What is the best lighting schedule?

[CyberGuy]

What is the best lighting schedule in terms of these 3 lights for the corals to thrive?:

1. Daylight
2. Actinic
3. Moonlight

 

[hdevils]

daylight, sunshine

 

[CyberGuy]

Maybe I am not being too clear. I have bought several timers and want to set up an automatic light schedule for my tank.
I have Daylight, Actinic, and Moonlight lighting and want to know when should I turn them on and off.

 

[Shiandy]

My preference would be :

Actinic on @ 10:00am off at 10:00pm
Daylight on @ 11:00am off at 9:00pm
Moonlight on at 9:00pm off at 12:00 midnight.

Hope that makes sense, just change the times to what ever suits.

 

[cham]

Hmmm, wonder if I am starving my photo corals. I am running my daylights from 2pm to 9pm

 

[RichConley]

10 hours of daylight would bleach all my sps to death.

Cham, I'm only running my halides from about 5pm to 11pm.

 

[mr pink floyd]

i have a LOOOOOONNNNNG light schedule

actinics on at 7am-10PM
halide on at 1-9(8 hrs)

so my lights are on for wow, 15 hours

i have the actinics on so early so i can see the fish before school, and get some flake in, so they can see it when they wake up and come out

 

[MCary]

For light loving corals you should have a photoperiod of 6-8 hours. (halides daylight what ever you want to call it) Some studies have suggested that this is all they need or use. Take that comment for what its worth to you. Point being, everything past that is up to you. Moonlight is purely asthetic and adds no direct benefit to the corals, neither do actinics. They are for your viewing pleasure only. So set them up as you wish. Common sense seems to suggest that those times should be cyclical so the fish can adjust.

Mike