Do Corals Need a True Dark Period?

Big Mistake

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
85
Reaction score
48
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Many plants and animals need a true dark period.

Many plants flower based on the length of day and even a short light at night will interrupt flowering.

Dark as in dark of night, middle of a moonless night Pacific dark.

Many buildings never get really dark, and even if the tank light period is short, in the summer the house is relatively bright inside after the light turns off.

Even in the darker section of a house (say a Butler's Pantry (hall with some cabinets) it is "daylight" from sunrise to sunset.

And light spill to the tank from other rooms in the house.

And at night a lot of light spill into the house from house and street lights.

Should a tank be covered when the tank lights are not on?

Should the tank light photo period simulate the changing length of day or are corals evolved for the equator and 12 hours from sunrise to sunset? Or some corals?

The corals I have seem to react that "dim" light is night, and only open up when the tank light gets bright, and even start to close up during the long ramp down.

Maybe the corals just react to the zooxanthellae? I assume corals have primitive photo receptors?

I prefer to sleep in the dark. And won't hazard about fish.

-Big Mistake
 

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,599
Reaction score
3,441
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good question but doesn’t some of the outstanding tanks on display here, prove they don’t?

I’m guessing they are not being covered at night.
 
OP
OP
B

Big Mistake

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
85
Reaction score
48
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That is a very GOOD point! Probably Q.E.D.

Would be interesting to see if tank location (windowless basement or other) makes a difference.

-Big Mistake
 

Reefs and Geeks

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 2, 2019
Messages
789
Reaction score
800
Location
Transylvania
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a tank in my dining room that sees alot of external light, and a tank in my basement which essentially only sees light from the LEDs. I haven't noticed any difference in the happiness of the coral in each tank. Both tanks have the same coral in them.

I like the idea of total darkness, but haven't seen any issue with having the dining room lights on even late into the night. I have a newborn so I'm frequently up till 2am with her and other than the fish being a bit confused at times, nothing seems to change.
 

Waynerock

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2018
Messages
2,619
Reaction score
5,307
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I cover mine when I got to bed until they come on at 11am. Always have I don’t know if it helps just habits. I just use some black out curtains and glued the 3m wall hanging hooks up top to hold

1412D117-7723-4649-8868-23D8AC81223C.png
 

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,599
Reaction score
3,441
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I cover mine when I got to bed until they come on at 11am. Always have I don’t know if it helps just habits. I just use some black out curtains and glued the 3m wall hanging hooks up top to hold

1412D117-7723-4649-8868-23D8AC81223C.png

wow I like it!

I’ve just started my tank, it’s in the living room, I feel guilty if I watch tv late, when the fish have gone to bed!

I wouldn’t want the stress tho of having to make sure I was up early to remove the blackout material.
 

Waynerock

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2018
Messages
2,619
Reaction score
5,307
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well it’s not a big deal if you forget to take it off it’s not like it will heat up the tank. If my wife and kids leave before my lights come on when I get home from work at 6 o’clock the cover will still be on the tank never been a problem. Literally just go to Walmart and get the black out curtains cut them to fit either Velcro or glue some of the picture hooks on there to connect on top of the tank and that’s it. My lights are off at 11 PM and I’m usually up till one or two watching TV or playing video games I don’t know about the corals but my fish seem to kind of get jumpy sometimes. I know my Scoly won’t open till the living room is almost totally dark which gets to be a pain to feed it. Like I said it’s a habbit from back in the day. The tank kinda looks cool covered up it’s like the show has not started yet.
 

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,599
Reaction score
3,441
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well it’s not a big deal if you forget to take it off it’s not like it will heat up the tank. If my wife and kids leave before my lights come on when I get home from work at 6 o’clock the cover will still be on the tank never been a problem. Literally just go to Walmart and get the black out curtains cut them to fit either Velcro or glue some of the picture hooks on there to connect on top of the tank and that’s it. My lights are off at 11 PM and I’m usually up till one or two watching TV or playing video games I don’t know about the corals but my fish seem to kind of get jumpy sometimes. I know my Scoly won’t open till the living room is almost totally dark which gets to be a pain to feed it. Like I said it’s a habbit from back in the day. The tank kinda looks cool covered up it’s like the show has not started yet.

You have convinced me, I’m going to do it!

As I work late some days, I wanted to feed the fish after work, so this will help, as now I can keep the lights on late, feed the fish then blackout the tank for 10 hours.

Thanks for posting the pic, helped me solve this issue.
 

Thespammailaccount

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 3, 2020
Messages
4,274
Reaction score
15,567
Location
Houston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That is a very GOOD point! Probably Q.E.D.

Would be interesting to see if tank location (windowless basement or other) makes a difference.

-Big Mistake
Run an experiment to either prove or disprove your logic. Furthermore, I wonder if there is a difference between tank raised and wild specimens
 

Waynerock

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2018
Messages
2,619
Reaction score
5,307
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You have convinced me, I’m going to do it!

As I work late some days, I wanted to feed the fish after work, so this will help, as now I can keep the lights on late, feed the fish then blackout the tank for 10 hours.

Thanks for posting the pic, helped me solve this issue.
Well It can’t hurt right? It’s Just another ritual that I do
 

ahiggins

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
4,827
Reaction score
3,493
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That’s an interesting point. The only thing I’ve ever noticed in my tank that reacts to ambient light or another light source is my toadstool. He will be in a completely opposite direction of the light source if I forget to pull the shades down on a window across the room
 

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,599
Reaction score
3,441
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well my fish had their first night covered, when I uncovered them this morning they were a bit spooked, and hid in the corner, normally they are confident fish, but I took this as a good thing as I expect it meant they had a stressless nights sleep, so it was a bit of a shock being uncovered again, they soon came round tho.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 79 38.2%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 69 33.3%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 26 12.6%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 31 15.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 1.0%
Back
Top