lighting hours?

[rbtwo4]

i have a question about lighting. i have my tank set up for 1 week exact with LR & LS im starting to see an algae bloom. not much but a little spot here and there on the tank and all over several rocks. i know this is normal and just have to let nature take its course. so with that being said how long should i have my lights on? i have a t-5 with 2 10000k and 2 actinics i have the actinics come on about an hr before the 10k and they go off an hr after the 10k. so figure about 9hrs for the 10k and 10 for the actinics. is this right or is there no right or wrong? thanks! :dance:

 

[Davidb6]

I’ve only cycled one tank (within the last 20 years) so I’m no expert. But, I did not run my lights normally during the cycling phase; that will only promote unwanted algae. I did run the T5s 1 to 2 hrs every other day after the 3rd week. Many sites recommend not running the lights at all, some say run them very limited. Either way, it looks like you need to cut back on your lights.

In my case I just wanted to make sure my coralline algae didn’t completely die off.

 

[dc_909]

I have mine on for a total of 7 hours.

 

[rbtwo4]

interesting

 

[DrBCool]

When I set my tank up I set the lighting how I wanted it to be all the time . I have my atinics come on at 6:30AM my 10K's kick on around 8am of at 8PM and the atinics off at 9PM then my moon lights take over ..

Algae blooms when cycling is normal so don't freak out about a little bit of algae . I habe a small bloom of hair algae and red slime algae during my cycle period .

 

[rbtwo4]

so u run ur lights 12 hrs a day huh? i saw that somewhere and i thought it was too much.

 

[BWine]

I use a T5 setup also.

My actinics run 2pm - 10 pm
My daylights run 3pm - 9pm

But I'm thinking about having each set come on an hour earlier to increase the total light time to 9 hours.

 

[rbtwo4]

so basically there should be no issue having the lights on this long going thru a cycle i gather

 

[BWine]

No, there shouldn't be any issue.

 

[PPi]

Keeping your light off during cycle is always suggested. My personal experience is that it just prolongs the prevention. Your live rock may still bloom after your first cycle and you begin your light cycle. I am going through that experience currently and from everything I gather this is also a normal occurance with some live rock. Half of my rock was cured and the other not, so my probability was high. My friend's tank went through a small dianthom bloom and that was it.

Have fun and don't get caught up in the hair algae. If you see any sign of it, start paying attention. It will spread quickly.

Good Luck...

 

[rbtwo4]

Hair algae if i do start seeing that besides water changes that would mean its time for a cleanup crew right? preferably emerald crab?