Lights Out

[Pinkheine]

Interested to know if members offer their tank a period of darkness over the course of a month, week, etc.

I have spoken with a couple of people that do in fact turn off their lights for a few days a month. Any benefits to this? Can it hinder the tank any?

I figure it can be a good thing to do here and there considering when bad weather occurs naturally the reefs are pretty much in darkness, so it may be beneficial to simulate this in our closed systems.

Not having much luck finding anything as far as literature is concerned on the subject.

What do you all think?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I do it. I haven't noticed anything bad from it.

 

[tosiek]

Last i heard people do it is either for simulating bad weather or cloudy days or to hinder the growth of nuisance algae in tanks. 2 days with lights off after plucking some hair algae or cyano that won't go away might stop it from growing back.

As far as it beeing beneficial to our tanks, I don't think it has any negative or positive side effects large enough to warrant it or it would be written somewhere as one of our rules we follow. The coral should be fine for a few days with lights off though.

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Interested to know if members offer their tank a period of darkness over the course of a month, week, etc.

I have spoken with a couple of people that do in fact turn off their lights for a few days a month. Any benefits to this? Can it hinder the tank any?

I figure it can be a good thing to do here and there considering when bad weather occurs naturally the reefs are pretty much in darkness, so it may be beneficial to simulate this in our closed systems.

Not having much luck finding anything as far as literature is concerned on the subject.

What do you all think?

Hi Pinkheine
I made some search about that subject and found the following

Shedding Light on the Reef

B. The Physical Environment

http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/145/m145p109.pdf

http://www.springerlink.com/content/v59138276t2786p5/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0975311107/?tag=reefs04-20

For a long time now that I've been wanting to have a programmed dimmer but so far the most I do is to have some blue led light to ease the transition between day light and night, so 30 min before the actinic lights go off, which is some 30 min after metal halide 14k go off, the blue leds turn on and stay on for about 2 hours then its night darkness or almost except for minor luminiscence left in the blue leds which I belive to be residual electricity...any way this is not day and night and cloudy or bad weather. Animals do addapt but they have limits and they need to have day and night conditions, so in my vue a period of darkness is a must and if done with a programmed dimmer, even better but I do not turn off the lights, I simply have a dya ligh period and a night darkness period every day. Of ourse other natural conditions such as high tide/low tide, etc...would be good, but more dificult to do in our homes.

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[masterswimmer]

Sybil, I turn my lights off for two to three days every month (sometimes every second month). Like Tony said, no ill or positive effects. Just a recreation of stormy, no sunlight on the natural reef.

Never had anything go wrong doing this. Been doing it for years now.

JM $.02

Russ

 

[Pinkheine]

Russ--- you were actually one of the few that I knew of that mentioned it

We have done it here and there since starting up the tank. Not on a schedule really but just when I think about it to be honest. Or like you mentioned T-- to stop that good ol' nuisance algae from getting out of hand. In the beginning we had some crazy types of algae popping up... now that I know better most of it was actually really cool macro that people actually buy and add to their tanks. Dumb me ripped it out. :duh:

Thanks for the links Pedro, knew I could count on Pedro for some links

 

[Bob 1000]

I have been doing this for years... But now that I have a rail system, it naturally creates a cloud simulation by moving back and fourth over the tank as the braces on the tank get in the way..