How long do you leave your lights on?

[Yorkshire lass]

Hi,

I'm going to set up my tank and hope to have a lot of plants in it. (125 litres)

I was wondering how long you had the lights on for?

I will put them on a timer and was thinking of having them on until about 11.30pm.

I would be grateful for any information on how long you leave yours on for, and whats best for the plants and fish.

Thanks

Ange

[phanmc]

I have mine set for 12hrs a day. Most aquatic plants that we use normally receive anywhere between 10-14hrs of sunlight a day, depending on the season, so 12 is a good in between number.

In a non-planted tank I leave the lights on for much less, about 5-6 hrs just to establish a day/night period for the fishes.

[sirfoxey]

It was recommended to my when I setup my tank with lots of plants to leave the lights on for between 10-11hrs a day. Anymore would reduce the growth of the plants and increase any algee growth in the tank.

I have been feeding my plants some liquid fertiliser daily and have the lights on a timer to turn on at midday and turn off at 11:00pm so I get to enjoy the tank during the evening when I am at home. My plants have been growing so well I have had to start pruning them back or the tank would be over grown.