Lighting on

[olsenshouse]

How long should a cycling tank have there lights on during the day? 12hrs or less?

 

[thatguy559]

my lights come on at

light 1 (actinics) on at 0600
light 2 (250w halide) on at 0930
light 3 (250w halide) on at 1000

light 1 off at 1800
light 2 off at 1700
light 3 off at 1730

 

[returnofsid]

During your cycle, I'd keep the lights on the same schedule that you plan to use, after the cycle. That way, you won't end up with any surprise algae blooms, due to light changes.

A lot of people recommend no lights, during cycle, to cut down on problem algae that can appear during cycle. My thought is that if you keep your lights out, during cycle, you'll just end up with the same problem algae, once the cycle is complete and you turn your lights on....

 

[NC2WA]

I have 2 x 250W XM 10K that are on for 8 hrs and 4 x 39w actinics that are on for 2.5 hrs..

all lights are off by 8pm..

I have no algae problems in my tank.

with that said, use what people give you as a guideline not as a rule, find what works for YOU (by trial and error), and then stick with it.

 

[mcoomer]

I would leave them off. As Sid notes, you'll battle algae at some point and lighting can certainly accelerate algae growth but I look at it another way. Keeping the lights out whenever possible is easier on the wallet. Even now on my 12 year old tank I'll sometimes turn off the MH ballast for a few days at a time just to change things up, particularly during hot weather, and save a few dollars on the electric bill.

 

[scottmdebord]

when my tank was in its cycle i ran my 2x250 mh 5 hours a day i would rather deal with the bad algaes or any other problems before i put any livestock in

 

[lvsuckerfish]

During your cycle, I'd keep the lights on the same schedule that you plan to use, after the cycle. That way, you won't end up with any surprise algae blooms, due to light changes.

A lot of people recommend no lights, during cycle, to cut down on problem algae that can appear during cycle. My thought is that if you keep your lights out, during cycle, you'll just end up with the same problem algae, once the cycle is complete and you turn your lights on....

I agree with sid here keep them on the same cycle as you plan to have the tank run better to battle algae when you have a coral free tank then worrying about if cyano will cover and kill corals