Leaving your fish's lights on all night!

[D-WALT]

my lights come on at 10a.m. and go off 6p.m. there on a timer for all my tanks i give them 8 hours of light most of my fish are nocturnal anyways but i believe it keeps there stress down..

 

[John Rambo]

I have the lights in my fishroom on timers...to simulate the natural day/night cycle...and to cut down on energy bills.

Keeping the lights on for 24-hours per day is not good for your fish. Disruptions to the day/night cycle have been shown to influence hormone levels, ability to synthesize proteins, and regulate body functions.

Here's an exerpt from an article (http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/DNA/clockgenes/):

Living organisms evolved an internal biological clock, called the Circadian rhythm, to help their bodies adapt to the daily cycle of day and night (light and dark) as the Earth rotates every 24 hours. The term 'circadian' comes from the Latin words for about (circa) a day (diem).

Circadian rhythms are controlled by "clock genes" that carry the genetic instructions to produce proteins. The levels of these proteins rise and fall in rhythmic patterns. These oscillating biochemical signals control various functions, including when we sleep and rest, and when we are awake and active. Circadian rhythms also control body temperature, heart activity, hormone secretion, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, metabolism and many other functions.

Daily cycles also regulate the levels of substances in our blood, including red blood cells, blood sugar, gases and ions such as potassium and sodium. Our internal clocks may even influence our mood, particularly in the form of wintertime depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
A biological clock has three parts: a way to receive light, temperature or other input from the environment to set the clock; the clock itself, which is a chemical timekeeping mechanism; and genes that help the clock control the activity of other genes.
In the last few decades, scientists have discovered the genes responsible for running the internal clocks: period (per), clock (clk), cycle (cyc), timeless (tim), frequency (frq), doubletime (dbt) and others.
Genes that control circadian rhythms have been found in organisms ranging from people to mice, fish, fruit flies, plants, molds and even single-celled, blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria.

thanks man, this is what I was looking for. Looks like im gonna need to provide night each day.

 

[hnathan]

i have a tank at work thats on for 8 hours and my tank at home is only on for 4h. i find that my fishes at home seems to look like they have alot less stress.

 

[SaltyCrak]

thanks for all the info!

 

[NorCaliCichlids]

Mine are on about 6 hours a day.

 

[terd ferguson]

For what it's worth, I've kept my lights on for months at a time trying to save fry from being eaten in the dark by synodontis(es). All fish breed as normal. There have been no apparant ill effects from lots of light. There is significant algae growth on tank surfaces. A UV Sterilizer keeps the water crystal clear.

 

[dogofwar]

Wouldn't it have been easier (and better) to just move the catfish?

For what it's worth, I've kept my lights on for months at a time trying to save fry from being eaten in the dark by synodontis(es). All fish breed as normal. There have been no apparant ill effects from lots of light. There is significant algae growth on tank surfaces. A UV Sterilizer keeps the water crystal clear.

 

[terd ferguson]

Wouldn't it have been easier (and better) to just move the catfish?

Check my stock list in my sig line. Up until a couple of weeks ago, there were 5 breeding pairs (I moved a jag pair to make room for a freddy pair coming very soon). There is a bunch of big, hungry fishes. Somebody will be eating eggs if it's too dark to protect them. You can't move everybody. And the synodontis(es) have a very important job of cleaning up all the food. I've got a bunch of messy eaters.

 

[dogofwar]

How about moving the eggs or wigglers to raise them?

Leaving the lights on 24/7 for a few months doesn't seem like the best solution to the problem, visible ill effects or not...

Check my stock list in my sig line. Up until a couple of weeks ago, there were 5 breeding pairs (I moved a jag pair to make room for a freddy pair coming very soon). There is a bunch of big, hungry fishes. Somebody will be eating eggs if it's too dark to protect them. You can't move everybody. And the synodontis(es) have a very important job of cleaning up all the food. I've got a bunch of messy eaters.

 

[terd ferguson]

How about moving the eggs or wigglers to raise them?

Leaving the lights on 24/7 for a few months doesn't seem like the best solution to the problem, visible ill effects or not...

Moving the eggs or wrigglers isn't really a viable option. Survivability goes into the toilet if they are moved before free swimming. They do much better in the tank with their parents, predators or not. With five breeding pairs in the same tank, there is almost always fry in one stage or another. So, in my specific case, it was easier to leave the lights on.

You're right though, it's probably not the best solution. But, the fishes still eat like there's no tomorrow, exhibit excellent growth, exhibit no signs of nuisance aggresion, spawn regularly, and are VERY healthy.