How much is too much

kimberlee · 08/21/2010, 03:26 PM

How many hours is it safe to keep lights on? And do they need to be normal day time hours or can I choose?

MCCOOL · 08/21/2010, 03:33 PM

you can choose when they run. I run my actinics for ~10hrs and my daylights for ~5hrs.

Fishamatank · 08/21/2010, 03:38 PM

The time of day you run the lights does not matter. The length of time you can leave them on depends on the intensity of the lights. Generally no more than 12 hours max for the actinics.

Mmckibben · 08/21/2010, 03:40 PM

reefs tend to be in the tropics where there are 12 hours of sun light

steelhead77 · 08/21/2010, 04:08 PM

My actinics come on at about 8:30am. My halides come on about 11:30am. My halides go off at 7:30pm. My actinics go off at 8:30pm. My moolights go off at about midnight. To me, the goal of having a reef tank is to mimic a natural reef as much as practical in your living room.

kimberlee · 08/21/2010, 05:19 PM

THX, I have odd hours if I stuck to day time I'd never see my tank w/ the lights going. I have all the algae under control so I was hoping to keep the lights on longer than the 6 hours my lfs told me was okay to run them.

bnumair · 08/21/2010, 05:32 PM

i have odd hours too. but this is how i timed mine. 11am actanic on for 12 hrs till 11pm. MH come on at 2pm to 10pm (8hrs) and moonlight from 11pm to 2 am and complete darkness after 2am. this was i get to see my tank in full light around 8pm to 11pm and enjoy my night with it.

kimberlee · 08/21/2010, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnumair

i have odd hours too. but this is how i timed mine. 11am actanic on for 12 hrs till 11pm. MH come on at 2pm to 10pm (8hrs) and moonlight from 11pm to 2 am and complete darkness after 2am. this was i get to see my tank in full light around 8pm to 11pm and enjoy my night with it.

Being able to lay back and watch my tank when everything is done for the day is what it's all for

kimberlee · 08/21/2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelhead77

My actinics come on at about 8:30am. My halides come on about 11:30am. My halides go off at 7:30pm. My actinics go off at 8:30pm. My moolights go off at about midnight. To me, the goal of having a reef tank is to mimic a natural reef as much as practical in your living room.

Mines in my closet, I had my husband take off the doors, it was the only space available in my house. THX, you have given me a lot of good advice over the last few days.

kimberlee · 08/21/2010, 05:54 PM

everyone else has too. THX so much my tank is really coming in to it's own now.

Palting · 08/21/2010, 06:28 PM

I have moonlights on when the actinics/MH are off. Why do you guys have a period of complete darkness? Is it needed?

thebkramer · 08/21/2010, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palting

I have moonlights on when the actinics/MH are off. Why do you guys have a period of complete darkness? Is it needed?

I do the same as you Paling, always have.. I don't think moonlights are a necessity (sp?) They are more for us than anything

Fishamatank · 08/21/2010, 08:01 PM

I tried a period of total darkness just for the hell of it, and I found that the LPS go NUTS with their sweeper tentacles. Now my moon lights are probably on the bright side so maybe that's why they don't do it with the moon lights on, but I figure it's good for them to let their sweepers out.

DZs · 08/21/2010, 08:06 PM

I'm a night owl, so I turn off the moonlights when I finally get to bed. I find it very interesting what's going on in total darkness.

Critters comes out to feed.

steelhead77 · 08/21/2010, 08:12 PM

It really doesn't matter the time of day you have your lights on. If you work graveyard, have them on when you're awake and can enjoy them. Just keep the length of time the same as a normal day in Fiji.

DZs · 08/21/2010, 08:22 PM

What steelhead77 said.

YUP! I run my MH late afternoon, turn them off in the evenings.

mutateddogbone · 08/21/2010, 08:28 PM

its only good to run daylights for 4-5 hours a day, all the way up to about 8 max.

our lights replicate the noonday sun on a reef, and the sun rises and sets over the top of the reef crest. corals are not exposed to the high par numbers but for 4 or so hours every day, and in the other 8 to 12 hours, are more exposed to ambient light and reflections off the water.

pick a time of day you are most likely to view your tank with lights on and run daylights for 4-6 hours, and run actinics for 2-3 hours on each side of that

kimberlee · 08/22/2010, 03:45 PM

I' been running the Daylights 2pm-10pm and my moon lights at night my corals are seem to be okay, Picking up an actinics in two weeks

strikeratt · 08/22/2010, 04:16 PM

I wish I could have the option to turn my atinics and daylights off seperately

In good time I guess. My moonlights constantly run though.

08/21/2010, 03:26 PM	#1
kimberlee Kimberlee Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Portland OR Posts: 168	How much is too much How many hours is it safe to keep lights on? And do they need to be normal day time hours or can I choose?

