lights out?

[pong]

trying out the other thread re shutting down the lights for 3 days, i see a drastic improvement in the water clarity, reduction in cyano, diatoms

was wondering, why not do this one day a week?

has anyone tried this? or will this do anything good?

btw, i did a lights out procedure with a turf scrubber and
v-s dosing.

[pong]

i dont know if it is the carbon dosing that worked or the lights out or the turf scrubber. all i can say is that
one or the combination of it helped.

[pong]

anyone?

[PoukieBear]

I always have a day or two a month that I leave my lights off.

When you think about it, corals aren't always under sunlight. There are cloudy days too in the tropics !

I'll also just leave my actinics on for a day or two.

Everything seems to look a lot bigger than before once the lights come back on.

[Carlton'sTank]

I am a firm beleiver of having a more random light cycle. I don't go overboard with it, but some days I turn on the lights before I go to work and shut them off early, some times I will turn them on late and leave them on only for a few hours. I try to keep it rather similar in duration but I also like to mix it up.

I agree that a natural reef environment does not have a 10 hour photoperiod every day starting and ending at the same time, it is very random and depends on the weather a lot.

I have heard of a guy who turns his lights off for three days a month.

[pong]

i do that... turn it off for 3 days.

[SharkBait_Mtl]

I religiously have been turning off my lights for 3 days prior to my second water change of the month. I notice that it helps with removal of cyano and after the 3 day light out my corals do look better.

[pong]

oh ok, looks like ill try that approach. was thinking of cutting lights 1 day a week

[SharkBait_Mtl]

when/if you try this methode.... be sure to not put your mh after the 3rd day... bright light right away can harm the corals.

day 1-3 - lights out (I even put a blanket around the tank to not let any ambient light in... you can turn the actinics back on to feed... but feed lightly for the 3 days)
day 4 - actinic only
day 5 - MH back on and regular light schedule continues


this works very well for me.

If I remember correctly... Tswifty recommended this to me... so all credit goes to him.

[rendogg]

Turning the lights out for days is completely unnatural and not really solving any problems. When it's cloudy in the tropics there is still light, the sun doesn't shut off. The photo period in the tropics is pretty consistently 12 on 12 off year round, or there about. What good can come of disrupting an ecosystem you are trying create? Most people who recommend such practices do it repeatedly because the problem is never rectified. Look into what is causing the problem and correct it instead of hiding in the dark.

[pong]

yes there is still light, but the intensity is the main
difference. so i think this is what people are trying to
achieve by trying out processes like these.

the main difference is... some people only use MH bulbs
and there is no way of dimming them. For those with
t5's some are wired and switched individually so a
reduction in light output is easier controlled. my light
hood is diy and wired each bulb individually and
controlled by independent switches. that makes me
achieve "randomness" easier.

my point is. cutting out the lights can simulate the
changing light patterns in nature. if the corals in the sea are thriving under varied conditions, then by changing
the light patterns in our tanks we are simulating the natural environment

[SharkBait_Mtl]

As a note....

I dont do the light out to help with cyano anymore.... I just do it because I think my corals look better after I do it and there is no ill effect on the tank....