean I am running almost 4wpg of T5HO light, so that is alot of light! Thoughts and suggestions are always welcomed.

Thanks everyone,

Dean

 

[TheNamelessPoet]

my timer turns the tank on at 5:45 pm and off at 2:15 am (I think lol I'm asleep) and at actuary comes on from about 8:00 until 8:30 in the am so I can see them in the morning as well

 

[dinokath]

I really like that idea Poet. Good thinkin'. I may have to give that a shot. I always like to look at the fish in the morning. Thanks!

 

[mgamer20o0]

less posts because most of the answers assume the lights are on for 12 hours. mine run from 12 to 8 on most of my tanks for now. some times its 2-10. they are on timers so they turn off and on at the same time. i can quickly change it for what ever reasons i want. it really doesnt mater much when you have them on for the most part.

 

[dinokath]

That's really what I wanted to know I suppose. Does it really matter when they are on, and you are saying it doesn't. Seems reasonable to me!

 

[mgamer20o0]

for the most part no. like anything there is exceptions. if the tank got a lot of sunlight and you had the lights on at night that prob wouldnt be the best.

 

[dinokath]

See, and one person's definition of 'alot of sunlight' is different from another's. My tank is in a room that gets sunlight, but the sun's rays do not directly penetrate my tank. It is dark enough though that your can watch TV during the day without it being annoying. I would say it get medium light, but my medium would be different from someone else's too...

I guess I will do the 11am - 11pm light schedule and see what happens. Worst is what, algae?