Few days of lights out = much better coloration!

plancton · 03/17/2010, 11:39 PM

Its true, I´ve done it in two ocasions to fight dinoflagellates and after 2-3 days of lights out, you turn them back on to find your corals with a way more colorful and intense coloration, they glow and it is obvious!.

They say Sprung explains it in one of his books: reef aquarium vol 1.

In nature sometimes with a storm or cloudy days, corals also spend a few days in darkness.

A friend says its because they expell some excesive xooanthellae. I´m thinking about doing 2 days of black out twice a month!, starting the day of water change, they seem to respond better this way.

Any experience on this?

pledosophy · 03/18/2010, 01:14 AM

Do the waterchange after the lights out. If you do a lights out period you will start to have some species of algaes release spores as they die off. A waterchange after the fact removes a portion of these spores.

There is a very long thread around about people doing 3 days of darkeness as part of there routine.

JME

Eel Freak · 03/18/2010, 07:13 AM

Link?

Bmgrocks · 03/18/2010, 07:36 AM

its the guy with the 40breeder, skimmerless, sumpless, minimal waterchange tank...
time for the archives!

Bmgrocks · 03/18/2010, 07:44 AM

BEHOLD

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1078532

plancton · 03/18/2010, 11:55 AM

I'm doing it after waterchange because I have the cursed seed (dinoflagellates) just a bit, but they feed on trace elements, therefore I must do the blackout after the waterchange, that way they suffer, and I haven´t seen any negative effects from the release of algae spores, and the corals are looking way better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pledosophy

Do the waterchange after the lights out. If you do a lights out period you will start to have some species of algaes release spores as they die off. A waterchange after the fact removes a portion of these spores.

There is a very long thread around about people doing 3 days of darkeness as part of there routine.

JME

03/17/2010, 11:39 PM	#1
plancton Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mexico Posts: 1,866	Few days of lights out = much better coloration! Its true, I´ve done it in two ocasions to fight dinoflagellates and after 2-3 days of lights out, you turn them back on to find your corals with a way more colorful and intense coloration, they glow and it is obvious!. They say Sprung explains it in one of his books: reef aquarium vol 1. In nature sometimes with a storm or cloudy days, corals also spend a few days in darkness. A friend says its because they expell some excesive xooanthellae. I´m thinking about doing 2 days of black out twice a month!, starting the day of water change, they seem to respond better this way. Any experience on this? __________________ Hansel, he´s so hot right now... Last edited by plancton; 03/17/2010 at 11:45 PM.

03/18/2010, 07:13 AM	#3
Eel Freak Fimbriated Moray Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: The Space Coast Posts: 830	Link? __________________ I plan to procrastinate. Current Tank Info: 205g Mixed Reef - 3x Radion XR30w Gen 2, twin VorTechs, SRO-XP5000e, 50g estuary, 125g fuge, OM 4-way

03/18/2010, 01:14 AM	#2
pledosophy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Beaverton Posts: 5,290	Do the waterchange after the lights out. If you do a lights out period you will start to have some species of algaes release spores as they die off. A waterchange after the fact removes a portion of these spores. There is a very long thread around about people doing 3 days of darkeness as part of there routine. JME

03/18/2010, 07:36 AM	#4
Bmgrocks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,006	its the guy with the 40breeder, skimmerless, sumpless, minimal waterchange tank... time for the archives!

03/18/2010, 07:44 AM	#5
Bmgrocks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,006	BEHOLD http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1078532