photoperiod

[willember]

I have my photoperiod set from 1 in the afternoon to 11 an night. (96W PC on 10G)

 

BUT everyone seens to start opening up due to ambient room light around 8 AM or so. Is this a problem? I don't really want to set the photoperiod with daylight because I would never get to see the inhabitants. How do you deal with this?

[tinyreef]

the ambient light shouldn't be a problem as the corals/inverts will attune themselves to the dominant light. you could put a blanket or similar over the tank sides if you're worried about it tho.

 

i think it is more likely that your corals are just feeding than reacting to ambient light. many corals feed around the clock. you can double-check by checking on them occasionally in the middle of the night (my wife hates it when i do that ).

 

in fact, often you will see polyps only come out at night/dark (e.g. stonys). it varies species to species tho. i have some softies that only open during the day whereas other softies in the same tank also feed at night. hth

[EtOH_is_good]

on the flip side, a lot of things happen at night or when it gets dark. 1) corals come out and feed, so you can see them fully extended. 2) pods and other critters move from their hiding spots and move about the water column.

 

your inhabitants will adapt to the light cycle as long as it is consistant and of enough duration.