How Long are your Lights on, is this too long?

[deuce biggalow]

I just installed VHO Uri Bulbs with IceCap ballasts. I am starting the actinics at 12:00p.m. Sunlights come on at 1:00pm. then go off at 12:00p.m. and actinics off 1:00a.m. I do it late because I work late and would like to see it when I come home. Is this too long? I just put in the lights and 350 pounds of live rock, all mixed, fiji premium, tonga branch, tonga slab, some marshall, and some jarkarta.... I will post some pics soon...

 

[almarktool]

i do the same almost since i like my tank to be on at night when i am home blue on at 3pm whites at 4pm the whites of at 1am the blue off at 2am

 

[bammbamm74]

11hours, do you have an algae problem? Mine are on for 8.5 hours. I don't have 2 ballasts so they come on at the same time. I have mine come on at 11a.m. I want to go later, but the corals start to open just from residual sunlight in the room so I have my lights come on early.

 

[ags]

I run my atinics appx. 11 hours a day and my whites appx. 9 hours a day. I would not consider my algae growth excessive but I do have to clean the glass appx. once a week. Small price to pay (time wise) in my opinion.

 

[iechy]

I always wonder about this myself. Is the reason that we keep our lights on less time than the sun would shine on them in nature only to inhibit excessive algae growth. It seems to maybe, though I may very well be wrong, that the corals which depend on light in most cases are getting light for longer than most of us leave our lights on in their natural habitat. In equatorial waters they don't have a s much a change from winter to summer due to the tilting of the earth so most of the time I would guesss that it is light for in the neighborhood of 12 hrs a day. This light, in most cases is also much more intense than what we give. Of course sometimes we may have more intense light due to the depth of the reefs as opposed to our tanks and other factors but in general shouldn't the corals thrive under the intense light for about 12 hrs a day? Just wondering

 

[deuce biggalow]

I think that is a pretty good point, we are trying to replicate their natural enviroment. Maybe we should do a poll and really see what everybody is doing. Any suggestions on a poll??

 

[tjkohler]

I turn mine on at 7:30 AM and turn them off at about 11:00 PM. So mine are on for 15 1/2 hours a day. 1 6500K and 1 actinic. I haven't had any problems with algea except that 2x2 area of red slime (I think that's because of circulation though).

 

[broomer5]

I light my reeftank 10 hours actinic - 8 hours daylight.
I light my FOWLR tank about 5 hours from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
All depends on what you have in the tank that needs light.
Corals need a longer duration of intense light.
Algae - being the light lover that it is - is the downside.
Excess nutrients therefore are key in having a decent reef, and not be struggling with the scraper too often.
I see no reason to give my FOWLR fishtank anymore light than necessary to view them.

 

[david s]

I run mine atinic on at 9am off at 9pm mh on at 10am off at 8pm

 

[jedimaster]

My lighting period is the same as DavidS. Although I run my sump on a reverse lighting perion to help stabalise PH. Once I get my bulbs for my New MH's I'll be running them 10-8 with actinic flos 9-9 although I must admit if we are having late company I stretch the lighting period out a bit. I was thinking of switching from 9-10 with actnics and maybe running my MH's from 10-9. That way I don't have to change it once in a while.

 

[iechy]

Jedimaster I cheat when we have late company too. I didn't spend all this money and work so that I can't show it all off and pound my chest. I agree with Broomer too in a FO where there is no real need for light then it's best to only have it on when you're home to see it since the fish don't need it to sustain them. I just wonder if anyone has tried experimenting with a coral that needs high light by leaving less intense lights on for longer periods of time and whether it had the same effect. Assuming you had a tank with no fish to stress out you could probably leave the lights on almost all the time to compensate for the decreased intensity. Just assuming that maybe someone has tried it and will tell me that I'm an idiot. But try telling me something I don't already know

 

[mikey3000]

I have a regular 20 watt marine blub a power compact 50/50
my tank is a 29 gallon semi-reef (i just started going into it)
I also have a sun blub and a power blub but i dont use them
is it best for the live rock and the corals to have the blue bulb on for a certain amount of hrs.