is 14 hrs. of light to much??

[Lynn]

Hi, I have two actinic and 2 sun bulbs. I have the actinic go on at 8 a.m. and the sun at 8:30 a.m they both stay on all day and the sun goes off at 6 p.m. and since I like to see the tank at night I've been leaving the actinic on till 10:00 p.m. which makes its a 14 hour lit period. Is this to much? thanks

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
How about turning on the bulb later, so you can keep it on until you get home?

There are some indications that coral needs the dark period to reinforce the skeleton built haphazardly during the light period.

 

[Anonymous]

Also, the longer photoperiod could encourage problem algae...

 

[Anonymous]

Don't know where you guys live, but it gets pretty light at 7Am and gets dark at 9pm down Florida way, and is even a wider window around most reef areas, so 14 hrs ain't a problem, IMO. Are these NO fluorescents? Light won't cause algae to bloom, there are other much more limiting nutrients. I'd say, if you couldn't tell,no problem!

 

[Anonymous]

You should leave the sun bulbs on till 8 p.m.. The sun bulbs should be on for 12 and the actinics on for 14 to simulate the rise and set of the sun. Overall 14 hrs done this way is damn near perfect.

 

[Mike and Donna]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ANEMONEBUFF:
<strong>You should leave the sun bulbs on till 8 p.m.. The sun bulbs should be on for 12 and the actinics on for 14 to simulate the rise and set of the sun. Overall 14 hrs done this way is damn near perfect.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hmmm...interesting. While I don't see anything wrong with your suggestion, there is not a "perfect" answer. Even in the sub-tropics there is seasonality with differing daylight periods over the course of the year. Some folks mimic this seasonality, including moonrises, to stimulate spawning, etc.

And, as I understand it from reading and other posts, intensity is far more relevant than duration in lighting.

Bottom line, as long as the lights are on 8 hours or so a day, the rest is pretty much personal preference.

JMO

 

[danmhippo]

You shouldn't worry too much about nuiance algae growth with extended actinic light hours.

 

[Anonymous]

Leaving the actinics on longer only extends sunset. If you want moonlight you should get a small moonlight bulb. With that you could alter the lunar cycle any way you want.