Dawn dust affect: How imporant

[zack schwartz]

My lighting sytem won't allow me to do a great dawn dust affect. Just howimporant is it? Does it need to happen. i plan on a lot of hard corals no clams opr sps but some hard corals. I have 1 150watt MH 10k white, 4 36watt PC's 10k 5050. Can I put therm on one timer so they turn on and off together or what should I do <img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" /> <img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" />

 

[crispcritr]

i have 4 55wt pc and 2 96 wt pc. the 4 pc are actinic i have them come on first, about 1 hr. before the the 2 96wt 10k bulbs do. try and see if you could put your pc on a timmer to come on before the mh, otherwise you are going to scare the hell out of your fish. think of the way you get up in the morning. dont like the bright lights so early, right.

 

[zack schwartz]

Well since there is only one fish in there I'm not to worried. But it does not affect the corals to much? Is that what you are saying

 

[q]

My 4 VHO ( 2 are daylights) come on first and it deosn't bother the fish. They are still in the rocks sleeping so they never get startled. When one of them is up they don't even flinch when the lights come on. There is some light from the room which kind of gets them alert and prepares them for it. I would think that switching from total darkness may spook them though.

 

[zack schwartz]

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CORALS WILL IT AFFECT THEM????????????????????

 

[na-h2o]

This is kinda late but it works for me. I use other lights in the house to create a dusk to dawn lighting. My kitchen is central to my tanks and I use the fluoresent lights after I turn off the tank lights. Sudden light or darkness will stress the fish and over time weaken the immune system. JMO

 

[zack schwartz]

Thanks for all your advice it really helps but my question is will not having the dawn dust affect my corals. I plan to have no fish!

 

[blondenaso1]

IMO, I think it is pretty to see my actinics come on before the MH. All the corals glow are the coraline is brilliant. Does it affect corals...who knows?? All I know is that mother nature doesn't throw the sun right into the center or the sky every day, so why should we in our tanks. The more like nature the better...right?

 

[memnoch]

I've been thinking of starting dawn/dusk affect as well. I have 2x65 watt PCs in ballast with fan. The fan and the 50/50 are on the same circuit, the actinic is on a seperate circuit. I'm wondering if actinics generate much heat. Would it be safe for the bulb to go 30minutes without the fan on? Any experience on this ?

 

[byrself]

it should be okay without the fan, two of mine are set up on fans, the other two are not. if i leave the one set without fans on all day, it doesn't hurt anything. just feel the air that comes out the fans now, after it's been on a while. if it feels too hot for you not to run them, then don't. that's about the only way i know to tell you if it will hurt it. it all depends on how it's mounted, and how hot the ballast actually gets. all are different. jmo hth

 

[junkf15]

The answer to the question of the corals is: "It depends." Some corals do different things in the Dusk/Dawn light, other corals couldn't care less. I recomend you research the corals you want to keep before making a decision. If you end up wanting Leathers and Mushrooms, don't worry about it. If you want LPS, and some soft corals, like a Flower Pot, you do want dawn/dusk lighting, or you will stress them out twice a day.

 

[kris walker]

The corals will go on strike if you don't simulate dusk/dawn, then you'll really be in trouble. No really, it doesn't matter IMO. Just maintain a consistent on/off schedule, because the corals will expect a schedule after it is established. And remember you may already have a dusk system setup if you have a window in your room, which allows sunlight to light the room every morning before the main tank lights are turned on.
kris

 

[zack schwartz]

Now really thank you. My last question is that my mh is hooked to the ballest. The mh plug is different than a normal plug. The things that come out of the cord (don't know the name), is like in a diaangle. I am trying to find a timer for it but no luck so far. That is why I asked this question

 

[zack schwartz]

well with that all my lights would turn on and off at the same time thanks agian
ZACK

 

[junkf15]

Yea, when you buy those multi ballest systems, that's what you are stuck with, but you may be making this too complicated. If you don't want to use natural light (window) for your dusk/dawn effect, the easiest thing to do is go to Walmart and get a cheap ($10) 18 inch "grow light" from the hardware section. Guess what, the "grow light" is right in the heart of the PAR spectrum. It's only going to be about 15 watts or so, but who cares, it's supposed to be dim. Then mount that light anywhere in you hood, or even on the back side of it and put it on a seperate timer.
Junk