Minimum warm up time for corals?

[plancton]

I normally Turn my actinics at 10 am and they shut down at 8 pm.
Daylight turn on at 12 pm and shut down at 6 pm.

The tank looks really cool with actinics only, so I want to know what´s the minimum warm up time needed by corals with actinics before turning the daylight on

[Rouselb]

I dont use actinic lighting any longer, I just turn the MHs on 1 by 1 in 15 min intervals.

[plancton]

I´ve heard that corals need a warm up period, that´s why I have always used 2 hours of actinic before turning daylight, but I want daylight perhaps to turn on earlier if possible, that way there will be more hours to see actinic light in the afternoon where it shines more.

Anyone?

[Rouselb]

Corals dont need a warm up period. Like i said, i used to do what you are now, but now i just turn on the MH (250). No issues with corals or fish.

[plancton]

Well perhaps its working for you, but how do we know for sure?, in nature the peak intensity takes place after some hours of low light.

[Mopar Reefer]

Agreed no warm up period needed, the ideal of 2hrs actinics then daylights are just to replicate dawn to dust, thats it. Just my 2 cents.

[wrott]

Originally posted by Rouselb
Corals dont need a warm up period. Like i said, i used to do what you are now, but now i just turn on the MH (250). No issues with corals or fish.

This is true, it doesn't matter when you turn lights on. It only matters how long the lights are on.
I've had a reef tank for 5 years now (I have 2 now), my 120g only has 2x400W lighting--no actinics and it is fine w/ SPS.
BTW actinic lighting is much more intense than a gentle morning sunglow than you think. To your eyes it looks dim, but it is the most intense of the blue spectrum, which correlates to turning your tank into noon day lighting immediately. Chlorophyll absorbs mostly blue and yellow wavelengths of the light spectrum, so an intense 460nM light is very bright to corals, and fish don't give a flip as long as they can see the food.

[plancton]

Nice, keep ´em comming boys!

[greenbean36191]

There is nothing in the physiology of corals or fish or in the process of photosynthesis that makes a "warm-up" period necessary or even beneficial.

[plancton]

Ok so just in case I´m for now I´m having 1 hour of actinics b4 daylight turns on, that way I can see the tank in full actinics from 5.30 to 8.30 pm.

[Overland04]

I have my actinics turn on 4 hours before my halides and 4 hours after.
8am actinics on
12pm halides on
8pm halides off
12pm actinics off

[SnowManSnow]

it isn't needed.. it just looks cool so people do it. Its kind of like thinking that corals need moon lighting

B

[plancton]

actually anemones reproduce like crazy with moon lights, my own experience.

[luther1200]

I know many people who don't even have actinics, MH only. I just like the way it looks. And I like to look at the tank with actinics at night before I go to sleep. I don't think it has anything to do with corals, just for aesthetics I believe.

[ludnix]

Originally posted by SnowManSnow
it isn't needed.. it just looks cool so people do it. Its kind of like thinking that corals need moon lighting

B

In the wild coral spawning events are often dependent on the moon phases.

[greenbean36191]

But there is no evidence that the actual light of the moon is the final trigger and it's certainly not the conditioning event.

[snorvich]

Originally posted by greenbean36191
There is nothing in the physiology of corals or fish or in the process of photosynthesis that makes a "warm-up" period necessary or even beneficial.

I agree. I have lights that simulate sunrise and sunset but that is for the viewer not the corals. In any case, I use MH in various aquaria.

[snorvich]

Originally posted by ludnix
In the wild coral spawning events are often dependent on the moon phases.

That is not a lighting issue.