Photo period

three90s&125sump · 01-17-2006, 01:24 AM

Well,

I have a standard cheapo walmart timer, with the clicky things. Well, I got up at 4:30am today and fiddled around with my other set up for about an hour and decided I wanted to look at my 40. I know, I know, I shouldn't be messing around with the photo period, but, I tuned it on at about 5:30 am. well I woke up at around 9:30pm tonight, for work, and the lights were still on. So, I counted the hours (yes, I had to use my fingers AND toes) and it added up to, yup you guessed it, 16 hours.

So, I'm like (to my wife) "did you mess with the lights?" Shes like "no." You guys like that play by play?

So, I got down and twisted the knob a little and it seemed to me that there was about another hour left on the timer. Then I unplugged the timer and looked at it. I had it set (for some reason) to run the lights on a 17.5 hour photo period.

Thats 7 watts per gallon for 17 and a half hours per day... everyday. I haven't messed with it for... awhile a few months at least 2.

Any ways, I was wondering if I should reduce the photo period or just leave it there. I do have some algae (mostly bubble) but no real big deal to me. Every thing looks fantastic, my Mush Rooms are spreading all over the place.

tims · 01-17-2006, 05:59 AM

ya might want to cut down on it a bit , i actually have the natural sunlight start everythign then have the rest of the lighting come on then everyone is in bed 9.

Loverotties · 01-17-2006, 06:10 AM

Mine our on a 12 hr cycle.

tdwyatt · 01-17-2006, 06:57 AM

I usually run 5 hrs MH in the middle of 12 hours VHO, though I don't aslways leave the VHO on all year long, (and some times I leave the MH on for 10 to 12, but I scale up over a month). Iprolly only need 3 to 4 hours of MH a day to reach threshold stimulus for phosphorylation to start, then base maintenance energy to maintain it the rest of the day, lots of controversy on what does and does not ned to be done to energize photosynthesis for various spp of coral symbionts in different spp of corals.

I am in flux with different trial and error approaches for some of the systems over time.

Hogan · 01-17-2006, 08:11 AM

phosforwhat?

Yeah I'm way to low tech my lights go on my lights go off. I'll watch today to see what time they go on. I know it's sometime around 9 pm when they go off. And they are not on now so maybe I need to up my amount of time. Though some ambient sunlight and room light is starting to wake up the tank.

DebsSisterFlo · 01-17-2006, 12:18 PM

how long should the lights be on ideally? My seahorse tank (future, someday) I have the lights go on at 9 and off at midnight. No biggy now cuz there's nothing in it yet...
also is it ok for the lights to just go on, and off, like freshwater tanks? Or does salt need it more gradual? I don't know, that's how my 20g is set up, I turn them on then off at the end of the day.