Lighting schedule?

[Entropy]

What does your lighting schedule look like? I just add a T5 actinic to my tank so mine looks like this:

3:00 PM left side halide comes on

3:15 PM right side halide comes on

8:45 PM single T5 actinic (39w) centered goes on

9:00 PM left side halide goes off

9:15 PM right side halide goes off

10:15 PM T5 goes off

10:15 PM led night light goes on

12:00 AM led night light goes off

I pushed my halides up an hour and added an hour of on time to each plus added the actinic for an hour. I only have a couple of zoo colonies so I am interested in see what they do. Also might start adding some more stuff so it looks less like a fish only tank.

[cmanning]

LT3 is a pair of 48 inch 54 watt T5 actinics. (108 watts actinic). <-- newly added this last month.

LT1 is left side 400w 14k SPS

LT2 is right side 400w 14k SPS

Yes - I run a longer lighting schedule than most people do. -But been running it that way for 3 yrs now.

Before we got the Aquacontroller - we used regular timers and it was pretty much 12hrs all tank lights on,

followed by 12 hrs all sump/fuge light on (all night).

This is on a 215 Brick/125 sump/fuge w 37 frag tank connected to same sump.

Tank is 30 inches deep.

Lights are 11 inches above water.

No moonlights currently.

Now - don't laugh too hard at my schedule - we certainly didn't start the system out like this.. we slowly increased it up to the

12 hr periods over the course of the 1st year.

Now we are staggered: the time all 3 lights are on (brightest part of day) is the 7 hrs from 11:30 until 18:30.

If Time > 07:00 Then LT3 ON

If Time > 22:30 Then LT3 OFF

If Time > 09:30 Then LT1 ON

If Time > 18:30 Then LT1 OFF

If Time > 11:30 Then LT2 ON

If Time > 21:30 Then LT2 OFF

[+ACampbell]

2:30pm atinics ON

3:00pm MH's ON

8:30pm MH's OFF

9:00pm atincs OFF

This seems to work best for my eclectic bill. Also I only want them on when I'm home.

[Headless_donkey]

10:30 am Actinics on

11 am Daylights on

9 pm Daylights off

10 pm Daylights off

If I run the lights longer then this I get CRAZY algae on the sides of the tank.

[+Bmwaaron]

Well Mine is a little diffrent

6am 2 6ft VHO Actinics and 4 39w T5 Actinics

6:30am Left 400 watt Reeflux 12k

10:30am Center 400 watt Radium turns on

12noon Left 400 watt Reeflux turns off

3:30pm Right side 400 watt Reeflux turns on

5pm Center 400 watt Radium turns off

9pm Right side 400 watt Reeflux turns off

9:30 Actinics off

I have LED's that add some red and also do a dawn/dusk, moonlights, and lighting effects.

I do this to keep the heat load off of the tank. This way the chiller never comes on.

I cant imagine running my MH longer then 5-6 hours a day. I get great color and growth at 5-6 hours.

Edited May 21, 2008 by Bmwaaron

[4R00P3R]

7am Mains ON/nightlights OFF

8am Secondary ON

8pm Secondary OFF

10pm Mains OFF/nightlights ON

105g tank: 18"deep 30"tall 48"long

Oceanic model 2 sump

Mains:

2 48" 54watt T5 actinics, a 48" 54watt T5 daylight, a 48" 54watt T5 10k, and a 24" 65watt T5 plantgrow sumplight

Secondary:

a 48" 54watt T5 10k and 3 48" 54watt T5 daylights

Nightlights are 420nm LEDs

Edited May 23, 2008 by 4R00P3R

[offroadodge]

12:00 T5s on, 9:00 T5s off-moonlights on till midnight. Fixture 8x54w. Lights about 6" away from water, temp stays at 78-80.