T11mog Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 hey how long should i run lighting since i am geting new lighting for christmas (i hope ) and i got a times right now its set to go on at 11 am and off at 8 pm...is this to long? to short? lemme know..i plan on putting some LPS and SPS corals also some anenomes in...well lemme know thnx! Link to comment
tinyreef Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 i always run 11~12 hours photoperiod. i cut back the hour for some seasons. i figure (in my own demented way) it's like a winter season for the tank, light-wise at least. but i figure the tropics get 12 hrs/day so the tank should get 12 hrs/day. that said, many people run their lights 8~10 hrs/day just fine. i just figure i'm slowly using up my savings anyway so why deprive the corals of those extra couple of kilowatt hours? X) hth Link to comment
Physh1 Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 I'm an 8-10 hour guy myself but 12 is totally acceptable too like tiny mentioned. There is no reason for any more than that since most corals close up after a 12-13 hours photoperiod. Cameron Link to comment
maroonclown Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 There is one legitimate reason to run your lights longer: pH stability. I do not have refugium, therefore, I cannot keep up my dissolved oxygen levels. Less oxygen= lower pH= not so good. So I run my lights from 6:30am to 10:30pm. I do think 12 hours is all you need. Link to comment
Physh1 Posted December 15, 2003 Share Posted December 15, 2003 Well, with a proper alk and calcium balance along with good circulation you should not have a pH swing that is dangerous. If you have pH drops that dip below 7.8-7.9 you've got something off in your water. A proper ca and alk balance with good circulation a daily pH swing should be between 7.9 and 8.3. How low are your pH dips? Cameron Link to comment
Isaka Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I think the light cycle is a individual preference. I have seen from 8-14 throughout, with 10-12 being the majority. You can probably find alot of threads giving opinions why or why not to run certain light cycles. I use a standard 12 hour (9-9) which gives me plenty of time to enjoy my tank. Some people say to cut back the time to help control the algae.... but for some reason I keep hearing this voice of the algae saying "sure cut back those lights to 10 hours, I will still thrive you idiot!!!" Just another man's opinion, hehe. Link to comment
maroonclown Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 My pH was pretty low for a while; it was about 8.0 during the day, and 7.8 at night. I know that is "safe", but I would like to keep my levels up around 8.3. I don't know what my calcium or alk. levels, don't have any test kits for that. I guess this is my failsafe. P.S., my pH is around 8.3 during the day and 8.1 at the lowest level in the night. Link to comment
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