How long is too long to run your lights on your saltwater reef aquarium?

How long is too long to run your aqaurium lights?

  • More than 6 hours

    Votes: 8 0.9%
  • More than 7 hours

    Votes: 24 2.7%
  • More than 8 hours

    Votes: 65 7.4%
  • More than 9 hours

    Votes: 78 8.8%
  • More than 10 hours

    Votes: 189 21.4%
  • More than 11 hours

    Votes: 101 11.5%
  • 12+ Hours

    Votes: 388 44.0%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 29 3.3%

  • Total voters
    882

LPS Bum

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 22, 2021
Messages
570
Reaction score
828
Location
Colorado
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
9 hours total, including a 1 hour ramp up and a 1 hour ramp down. Full power for 6 of those hours, but my mixed reef is mostly LPS and softies.
 

Explorer12

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 28, 2020
Messages
51
Reaction score
30
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I try to mimic the sun so it's longer hours in the summer and shorter in the winter. Today it's start ramp up around 6:30 and ramp down by 8ish.
 

Popkorn0407

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
63
Reaction score
64
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am doing at average what coral receve in real reef like in hawaii, around 8 and 9 hours full sun and 12h total daylight. So my radion run 12h and my t5 8h.
 

Trever

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 19, 2020
Messages
671
Reaction score
353
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
12 hours. I use the kessil standard template. Only thing I've altered there is make it full intensity at peak.
 

bdare

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2015
Messages
574
Reaction score
291
Location
Rockwall, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
13 hours
nature sez

Capture12.JPG
This! FTW
 

iramack

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
37
Reaction score
30
Location
Dallas Texas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am doing at average what coral receve in real reef like in hawaii, around 8 and 9 hours full sun and 12h total daylight. So my radion run 12h and my t5 8h.
9 to 9 on my two Kessil A360X's over my 3 foot tank. 2.5 hour ramp up to a whopping 20/20 setting and 3.5 ramp down to zero with violet 40 and red 5 added for color. So six hours at 20/20. My LPS and Zoas are loving it. If I try to go higher, they complain. Them Kessils are mighty lights!
 

Dcozine

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
24
Reaction score
18
Location
Rochester
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Haven't added corals yet, but lights are set to this. Looks like it's roughly on par with others - maybe I could lengthen it a bit... Cycle starts at 6am, ends at 10pm.
Screenshot_20210522-175248_Mobius.jpg
Screenshot_20210522-175248_Mobius.jpg
 

Appoloreefer

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 26, 2021
Messages
167
Reaction score
139
Location
Spring Hill, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Some of y'all have grumpy fish because they never get enough down time and the others have too much energy because they don't get enough day light! HA! When it comes to lighting your reef tank what is a good balance of time, on and off, for the fish and the coral? Let's talk about it!

1. How long do you run your lights on your reef tank?

2. How long do you think is too long for the lights to be on?


image via goldy.singh.aquagold and Orphek
OR3_LED_Bars_reef_tank.jpg
I do an hour ramp up then lights are on for 10 hours and then an hour ramp down so a total of 12 hours
 

Justin_Casper

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
65
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think more important than amount of time is the DLI. If can run 100% intensity for 8 hours or 50% intensity for 16 and the coral are getting the same amount of light. There’s probably a whole equation, I just don’t know it. At the equator days are roughly always 12 hrs, but other places they fluctuate more.

I guess Im getting at, I don’t think there’s a magic number that’s “too long”. I’ve heard of people with huge setups that stagger their lights so some lights are on 24 hrs a day to balance out the photosynthesis going on.
 

ClownSchool

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 3, 2021
Messages
602
Reaction score
726
Location
US
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Not sure what the par is for a Biocube 16 (3 months old)...
But, 30 minute ramp on both ends, starting @ 7am and ending @ 8pm. So, 13 hours, with 12 hours @ full daytime light.
 

ClownSchool

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 3, 2021
Messages
602
Reaction score
726
Location
US
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think more important than amount of time is the DLI. If can run 100% intensity for 8 hours or 50% intensity for 16 and the coral are getting the same amount of light. There’s probably a whole equation, I just don’t know it. At the equator days are roughly always 12 hrs, but other places they fluctuate more.

I guess Im getting at, I don’t think there’s a magic number that’s “too long”. I’ve heard of people with huge setups that stagger their lights so some lights are on 24 hrs a day to balance out the photosynthesis going on.
The ‘coralatic’ equation...not to be confused with the quadratic equation.
 

guylovell

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
1
Reaction score
1
Location
Miramar
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Being that I am new to this, what would make sense is to start from sunrise to sunset with an increase in intensity as you approach noon time then decrease intensity till sunset. Am I on the right path?
 

tigre44

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 11, 2009
Messages
245
Reaction score
213
Location
Elizabeth, Co
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Some of y'all have grumpy fish because they never get enough down time and the others have too much energy because they don't get enough day light! HA! When it comes to lighting your reef tank what is a good balance of time, on and off, for the fish and the coral? Let's talk about it!

1. How long do you run your lights on your reef tank?

I run MH from 9-5
T-5 from 8-8

LED moon lights 8:30 PM to midnight

2. How long do you think is too long for the lights to be on?
Not sure
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 58 50.0%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 64 55.2%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 27 23.3%
  • None.

    Votes: 28 24.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 7.8%
Back
Top