Lights On or off??

kingjames_dc5 · Mar 14, 2021

I just finished cycling tank about 2
Weeks since and I have added two clowns five hermit crabs and five nasdarius snail over the span of the 2 weeks. I’m wondering how long I should wait before turning on lights I read wait up to 4 months and it will help with the ugly stage. Does this also apply to the blue light as well?

EagleEric · Mar 14, 2021

kingjames_dc5 said:
I just finished cycling tank about 2
Weeks since and I have added two clowns five hermit crabs and five nasdarius snail over the span of the 2 weeks. I’m wondering how long I should wait before turning on lights I read wait up to 4 months and it will help with the ugly stage. Does this also apply to the blue light as well?

Depends on how soon you plan to add corals. Fish can get by with natural light.
You could also do a reduced time period and ramp up over time.

kingjames_dc5 · Mar 14, 2021

Trying to wait as long as I can before adding coral. Trying not to have to bad of an ugly stage lol. So if I start slow with the blue light and ramp up over time I should be ok? Or just wait it out?

Harold999 · Mar 14, 2021

Cycling with the lights off will create nitrifying bacteria on your rock/substrate. This seems a good thing, but when you turn on the light you will kill them (nitrifyfing bacteria are very photo sensitive) and could cause a new nitrite peak and all kind of new bacterial battles who is boss on the rock.
When nature was created, the light wasn't off. ;-)

kingjames_dc5 · Mar 14, 2021

Harold999 said:
Cycling with the lights off will create nitrifying bacteria on your rock/substrate. This seems a good thing, but when you turn on the light you will kill them (nitrifyfing bacteria are very photo sensitive) and could cause a new nitrite peak and all kind of new bacterial battles who is boss on the rock.
When nature was created, the light wasn't off. ;-)

So light on lol‍?

SPR1968 · Mar 14, 2021

Just turn the lights on, would you like to live in a dark box! Lol

It won’t affect any bacteria and your clowns will love you and you can enjoy the tank.

Just watch your nutrient levels especially phosphate (keep it less than 0.03) and you will avoid many issues.

vtecintegra · Mar 14, 2021

Harold999 said:
when you turn on the light you will kill them (nitrifyfing bacteria are very photo sensitive) and could cause a new nitrite peak and all kind of new bacterial battles who is boss on the rock.

This makes no sense.

kingjames_dc5 · Mar 14, 2021

SPR1968 said:
Just turn the lights on, would you like to live in a dark box! Lol

It won’t affect any bacteria and your clowns will love you and you can enjoy the tank.

Just watch your nutrient levels especially phosphate (keep it less than 0.03) and you will avoid many issues.

Should I start with natural blue/white or all blue light? What about recommended running time 8-10 hrs a day ok?

SPR1968 · Mar 14, 2021

Just turn them on, blue, white, below is what I use (with some modifications, but not darkness) but just ‘let there be light’

As far as period just go for natural daylight period like in the ocean

schuby · Mar 14, 2021

I started my tank just over two years ago. I turned my lights on after more than a month because my hood (with lights mounted to top) wasn't done before that. I'd had fish in the whole time (quarantined prior in small tank before 150gal was ready). Put fish in DT after cycle was complete using Dr Tim's One and Only with his Ammonium. I had my skimmer going the whole time and fed the fish. Fed fish ample amounts because I wanted the fish-poop to contribute to my tank in preparation for eventual corals. My starting fish were a small Yellow Tang, a small Purple Tang, and 6 Green Chromis. Due to having Tangs, I fed some nori, too (only what they would eat in a day).

Before lights, my dry rock was mostly unchanged and white. After I turned my lights on, things changed dramatically. My rock turned green where the light shined and I got diatoms. I kept feeding my fish and running my skimmer. I started a small ball of chaeto to export more (always the plan for export). I never experienced dinos due to never letting my nutrients bottom out (my belief). I did get red cyano at some point, but used chemiclean and it went away. Diatoms went away after a week or so on their own (used up all available silicate). I never experienced much GHA, maybe due to me having Tangs.

The best advice I can give is don't let your Chaeto grow large and then die. Mine did (6 months or so later) and flooded my tank with Nitrate and Phosphate (when things die they release everything in them). After that, I discovered that Chaeto (and all macro-algae) require a lot of Iron (more than simple trace amounts). Since starting to dose Iron, I've not had any Chaeto die again.

Harold999 · Mar 14, 2021

vtecintegra said:
This makes no sense.

With lots of nitrifying bacteria on your rock/substrate you might think you're fully cycled (testkit shows zero nitrite at one point), but as soon as you turn on the light you might kill many of them, leaving you with too few of them. Result; nitrites rise. You weren't really fully cycled yet.

Nature doesn't turn off the lights.

schuby · Mar 14, 2021

Harold999 said:
With lots of nitrifying bacteria on your rock/substrate you might think you're fully cycled (testkit shows zero nitrite at one point), but as soon as you turn on the light you might kill many of them, leaving you with too few of them. Result; nitrites rise. You weren't really fully cycled yet.

Nature doesn't turn off the lights.

I'd counter that with this: porous rock has 1,000+ times more surface area than non-porous rock. The lights can't shine on all parts of every rock: there is plenty of surface area on porous rock for light-sensitive bacteria to thrive in our reef tanks. I don't believe that light kills all of any kind of bacteria. We'd never be able to have lighted reef-tanks if it were true.

SPR1968 · Mar 14, 2021

Ok. Lights were on from day 1 at 90% This is 12 months old with Radions

Make your own minds up if it was correct. Maybe darkness would have worked a little better....

Harold999 · Mar 14, 2021

schuby said:
I'd counter that with this: porous rock has 1,000+ times more surface area than non-porous rock. The lights can't shine on all parts of every rock: there is plenty of surface area on porous rock for light-sensitive bacteria to thrive in our reef tanks. I don't believe that light kills all of any kind of bacteria. We'd never be able to have lighted reef-tanks if it were true.

Ofcourse you don't kill ALL nitrifying bacteria when you turn the lights on, but you will kill a significant amount. Possibly just enough to create a new nitrite peak.
The amount of nitrifying bacteria was formed by the amount of bio-(ammonia) load, not more, not less. If you suddenly kill let's say 30% of them by turning on the lights you will disturb the balance which could end in a new nitrite peak (which will solve itselves in time but nevertheless).