kylekruko85 Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 So I believe I am at the tail end of my cycle with ammonia processing in 24 hours an nitrites in 48. At what point is it ok to start running my biocube lights like I normally will be doing once I stock my tank with inverts, corals and fish. And what's the normal amount of time to leave them running. Link to comment
fishfreak0114 Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 You can start running your lights whenever you want, I ran mine right from the get go. You do however get more algae like that. You should run them for around 8-10 hours a day Link to comment
spinycheek Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 I'd start them asap as if you were already keeping your livestock. Some of the good stuff like coralline algae need light. Link to comment
kylekruko85 Posted April 9, 2016 Author Share Posted April 9, 2016 I read it both ways as far as cycling with lights on or lights off. Not sure of the reasoning for both. I started with dry rock so there was nothing on it to keep alive so I figured I'd start without lights. Link to comment
SithRico Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 If your at 48 Nitrites I would wait for them to kick to Nitrates and 0 Nitrites then do a good 30% water change and kick the lights on. That way you can keep you algae growth down. Other wise all the Nitrates are going to boost growth with the light. I turned lights on early and now I'm battling hair algae. Link to comment
bryanthelp Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 I recommend cycling with lights. Link to comment
ReeferBrian Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I cycled my tank with lights on for about4 hours a day during my cycle.it did cause some algae to grow but it just gave me an excuse to buy my cuc once everything was reading zero for about a week.I really had no reason to run my lights during the cycle but I couldn't resist seeing the tank all lot up,lol Link to comment
Lifer Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I cycled my latest tank with no light and it was so much better not having to deal with the algae. I agree with SithRico,after nitrates are good in 48hrs, one good water change and lights on. Then have ur CUC ready. You will still have algae, but very manageable Link to comment
Clown79 Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Cycling with lights is literally a waste in hydro bills. It does nothing for the cycle but increase algae. Since you can't have a cuc in there during the cycle, its a waste. You end up with more algae than you want. Coralline algae takes a while to develop, often needing seeding from a piece of LR from an established tank or from maturing of the tank. Once your nitrites are 0 and your nitrates rise, a good water change should be done, continue testing for a week. If ammonia and nitrites stay at 0, you can now begin adding either a few hermits, snails(if algae is present), or a fish. Don't add too much at once. You can also turn your lights on Link to comment
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