How much light does a fish need?

[79chopperdr]

I have a frag tank I've been running under my DT, it's all plumbed together. All the corals are gone and I'd like to leave the tank running for the extra water volume. I have two fish in there that were getting picked on up top, I'd like to leave them there and cut down the light cycle so algae doesn't build up.

How many hours of light do I need to sustain them???

 

[BigBlueTang]

I have a frag tank I've been running under my DT, it's all plumbed together. All the corals are gone and I'd like to leave the tank running for the extra water volume. I have two fish in there that were getting picked on up top, I'd like to leave them there and cut down the light cycle so algae doesn't build up.

How many hours of light do I need to sustain them???

None

Fish don't need lights! Just feed them.

 

[Nick_Northern]

None

Fish don't need lights! Just feed them.

Depends if they are getting any ambient light or are in your cabinet? Yes fish can survive without light but its completely unnatural and not a very ethical way to keep them.

If they aren't recieving ambient light then I would stick to something like 8 hours so you are at least giving them some form of diurnal cycle. You would not need any particular wattage though so could cut back in that regard.

 

[ThRoewer]

Reef fish definitely need light. How much depends on the species, their natural depth range and their feeding habits.
Fish that pick specific foods of rocks usually need more than fish that pick their food from the water column.
Ambient room light is in most cases sufficient, but especially in a QT settings you will need the light to detect potential pathogens.

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[scooter31707]

My buddy does not have a light on his FOWLR tank. He just opens up the blinds in his house and the light shines in. It's not direct light on the tank, as the tank is in a perfect spot.

 

[BigBlueTang]

Depends if they are getting any ambient light or are in your cabinet? Yes fish can survive without light but its completely unnatural and not a very ethical way to keep them.



If they aren't recieving ambient light then I would stick to something like 8 hours so you are at least giving them some form of diurnal cycle. You would not need any particular wattage though so could cut back in that regard.

Oh yeah I didn't mean that you can put them in a dark room.. Just saying that they're not like corals and they don't need powerful lighting in order to survive.


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