View Full Version : Light on or off during the night?
needcash
06-25-2005, 12:22 AM
is it going to hurt anything if i turn the light off when im sleeping?
beblondie
06-25-2005, 12:38 AM
No fish sleep too a regular on/off schedule is best 8-10 hours of light is sufficient for most plants -Anne
Harlock
06-25-2005, 12:42 AM
No fish sleep too a regular on/off schedule is best 8-10 hours of light is sufficient for most plants -Anne
Not to mention too much light can lead to an algae outbreak if other conditions are present.
roxxxy
06-25-2005, 1:01 AM
I'm no expert, but what i do is turn the light on for the morning feeding, around 6 am just before i go to work, then i feed them again when i get home around 7 pm, then just before i go to bed, usually around midnite, i throw in a couple busted up algae tabs for my silver dollars ( they love them ) then a whole tab for my pleco, then shut the light off for bed. My tank seems to be happy doing this, but like i said I'm no expert....... but I've never had an algae outbreak doing it this way.
BTW it also depends on what kind of light you have, some are designed to promote algae growth, some are brighter, dimmer, etc.
wunderkind
06-25-2005, 1:08 AM
setting of a regular lighting schedule is good for fish, with my experience..I have all my tanks except for my mollie tank setup to a timer.. 16 hours lights on 8 hours lights off.. during the winter i adjust it to 12/14 10/12... depending on the fish and the lighting as said above having the light off can be beneficial to some fish.. my plecos rarely come out when lights on on but at night they are extremely active....
buddha_red
06-25-2005, 11:35 AM
i have played around with different watts per gallon. i have 4 wpg which i leave on 12ish hours a day. 12ish hours of darkness. well its never dark in here so some light comes in.
i have observed my fish and they all seem ok. I give them 2 wpg 30 mins before i go lights out or lights on.
never algae just a nasty bacterial infection posing as an algae "black algae" which comes from a plant or fish.
Slappy*McFish
06-25-2005, 11:56 AM
My lights are on a timer...they come on at noon and go off at midnight.
All of my tanks are on timers also. I do believe that a regular light/dark cycle is at least as beneficial to the fish as it is for people. So, I give them what I cannot always give myself...
Kasakato
06-25-2005, 1:14 PM
My lights are on timers too. On at 11am, off at 11pm.
WinterWind
06-25-2005, 6:48 PM
It's best to turn off the lights at night so the fish can rest and sleep (if they do that). Fish can't block out light because they don't have eyelids, so it's best that you have a regular schedule so there can be periods of light and dark.
greendeltatke
06-25-2005, 7:16 PM
Don't know if it makes a difference for fish, but reptile keepers usually do 12 hours of daylight in summer, down to 10 hours in winter.
The tank in my daughter's room has the light on all night and it's off during the day. She uses it as a nightlight...it's something fun and iteresting to look at while going to sleep. ;)
Leopardess
06-25-2005, 9:12 PM
I also use timers. The cyclical nature of light/dark is important to them, I would say, just as it is to other life (think how depressed people get in winter with less light).
In summer, when it is hot, I won't turn the lights on until 6pm or so (the rooms stay dark anyway) and leave them on until 2 am or so. When it's not really hot, I adjust them back to whatever the cycle is outside, ie. I adjust their light for daylight savings and all that jazz.
Fish don't have eyelids, so they probably appreciate the dark for "sleep". Also, the dark helps them feel protected so that they can rest.
rich311k
06-25-2005, 10:05 PM
My lights go on at 8:30 am and off at 8:30 pm. They are on a timer as well.
MrAquarium
06-26-2005, 12:11 PM
Allot of very good answers to this post.
Your Aquarium needs black out time "dark Time" just like most everything else.
Leaving lights on all the time is not healthy for the fish and plants,,,,,,
Someone told someone asking on day this
"leave your lights on in your house all the time ans see how you like it, you don;t like to sleep with the lights on do you?"
it was a very good point.....
My lights on my tanks are not on any set times on and off, just when I get up and do it, and everything in my tanks are good, although I will end up with a timer on some of them when I can get ahold of a few bucks......
I was lucky enough to be given a timer when I was given my tank :) The light comes on at 8am and goes off at 8.30pm every day. Hehehe, my guys know that lights on mean breakfast :) Without the timer, I know that my light schedule would be very haphazard, as I don't always get up before 8 at the weekends :D
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