Length of time lights should be on?

[captneil]

I am in a "battle" about how long the lights should remain on in my 55g reef tank. The point of disagreement is, obviously, amount of time, but the real deal is that there is an argument of whether or not fish need "sleep". i.e. no lighting at all for a period of time. opinions?

 

[earlybird]

Fish do sleep. Figure the natural environment of the fish you keep. Tropical fish are used to long periods of sun 12 hrs/day/365. Problem is the intensity of the sun isn't at its highest for the entire 12 hrs. Most hobbiests range their full spectrum lightis (day lights) anywhere from 8-10 hrs/day. To give you an example the photoperiod I'm aiming for when I complete my cycle is: Actinics on at 11:00am, daylights on at Noon, daylights off at 8:00, actinics off at 9:00pm.

 

[captneil]

Thank you for the response. It sounds like you run your lighting about the same as we do.