What's your photoperiod?

[Krish]

How many hours a day do you run your lights? Start your count from when your first light comes on till the last one is cut off.

 

[tike]

I run one 250 watt MH 20K Radium for 9 hours a day.

 

[returnofsid]

I voted 9-10, but that's not entirely true. I don't have timers on my fixtures, so my photo period is dependent on my finger, turning the lights on and off...lol.

Typically, I turn my lights on, anywhere between 8-10am. Usually, I turn them off about 8pm.

There are times when my lights end up being on for 12 hours.

 

[Myteemouse]

I run my actinics from 1130 am to 830 pm
the MH from 1 pm to 8 pm

 

[ac7av]

I turn mine on in stages.
At 7am the first set of PC lights come on
At 8am the second set of PC lights comes on and the power head on the left comes on.
At 8:30 all 3 HQI lights come on and the power head on the right.
At 7pm the HQI lights go off.
At 7:30 I turn off one set of the PC lights and the power head on the right goes off.
And at 8pm all lights off and the left power head goes off.

I know it’s a long light cycle but when you do it manually I can only do it when I’m here and I want to see the tank in the evening for a while before shutting it off. I’m too cheep for the timers yet. Some day.

 

[Krish]

I voted 9-10, but that's not entirely true. I don't have timers on my fixtures, so my photo period is dependent on my finger, turning the lights on and off...lol.

:lol: Don't get lazy now...Those fish and corals need light!

 

[mfinn]

Actinics on at 10:30am and off at 8:30pm
MH's on at 11:30am and off at 8pm.

 

[trido]

I used to run my actinics for 13 hours a day and the MH for 6-9 depending on the K rating and wattage.

 

[ryansreef]

I have timers that turn on the Actinics from 9am to 9pm and 2x250w MH from 1030am to 730pm.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Halide only lighting, with minimum wattage possible
Set with timers - on 9:00 AM off 6:30 PM

in heat of summer, run slightly shorter length with earlier start 6:30 - 3:30

 

[Faciosity]

I'm up late, and wake late, so I turn on my actinics between 10 and 11, turn on the daylight bulbs about 45 minutes later, turn off the daylight around 11PM and turn off the actinics about 45 minutes later. Running blue leds at night. Long period, but I have been getting great growth, and ever since I got my yellow tang, I have had no issues with algae.

 

[jake65]

I like to be able to have time after work to enjoy my tank, so mine is a later schedule also. VHO's on 12pm and off at 10pm, Halides on at 2pm and off at 8pm...all on timers

 

[TheKraken]

Sump is 24/7.

The normal lights at dusk and then the VHO past 10 to get that cool coral fluorescence, you should go to bed effect.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

mine mh 9 hrs a day atinics leds the rest of the day after mh come on..... t5's 10hrs a day

 

[Dr. Dee]

Look out it's 10 baby

 

[kenargo]

Technically, I vary since I use the season tables built into the Apex controller.

 

[Ed Hahn]

I run my Metal halides 8 hours. If i am running Atinics I have them on a hour before and a hour after for a total of 10. I love the thought of less light means more time for corals to feed.

 

[iroll253]

Led actinics from 1130 am to 1130 pm 150w halide from 230 pm to 930 pm

So leds 12 hrs
Halide 6

 

[Butcher333]

8:00 to 8:00

 

[marlinmero]

12:30 actinincs come on then at one the other 4 t5's then at 950 the daylights go off then at 1025 they are all off