Silly lighting thought

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
jandb

jandb

Piranha
MFK Member
Jan 18, 2009
947
174
76
Lewis Center, OH
So I spend time in the fish room early in the morning before work then a bit at night. I'm in the process of replacing all my analog timers with smart ones that I can program multiple events. There's no downside to leaving the lights on for 2 different periods during the day right? I'm thinking about having them on from 630am to 8am then again from 5pm to 10pm. There's no plants or anything I just don't know if it screws up the fishs' natural cycle?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Icecold Dan
jandb said:
process of replacing all my analog timers with smart ones that I can program multiple events.
Click to expand...
Hello; If you mean by smart ones "digital" then there can be a downside. I went back to mu analog timers after trying a couple of digital timers. Turns out the digital I used lose all there programs when the power goes off. Also turns out the power flickers off for a few seconds or so several times a year around me. Got to be a pain to reprogram the timers so went back to analog. Analog will come back on and keep the diurnal times as set just skewed a bit.

jandb said:
no downside to leaving the lights on for 2 different periods during the day right?
Click to expand...
Hello; Maybe so but the fish should adjust well enough. After all we humans have adjusted to other than natural cycles. There is some observations that birds get confused during an eclipse. Forcing animals out of their natural states into our artificial setups is what we do so what you plan does not sound unreasonable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deadliestviper7 and islandguy11
skjl47 said:
Hello; If you mean by smart ones "digital" then there can be a downside. I went back to mu analog timers after trying a couple of digital timers. Turns out the digital I used lose all there programs when the power goes off. Also turns out the power flickers off for a few seconds or so several times a year around me. Got to be a pain to reprogram the timers so went back to analog. Analog will come back on and keep the diurnal times as set just skewed a bit.
Click to expand...

My same exact experience with Wi-fi controlled smart plugs.
 
All my tanks are in my basement where my shop & office are so my tank lights are only on when I am down there. I'm down there at different times. Sometimes for a few hours per day, others for 10 hrs per day, sometimes not for a day or two. Never have seen any negative issues with the fish due to the lighting yet in my personal experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: islandguy11
I have a 180 in a dark, unheated basement. Except for the short summer months, the tank is completely covered in rigid house insulating foam boards. I've set up 2 sets of lights. The main aquarium light only comes on 5pm-10:30pm, when I'm typically home. The other sets of lights is just a low wattage decorative rope lights. Those are set from 10am-11pm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deadliestviper7
  • Like
Reactions: islandguy11 and Deadliestviper7
jandb said:
These are the ones I got. They were real easy to setup and the app is very user friendly. I hope they work well. I have about a dozen timers and it's a huge pain to set each one. With these it's all on my phone.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FQJ8KC4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...

Yes they do have some good points but have you done a power-out test? Unless you have a battery back-up for your wi-fi router, when the power comes back on your wi-fi won't automatically re-connect to the controlled devices. If you're away you'll have no control, and if you are home at the time you'll have to go and manually re-connect them (I think just by pressing a button but can't remember).

With that said, perhaps there are better wi-fi smart plugs than the Sonoff's, which possibly might not have such a re-connection issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Deadliestviper7
islandguy11 said:
Yes they do have some good points but have you done a power-out test? Unless you have a battery back-up for your wi-fi router, when the power comes back on your wi-fi won't automatically re-connect to the controlled devices. If you're away you'll have no control, and if you are home at the time you'll have to go and manually re-connect them (I think just by pressing a button but can't remember).

With that said, perhaps there are better wi-fi smart plugs than the Sonoff's, which possibly might not have such a re-connection issue.
Click to expand...
Yep. I programmed all of them while I was sitting on the couch them plugged them back in by the tanks and they all jumped back on the WiFi. You can group them all with the app too
 
  • Like
Reactions: islandguy11
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom