Reef health, cut the lights.

[pezenfuego]

I have been without this forum for my entire reefing career and occasionally a question that I have had for a long time, crosses my mind. A question that I considered unanswerable at the time.
So I was talking to a local reefer, a long time ago and he was telling me about how he kills the lights once a month for 3 days. He is a reputable guy, he has a pretty nice tank. But this doesn't mean that I should take his word as gospel.
He told me that for 3 days with no lights, turning the lights back on causes clearer, more pristine water, and gives the cuc more time to do their thing (if they're nocturnal).
My first question is the obvious one that I lot of you have probably already thought of...What about the coral?
He furthered his lecture with the concept: "Even the ocean has it's cloudy days." He said that he's been doing it for a long time with nothing but good results.
Is this a good idea?
Why?
Why not?
Thank you for viewing this thread.

 

[veni vidi vici]

I could see it helping with algae blooms and algae,but i see no big benefit from it.Im pretty sure it wouldnt hurt though.

 

[9supratt4]

Awesome question!! And I am sure you will be getting many replies from many experienced reefers!!
IMO, he is right....the ocean does have it's clloudy days....so as long as the tank has the same amount of flow and conditions minus the light....I think the coral would be fine. Maybe just supplement them a bit with other types of foods or additives??

 

[natclanwy]

Is it going to hurt your tank? Probably not. Is it going to help your tank? Again probably not.
Cutting the lights for three days probably won't bother your corals but it isn't doing them anygood either, yes the ocean has cloudy days but the amount of available light on a cloudy day on the ocean is far more than what would be in your tank with all of the lights off. Unless the coral resides somewhere in one of the polar circles they usually have light 365 days a year.
As for the cleanup crew maybe they would accomplish more by leaving the lights off, but adding a few more critters to your clean up crew would probably be far more effective.

 

[natclanwy]

Originally Posted by Veni Vidi Vici
http:///forum/post/2959801
I could see it helping with algae blooms and algae,but i see no big benefit from it.Im pretty sure it wouldnt hurt though.
It might slow down an algae bloom but as soon as the lights return the algae bloom will resume unless the excess nutrients feeding the bloom are removed, but I agree it won't hurt.

 

[harris28]

I have done it once to help combat some algae and yes my tank was way clearer and my corals did well. However I lost two fish and the only thing I could think of was that when light is off Ph drops. Now I am not sure if the prolonged Ph drop harmed them or what but as far as I could tell they were both healty prior to the event. I would do it again if I had an algae bloom but otherwise I leave them on after that episode. And again that could have been totally unrelated.

 

[pezenfuego]

Well thanks for the input. I have used this method to not necessarily kill cyano...however that DID erradicate the problem because it grew fiercely in my sump where I removed it all. Anyway, I don't think I will be doing this. I was just wondering if it was good, bad, or pointless.
BTW, the pH thing wasn't something I considered, nice addition to this. I am looking forward to what some others have to say, florida joe and X might have something to say.

 

[kimvalentino]

this is a great method to keep your life more Healthy

 

[jackri]

I've read a "tank of the month" that turned lights off every Wednesday because it's not sunny every day anyways and that's a day he was gone and couldn't enjoy the tank. He had positive things to say about it as the coral would have great polyp extension on that Thursday.
I don't think this is wrong or right -- personal preference -- my preference is I enjoy seeing what's going on in my tanks daily and what I'm doing is working -- so why change it?
A lot of different ways work for a lot of different people, I just refuse to fix something until it breaks

 

[dschwartz]

Even on cloudy days you can still get significant UV-type light penetration so I'm not sure if I would equate having the lights in the tank turned off to a cloudy day. I would think corals, etc. would still get nutrients on a cloudy day that they would not receive during a lights-out period in an aquarium? other than that, it does make sense that things would clear and clean-up would be enhanced during an extended lights-out period...

 

[pt1190]

As for the ph drop, the fuge with lights on 24 should stablize it. Once in a while i don't turn on my mh's, i see no adverse affects of my tank.

 

[stanlalee]

I dont think its harmful but certaintly pointless. been discussed elsewhere (people with algae problems love the idea but it doesn't work). as far as a strategy for algae if you arrest your local crack or meth dealer and put him in jail for 3 days does he not return to selling crack and meth when you let him back out? the one thing you cant do without in a reef tank is sufficient light so any strategy involving significant light removal can only be temperary or detrimental.
whatever benefits, if they do exist if they are temperary or require 3 days of darkness everytime you want to reap those benefits how worthwhile can it be. I could stop feeding my tank for 3 days. nutrients will fall, algae wont grow as fast, the corals may look better from the improved water quality but I know my fish have to eat just like you know corals need that light and after 3 days I'll have to go back to business as usual seems to me I'd just as well find a solution that doesn't involve a variable I cant eliminate.

 

[pezenfuego]

Wow, this thread is from more than a month ago. It looks like a spammer brought it back to life.
I have thought about it a lot since then. I agree with your Stan. But mostly I have come to terms with the fact that it just really doesn't matter.

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/2996336
Wow, this thread is from more than a month ago. It looks like a spammer brought it back to life.

ahh this is why I shouldn't be net surfing at nearly 2am, not very sharp

I would have caught that at a decent hour.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by Stanlalee
http:///forum/post/2996341
ahh this is why I shouldn't be net surfing at nearly 2am, not very sharp

I would have caught that at a decent hour.
Nah, it's fine, nothing wrong with giving a thread a little more life.