Advantages of programming rainy days

xenon

Owner of Canada Corals
What are the advantages of programming rainy days?

My GHL Profilux controller has the ability but I am not sure how many days and what percentage to dim the lights on a rainy day.

Right now I have Monday and Thursday will be 30% less bright with two 10min lighting storms.
 
One benefit I can think of is that it slows down algal growth for those "rainy" days and gives your clean up crew a chance to catch up. I would maybe do one day a week at something like 30% of max lighting if possible. For comparison on a bright day in 10 feet of water with a PAR meter you might get a reading of 1500-1600 uE, on an overcast day it could be less than 200 uE.

I'm going to geek out here for a moment: There was actually a really cool paper that came out last month about a reef in Hawaii that had undergone a phase shift, a shift from coral-dominated to algae-dominated. It's been thought that once this occurs it might be a near-permanent change, but this reef experienced a month of low-light, overcast weather and the species of algae that was covering the whole reef suffered massive losses. I think coral cover then increased.

By the way, how do you simulate lightning storms?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14188341#post14188341 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LockeOak
One benefit I can think of is that it slows down algal growth for those "rainy" days and gives your clean up crew a chance to catch up. I would maybe do one day a week at something like 30% of max lighting if possible. For comparison on a bright day in 10 feet of water with a PAR meter you might get a reading of 1500-1600 uE, on an overcast day it could be less than 200 uE.

I'm going to geek out here for a moment: There was actually a really cool paper that came out last month about a reef in Hawaii that had undergone a phase shift, a shift from coral-dominated to algae-dominated. It's been thought that once this occurs it might be a near-permanent change, but this reef experienced a month of low-light, overcast weather and the species of algae that was covering the whole reef suffered massive losses. I think coral cover then increased.

By the way, how do you simulate lightning storms?

One day per week it is! :)

I use the Aqua Illumination LED modules connected to my GHL controller. The lights dim 50% and the white LED lights flash like a strobe light. The storm starts slowly and the lightning strikes get more frequent as the storm approches. Then it fades out as the storm passes. Coolest lighting feature EVER!
 
1) saves power.
2) gives consumers the illusion of control so they will buy it.

What does it actually do for corals? I think being able to predict a consistent intensity and timing of light will give an advantage not found in the wild. Its like setting your alarm to 7:00 AM 7 days a week. You will adapt to instinctively wake up at 7:00 every day without issue. If you set your alarm clock to 11:00 AM on the weekends, waking up at 7:00 on Monday sucks that much more. If your light isn't too bright or too dim to begin with, I see no tangible benefit other than your power bill. I believe algae will not be hampered by occasional gloomy days. (A gloomy month is a different story). Algae sure do fine in the wild regardless of real rain.

A light dimmer with occasional flashes of lighting may be a cool effect to brag to your friends about...but actual benefits for what lives under the water? I don't see it. In fact I think the coral would be better off without it, do to the consistency theory. Messing with the schedule is just that...messing with the predictable agenda of their photosynthetic and tentacle extension feeding cycles.
 
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