08/21/2010, 03:40 PM	#4
Mmckibben Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: CO Posts: 286 Blog Entries: 21	reefs tend to be in the tropics where there are 12 hours of sun light __________________ “We don’t inherit the world from our parents, we borrow it from our children” -Rusi Vulakoro- Current Tank Info: 90 gallon sps fiji reef, 30 gal sump/ refugium, aquac ev-180, 90p marco rocks. LED/ metal halide

08/21/2010, 04:08 PM	#5
steelhead77 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Albany, Oregon Posts: 1,117	My actinics come on at about 8:30am. My halides come on about 11:30am. My halides go off at 7:30pm. My actinics go off at 8:30pm. My moolights go off at about midnight. To me, the goal of having a reef tank is to mimic a natural reef as much as practical in your living room. __________________ This really isn't rocket science - it's more like marine biology. Current tank info: 180 gallon AGA, 40 gallon custom sump, AquaC EV240 skimmer, PM calc reactor, 3x 250w DIY MH, PCI CL-650 Chiller, 2x Koralia 4's, 2x Koralia 2's

08/21/2010, 05:32 PM	#7
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	i have odd hours too. but this is how i timed mine. 11am actanic on for 12 hrs till 11pm. MH come on at 2pm to 10pm (8hrs) and moonlight from 11pm to 2 am and complete darkness after 2am. this was i get to see my tank in full light around 8pm to 11pm and enjoy my night with it. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

08/21/2010, 06:28 PM	#11
Palting Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,912	I have moonlights on when the actinics/MH are off. Why do you guys have a period of complete darkness? Is it needed? __________________ Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam

08/21/2010, 03:33 PM	#2
MCCOOL Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,135	you can choose when they run. I run my actinics for ~10hrs and my daylights for ~5hrs.

08/21/2010, 03:38 PM	#3
Fishamatank Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,017	The time of day you run the lights does not matter. The length of time you can leave them on depends on the intensity of the lights. Generally no more than 12 hours max for the actinics.

08/21/2010, 05:19 PM	#6
kimberlee Kimberlee Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Portland OR Posts: 168	THX, I have odd hours if I stuck to day time I'd never see my tank w/ the lights going. I have all the algae under control so I was hoping to keep the lights on longer than the 6 hours my lfs told me was okay to run them.

08/21/2010, 05:54 PM	#10
kimberlee Kimberlee Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Portland OR Posts: 168	everyone else has too. THX so much my tank is really coming in to it's own now.

08/21/2010, 08:01 PM	#13
Fishamatank Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,017	I tried a period of total darkness just for the hell of it, and I found that the LPS go NUTS with their sweeper tentacles. Now my moon lights are probably on the bright side so maybe that's why they don't do it with the moon lights on, but I figure it's good for them to let their sweepers out.

08/21/2010, 08:06 PM	#14
DZs Sunny D's Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: CA Posts: 642	I'm a night owl, so I turn off the moonlights when I finally get to bed. I find it very interesting what's going on in total darkness. Critters comes out to feed.

08/21/2010, 08:12 PM	#15
steelhead77 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Albany, Oregon Posts: 1,117	It really doesn't matter the time of day you have your lights on. If you work graveyard, have them on when you're awake and can enjoy them. Just keep the length of time the same as a normal day in Fiji. __________________ This really isn't rocket science - it's more like marine biology. Current tank info: 180 gallon AGA, 40 gallon custom sump, AquaC EV240 skimmer, PM calc reactor, 3x 250w DIY MH, PCI CL-650 Chiller, 2x Koralia 4's, 2x Koralia 2's

08/21/2010, 08:22 PM	#16
DZs Sunny D's Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: CA Posts: 642	What steelhead77 said. YUP! I run my MH late afternoon, turn them off in the evenings.

08/21/2010, 08:28 PM	#17
mutateddogbone Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Broken Arrow, OK Posts: 1,016	its only good to run daylights for 4-5 hours a day, all the way up to about 8 max. our lights replicate the noonday sun on a reef, and the sun rises and sets over the top of the reef crest. corals are not exposed to the high par numbers but for 4 or so hours every day, and in the other 8 to 12 hours, are more exposed to ambient light and reflections off the water. pick a time of day you are most likely to view your tank with lights on and run daylights for 4-6 hours, and run actinics for 2-3 hours on each side of that __________________ 2013 Oklahoma Marine Aquarium Society - President An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure Current Tank Info: 75g braceless SPS dominated w/ 50g Frag Tank

08/22/2010, 03:45 PM	#18
kimberlee Kimberlee Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Portland OR Posts: 168	I' been running the Daylights 2pm-10pm and my moon lights at night my corals are seem to be okay, Picking up an actinics in two weeks

08/22/2010, 04:16 PM	#19
strikeratt Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 51	I wish I could have the option to turn my atinics and daylights off seperately In good time I guess. My moonlights constantly run though.