Hey I was wondering how long you guys leave your lights on for? I know its going to depend on what is in the tank, but LFS's leave them on all day. I get that this is for the sake of being able to show the customers what is in the tank,etc. but is this a good rule to go by?! I was thinking like 8 hours a day for my tank, but what is a good rule of thumb for most tanks? Let me know!
How Long Do You Leave Your Lights On?
- Thread starter calpoly12
- Start date
calpoly12;4830353; said:
It will depend on the type of tank like you say. It will also depending on the type of lighting and the inhabitants.
With normal fluorescents for fish only tanks you can leave them on as long as you want really because it is only for viewing pleasure.
With t5's, PC's, etc. you can leave them on up to 14 hours a day depending on what you are keeping.
With Metal Halides you really don't need to keep them on any longer than 5-8 hours a day.
Corals and live rock are the only things that need the light and so you should tailor your lighting to their needs.
I personally turn on my PC fixture in my 210 FOWLR at noon and have it go off around 10 pm. This is so I get to view it in the evening when I am most frequently around to see it.
For my 75 gallon mixed reef I turn my T5's at 10 and PC's at 11 am. Then they go off at 9 and 10 pm.
nonstophoops;4830402; said:
Ah ok! The reason I am wondering is that I am gettin an automatic timer so Ill just set the timer and let that do its thing. I think that I will leave them on from 11am to like 8pm as this is when I will see them most. nine hours of light in all I guess. How power efficient are t5's(ie how much do they use usually) compared to halides? I have both but am only runnnin the t5s
calpoly12;4830417; said:
The T5's use less energy comparatively, but also don't emit as good of light. I would not use MH's unless necessary because they cost a lot to run and run very hot which can cause problems with keeping the tank temp. stable.
I think 9 hours would be just fine. You can always fine tune it as you see results and when you like to have it on.
does it mess with the corals in a negative way if the light is turned on and off periodically throughout the day?
calpoly12;4830506; said:
Yes, most corals derive a lot of their food from light so they are dependent on it. It stresses them when light changes because that doesn't happen with the sun. I was not saying that you could turn them on and off. Just that you could move the times or extend them if necessary. A timer is essential for this reason, to keep stability, which is what we are striving for with water quality as well.
