Switching photo periods

[doody]

I am switching jobs and therefor times that I work. I was working in the AM and had my tank lights on in the evening. However, now I'm gonna work in the evening and want my lights on in the AM. Is there anything I need to know about makeing the switch or can I just go ahead and change the timmers all at once?
BTW, this is a 29g softy/lps tank with a 175w 10k MH light.

[Caoineag]

I would do a cycle through, move the daylight by about an hour each day until it matches what you want, its less stressful than moving it all at once.

[reefBoyDc]

i agree with the mermaid

[wharyat]

Originally Posted by Caoineag

I would do a cycle through, move the daylight by about an hour each day until it matches what you want, its less stressful than moving it all at once.

[Caoineag]

Originally Posted by reefBoyDc

i agree with the mermaid

Thanks, never been called a mermaid before.

[doody]

That's kinda what I figured, but I gotta be sure. What if I left the lights off for a day, then restarted on the new schedual?

[Caoineag]

You can do that, but its still going to be more stressful than cycling through and cycling through doesn't take that long for the amount of stress it saves your system.

[xtopher]

I will pose a question though, In the wild there is often a few days(In a storm) when the corals get no light. If you just left the lights off for the transition day do you really think they would be shocked if the lights came on at a different time of the day? Do you really think that the corals knowthere is a difference and not just that the sun came out again. Sorry if this sounds retarded but I just had to ask.

[reefBoyDc]

Originally Posted by Caoineag

Thanks, never been called a mermaid before.

i can't pronounce your nickname caoineag, therefor i can;t remember it. but your avatar, that i can remember. it's definitely a mermaid. looks like ariel actually

[motorslave]

A small enclosed system is going to be much more sensative to any changes compared to the ocean. Realy cant make a comparison. I would do at least some kind of transition between the two times. But, it may not make any difference at all. The critters in our tanks are used to a very set schedule. I dont know how much fish would be effected but coral may feel a sudden change.

R

[reefBoyDc]

Originally Posted by xtopher

I will pose a question though, In the wild there is often a few days(In a storm) when the corals get no light. If you just left the lights off for the transition day do you really think they would be shocked if the lights came on at a different time of the day? Do you really think that the corals knowthere is a difference and not just that the sun came out again. Sorry if this sounds retarded but I just had to ask.

a storm harldy ever last a whole day in the tropics... but, yes i'm sure it does happen. however, it isn't an absence of light like nightime is. it's just less light. and, the light somes back the next day at the same time. thinkk of how 6 hours of jetlag affects us when we go to europe. now imagine 12 hours when we go to japan. given the fact that corals reproduce all at the same time based on lunar cycles, my guess is they pay a lot of attention to this kinda stuff. that said, im sure you'd be fine just changing the cycle abruptly. we're just telling you what would be better, since ou asked

[Caoineag]

Originally Posted by xtopher

I will pose a question though, In the wild there is often a few days(In a storm) when the corals get no light. If you just left the lights off for the transition day do you really think they would be shocked if the lights came on at a different time of the day? Do you really think that the corals knowthere is a difference and not just that the sun came out again. Sorry if this sounds retarded but I just had to ask.

I wasn't concerned about the corals or animals knowing, I am concerned with the sudden change in photoperiod leading to change in water chemistry because of the change in respiration, it isn't big, but its more than a little and this isn't the ocean, the smaller the system, the more it will feel it. I have done both methods for changing photoperiods, my experience is that it took no time to recover from cycling through and about a week for the system to recover from the sudden stop. Was it drastic? No. Could it have been less so? Yes.

Tell me this, if you had to cycle through your sleeping habits or stay up one full night, wouldn't your body react worse to the up all night then to the cycling through (keep in mind that cycling through is an established method for helping people with insomnia sleep normal)?

[doody]

Well, I dont keep any hard to care for corals. Everything is hardy.

[motorslave]

But they stiill rely on light and are used to a schedule.

R

[doody]

Ok, I'll cycle the time 1hr every day. Thanks for the help all.