What is your photoperiod?

[magdelan]

I am interested in learning whether a tank's photoperiod that coincides with the actual outdoors' photoperiod (dawn till dusk) has any beneficial or negative effects on a captive coral reef as opposed to a tank's photoperiod lasting longer than the actual outdoors' photoperiod.

In other words, if your tank is in a room that gets mother nature's rays (the sun), and the tank's lights go on at noon, the tank has already recieved indirrect sunlight (the sun) for the past 6 hours. If the lights are scheduled to go off at 8pm, the tank will have recieved a total of 14 hours of indirrect and dirrect light. Is this bad?

I have recently changed my tank's photoperiod from a 5pm till midnight schedule to a 1pm till 8pm schedule and I feel like my coral coloration is getting more vibrant. This could also be a coincidence having been dosing vodka on a regular basis for the past 10 weeks.

So, please choose your photoperiod (from first actinic on till last actinic off) that most closely represents your tank and post your thoughts, opinions, concerns, or findings.

 

[pascal32]

120G tank. Lit with 8 T5s

8:00 AM - (+2) T5s - 2xATI Blue+
8:30 AM - (+2) T5s - 1xATI Blue+ 1xFiji Purple
11:00 AM - (+4) T5s - DAYLIGHT - 2xATI Blue+ 2xGiessman 15K
5 PM - (-4)
8:30 - (-2)
9PM - (-2)
turn on moonlights.

no option in the list for dusk/dawn lights for 13 hours.

 

[naprestsleep]

I voted 5-2 but its really 5-11. My lumen brite is only run 6 hrs a day, but I am thinking of adding an hour slowly to it.

My tank gets minimal light from a door windows during the day. It only enough to see the tank not enough to light the tank.

 

[tmz]

I checked 11am to 8pm but it's a little more than that more like 10 am to 8pm. The mainfloor displays get some sun;the basement frag tanks get none Can't say I see any diffence in color.

 

[balto777]

I put 10-7, but I actually run it 8 hours, 10-6.

I am planning on bumping it up a little, and maybe do 12-8, so I can view it later in the night when I am home.

 

[lcs]

I run the actinics 7:30am - 7:30pm and the whites 9:00am - 6:30pm.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I go 12 hrs for actinics and 6 for days. I run actinics 12-12 and days 3 to 9.

I start at 12 so that the lights are on when people are most often home and awake

 

[sg1838]

Actinics are on for me from 12pm to 10pm. "Whites" are on from 12:30pm to 9:30pm (which is what I chose in the poll!)

 

[Cptn Spaulding]

i voted 11-8 but its more like 1130-8. with 4 t5's on a standard 55. everything but higher light sps loves it

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

actinics 8AM- 8PM

halides 9AM -7PM

 

[Namyar]

I did a hour on 6 hour off study and found no negative effect at all on the coral.let me know and I can send my info to you.

Sent from my Droid

 

[magdelan]

We're reading the same book but we're on different pages....

We're reading the same book but we're on different pages....

I like the participation however, I am more interested in learning whether or not a tank lit from 7am-7pm [natural light hours (actinic->daylight->actinic)] will have better color than a tank lit from noon till midnight. TMZ touched on my query by stating that he has one tank that is in natural light and one that is not...He hasn't experienced color one way or the other.

Has anyone shifted their photoperiod and discovered a change in coral coloration?

 

[dreaminmel]

Hey Mike. I voted the 4-1 time slot but at one point some years back I ran it on a day cycle. I would've chimed in on the photoperiod/normal sunlight aspect but when I changed up the lighting schedule there were too many other changes made to be able to know what caused any difference. I'm interested in seeing what other feedback you may get. :thumbsup:

 

[Scott48]

i put 10:30 to 7:30 but reall run it 10:30- 5:30

 

[magdelan]

I'm interested in seeing what other feedback you may get.

Thanks Mel... Me too.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I like the participation however, I am more interested in learning whether or not a tank lit from 7am-7pm [natural light hours (actinic->daylight->actinic)] will have better color than a tank lit from noon till midnight. TMZ touched on my query by stating that he has one tank that is in natural light and one that is not...He hasn't experienced color one way or the other.

IME natural sunlight cannot easily be replicated by artificial sunlight (break out the Apogee!) but corals usually appear more colorful under artificial lighting.

 

[wastememphis]

3-8pm

 

[Piazzon12]

VHO 10-8
Halides 1-7

 

[GMaquarium]

IME natural sunlight cannot easily be replicated by artificial sunlight (break out the Apogee!) but corals usually appear more colorful under artificial lighting.

I agree.

Have been messing with the lights on one of my reef tanks. I wanted best of both worlds. However as some may not realize it can not be all done at the same time. I run yellow, high par halides early without actinic light and in the afternoon and evening run bluer light for fluorescence.

8:30am-2pm MH 65k and 14k
11:30-6pm t5s (mix of blue, purple, pink lamps)
11:30-6 vho actinic
4:00-7 Led Actinics

 

[Henry Colf]

I run my lights from 10:00 AM till 9:30 PM.. No other lights on the setup