Ambient light on your tank?

[Anonymous]

How much light do you have in the room your tank is in when the lights are off? If you have a lot, do you notice any sort of erratic behavior from your fish because of the unnatural light levels?

Does anybody cover their tank to block the light?

 

[Anonymous]

I think my fish like to be left alone when the tank lights are off. If my tank lights are off, but the room lights are on and you walk up to the tank, it's spooks the fish when your shadow comes over them.

My room is very dark once all the the house lights and TV is off.

The fish all hide in the rocks once the tank lights go off. The tangs might swim around a little bit, but not much.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

When my 110 was up the fish woulds start setteling in when the tank light when off. By the time I would go to bead they would all be hiding. I have always kept me tank on a "late" light cycle so I can enjoy it when home from work. In the morning they fish would stay hidded until about and hour or so before the light came on.

 

[LA-Lawman]

i have a skylight int he same room... so i get a good dawn and dusk effect. but the most amount of light the enters the room is in the morning.

I have a light in the den that is on a timer. it is a 60 CF that acts as a little moonlight. it works great. all of my corals come out and the fish seem to like it.

I haven't broken down yet to buy the LED's. I have just been to lazy.. and broke!

 

[minibowmatt]

On my nano I have a HOB refugium on a 24Hr light cycle. I get a lot of extra light showing through the canopy and into the tank. My Maroon Clown and all my corals have adapted well to this light (a 10W 50/50 CF) The corals closest to this light, actually are growing more rapidly than some others in the tank.. I dont know if there is a correlation between the two though..

 

[Anonymous]

My tank is in the living room...first dawn of light comes into this room in the morning. Moderate bright sun gets to it by around noon or so, and that is also when the MH light goes on. Light is on until around 10:30 pm.

By then, if we are still up, we have 1 lamp on. It is 60 watt, and shaded...doesnt throw a lot of light on the tank. Can barely see the fish.

Overnight, we leave on a 40 watt florescent as a night light in the kitchen. Very little reaches the tank from the kitchen. Tank is just about in darkness, but just enough to see in.


As a side note, I noticed my tank is healthier than past tanks because of the amount of natural sulight it gets. Seems the fish revel in the sunlight as they seem to favor being in the shaft of light passing through, and as well, coral growth seems better as well. COmpare to past tanks in the basements or non-sunny rooms. COuld also be experience I guess :?

 

[liquid]

Here's a good article:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/8/lines

Shane

 

[Len]

During the day, there's a lot of ambient light (sunlight) in my aquarium's room. At night, it is very dark. What I notice is that at night, because the outside is pitch black, the fish seem to see their own reflections in the glass. Because of this, my fish - especially my wrasses - act a lot more aggressively towards not only their reflection, but other fish in the tank as well. Turning on room lights seem to mitigate the aggression a bit.

 

[Anonymous]

Here's a good article:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/8/lines

Shane

Thanks for the article. I guess it is making a difference. The sun hitting the aquarium is there from around 11 am to about 3-4 pm at a good intensity.

Of course, that pane of glass in the direct beam of sunlight does get a little algae growth, nothing a once over once a week with a magnetic scrubber doesnt take care of, to the delight, I would guess, of any filter-feeding organisms.

 

[FragMaster]

generaly speaking, most fish go nuts'O when the lights are out and there is near comlete darkness. Hence the invention of "moon lights". There not just for coral ya know! LOL!!!

 

[Len]

Ah, to address the original question, my lights go off at about 11pm (I have the photoperiod shifted a few hours later then real time), so my fish don't experience much light outside the tank after dark. They do wake up earlier then the VHOs come on though since some morning light creeps into the room before 9-10 am. I see no weird behavior except for the fish being a little skittish (but they're always skittish right after waking up anyhow).

 

[FragMaster]

I should mention that my fish are naturaly skittish any how and not true marine fish.
I have 3 HUGE Monos cycling my 100g , 2 8inchtall seabae's and one 5 inch argentinus.
Plus a 4 inch green spot puffer. The puffer is fine, the monos go ape.
Have jumped out SEVERAL TIMES. LOL!