Should lights be on all day?

[kingtoad]

I have day and night lights on a timer. In the evening, I have my night lights turn on and my day lights turn off. In the am, there is about 3 - 4 hours where no lights are on at all. Should these lights be on all the time? Should I extend the timer on them to last longer/

 

[ugination87]

should be fine

 

[bertoni]

The night lights are more for you than for the animals. I don't bother with them at all. Any schedule convenient for you should be fine, IMO.

 

[PatMayo]

Jonathan is right. Especailly with a new tank. My lights are only on for about 4 hours per day. Once the tank is matured completly and I start adding corals that is when I will add more photo period. Fish don't care as Jonathan stated.

Lots of light means lots of algea at the beggining of a new tank.

Regards,

Pat

 

[rpeeples]

ditto to the above, keep your cycles consistent. Lunar lights will help corals but fish want a place to go to bed @ night

 

[kingtoad]

Does the night lights keep the fish awake at night? If so, I better tone down the lighting period.

I have corals... will keeping the lights off harm them? I do have adequate lighting.

Also, if the lights are off... what are the chances of other fish not seeing my anemone and running straight into it? I'd like to avoid that too.

 

[bertoni]

The corals don't care about the night light, either, unless you're trying to get them to spawn and want to time them. They'll grow well without the night light. If you're using anything brighter that a couple of LEDs or so, I'd suggest turning them off entirely. How big is the tank and what do you have for night lights?

 

[kingtoad]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6780726#post6780726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
The corals don't care about the night light, either, unless you're trying to get them to spawn and want to time them. They'll grow well without the night light. If you're using anything brighter that a couple of LEDs or so, I'd suggest turning them off entirely. How big is the tank and what do you have for night lights?

It's a 60 gallon.

My night lights are 2-54w, 48" pure actinic bulbs

 

[bertoni]

I wouldn't run anything nearly that bright as night lights. Maybe just a couple of small LEDs, if anything.

 

[kingtoad]

Ok. Thank you.

Also, what are the chances of a fish running into my anemone with the lights out?

Do the fish have trouble sleeping with the lights on?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

You should have total darkness for a couple hours each night
My last lights shut off around 11:30 (65w PC), I have a MH that I turn off manually when I got to bed - usually before the PC shuts off. My hippo knows when the MH shuts off that is it bedtime & scoots into my purple rim cap to sleep
I've never managed to cath my sailfin asleep, maybe he just hovers in his sleep
My 1st MH turns on at around 9a. The room faces North so I do not get the morning sun in this room

What kind of anemone & what kind of fish?
I have a carpet - & my clowns protect it
It is possible for a fish to swim into an anemone

I would only use an LED or two as a nite light as suggested