How long can lights stay off

savex389

savex389

New Member
We're going out of town for ten days and I'd like to take advantage of it and lower our power bill. How long can a fish only with a few snails and shrimp tank go without light? Will it hurt anything to not have the lights on?
They're on a timer now and run for 6 hours a day and then shut off.
 
aquariumgirl16

aquariumgirl16

Member
My fish have lasted for six months without a light. It went out and i never got to buying one. I have one now though. But my tank is near a window.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by aquariumgirl16 http:///t/396070/how-long-can-lights-stay-off#post_3528170
My fish have lasted for six months without a light. It went out and i never got to buying one. I have one now though. But my tank is near a window.
Hi,
No lights are just fine as long as you don't keep light needy corals. The fish don't care and the lights from the home is enough, shrimp however love the dark...we have fancy lights so we can enjoy watching them. By a window is the #1 biggest mistake you can make, for saltwater or freshwater tanks...hair algae LOVES natural sunlight. Never, ever allow direct sunlight to hit the tank...use blinds or something to block it.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
I've never had algae problems, never even got algae. Tank near a window.
Dang, what's your secret?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
I don't know. Water circulation? Water circulation could definitely be helping. I'm thinking the main reason must be very low nutrient levels in the system. Many of us find it difficult to achieve that while still keeping livestock relatively healthy even with good filtration. But it's not impossible to achieve. Was just wonderin how you've been able to make it happen is all. :)
 
savex389

savex389

New Member
Thanks all. There is no window in the room with the tank, weird I know, but perfect for movie watching. No the tank will be pretty dark the whole time except when my brother in law is feeding them or hanging out at our house (lite from room lighting, he won't turn in the fish light). I figured they'd be fine, but I didn't want to stress any of the fish out :)
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Fish don't need light, except as an environmental cue. All living organisms live by cycles which are cued by some environmental event - light, or temperature for example. Animals who are deprived of such cues suffer emotionally and physiologically, so it is important to provide cues. I would leave a single lamp with a small bulb in the room on a timer so that it comes on in the morning, and goes off in the evening. One small bulb won't break the bank, but will help the health of your tank.
 
savex389

savex389

New Member
Oh we figured out the problem! It was water flow! We had no idea that we needed to move so much water until I did more research and now we have powerheads and things are living. The tank didn't crash, the fish were just dying because of lack of oxygen.
 
aquariumgirl16

aquariumgirl16

Member
YDidn't you just start a thread saying something like, "All my fish died, now what'?.
I thought you were restarting the tank after a crash.  IDK about everything being completely healthy.  

es, but I have more than one tank.
 
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