How long reef tank lighting

No one really knows definitively whether the effects are beneficial but we do know that changing spectrum is certainly not required for success. If you want to change the spectrum for visual appeal throughout the day, consider doing it similar to the way Kessil logic suggests.

Reduce the whites during ramp up and ramp down and leave all the blues the same. World Wide Corals changes the spectrum throughout the day from white to blue with very minimal ramp times. The mindset is turbocharge the photosynthesis in the morning and then let it slow down throughout the day. We go into detail about the process in our SPS reef tank lighting made simple and stable. Be the first to know about the sales, specials, new products, the latest BRSTV episodes and win free prizes!

The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Close Call Email. Shop By Categories. Reef FAQs. Reef tank lighting schedule - What is the ideal spectrum program for your LED lights? Categories: Lighting. Author: Robert Farnsworth.

Stability is king Some reefers get lucky, some are just intuitive guessers but many fail when attempting to dial in an LED light using the custom controls. The most critical message is set the spectrum to the best of you your ability and then leave it alone for 9 - 12 months if not permanently. How LED lights create a usable spectrum Corals have adapted over millennia to specific light spectrum ranges and they use specific wavelength peaks more efficiently than others.

It is widely agreed that the most beneficial wavelengths for coral growth and health are what the human eye perceives as the blue spectrums. Is there a better way? Changing spectrum throughout the photoperiod No one really knows definitively whether the effects are beneficial but we do know that changing spectrum is certainly not required for success.

Recent Posts. Set Up for Success! Paste as plain text instead. Only 75 emoji are allowed. Display as a link instead. Clear editor. Upload or insert images from URL. Beginners Discussion. Search In. How long should my light be on? By Abzdot, April 3, in Beginners Discussion marine light. Reply to this topic Start new topic.

Recommended Posts. Posted April 3, Share this post Link to post. If you are keeping corals, you will need a new light anyway! You can use a light timer to turn them off and on. Good luck! Fragenstein , Apr 21, I cannot control the daylight separately from the actinic so I have mine on for 12 hours 9am to 9pm and no problems with algae.

To comment on hydrojeff's statement, there are corals that can be kept under low lighting such as mushrooms, leathers, and zoas.

Some corals such as gorgonians do not use light at all they are difficult to keep alive. What it the wattage and color spectrum of your bulbs? How large is your tank? Red Sea calls them T5 power compacts 2 x 55W. They are PC lights. In case you have a hanging system or any other ways where you can effortlessly move the lights higher, it is better to raise the LED fixtures at the beginning.

When the reef creatures start to get used to the new fixture, you can lower the fixture gradually over the next 3 to 4 weeks. When you turn to LED lighting, you can still keep using the blue lights safely during dusk or dawn for a few hours. But, it is important to lower the active running hours of main lights during the daytime.

Begin with using them for 4 hours and then add about 1 hour per week. Just within a month, you can come back to your old schedule without bleaching the corals. A dimmer can help the marine creatures to get used to the change. Just hooking up a dimmer and lowering the intensity of light can work like magic in this respect. However, always keep a careful eye on the corals for any symptoms of bleaching in them. If you see the sign of stress, you might need to combine this approach with another solution given above.

If the corals in your reef tank are healthy and showing no signs of bleaching or stress, you can think of increasing the light intensity gradually to the appropriate level.

Here too, do not hurry. Take about 1 month to get things settled to the desired level. Visit either a hardware store or a plant nursery to buy shade cloth or window screens.

If you cover the top of your reef tank with 3 to 4 layers of screen or cloth, the corals will remain unstressed. However, it is okay if you just remove 1 layer of the shade after about 4 to 5 days. If you see that the corals are still getting stressed, replace the shade to its prior position. But, if the corals are fine with the change, you can go way faster and complete the cycle before 3 to 4 weeks. Finally, there is no alternative to being vigilant and patient. You may choose any of the approaches mentioned above.

If you see that the corals are losing the color, you should slow down the acclimation procedures. Maintaining the proper lighting hours in the reef tank is the key to the healthy growth of corals and fishes.

If the lighting is maintained for too long, the corals will bleach, and if the lighting period is too short, they will not be able to thrive. As a reef aquarist, you should aim to maximize the coral growth, maintain the appropriate water temperature, prevent coral bleaching, and control the growth of nuisance algae. All of these are possible only if you can maintain the appropriate hours and amount of lighting for the reef tank. The starting of my salty journey was not easy.

I was in the freshwater hobby for quite a long time. Planted tanks are amazing - you must admit. But the actinic blue over a coral reef is something I cherished.

Gathering information and knowledge was the most difficult part and it is still the integral part of my journey. Searching any topic will land you to a vast sea of information but they are scattered. In this site I want to share my experience to make your journey a little bit easier.

This beautiful fish is calm, peaceful, and easy to maintain. However, they are among the high-priced saltwater fish. That naturally makes you wonder how much does a clownfish cost? Well, this might seem to be a fair question to ask, but unfortunately asking this question this way is a category mistake and thus a wrong question. It is because LED lighting differs from the fluorescent or metal…. If you know the main characteristics of a Clownfish, you may already know that it cannot survive without a Sea Anemone.

While it is a fact that they share a symbiotic relationship with each other, it can often happen that your Clownfish will defy the rule. In that case, you have to take the initiative…. If you are planning to set up a tank, I am sure you already have a lot of confusion about which type of tank to buy, which type of fish or invertebrate to choose for a tank, how to set up a tank, and other stuff.

Because there are so many types of tanks available…. Chaeto Chaetomorpha Algae is one of the macroalgae or saltwater plants commonly planted in the reef tank aquarium. It has multiple benefits and functions. If you do not know what does Chaeto algae actually do in a reef tank, you should read this post. Chaeto works as a natural filter to remove excess nitrates and…. Kalkwassar is basically Calcium Hydroxide in the German language.