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Shutting off lights. Good or bad?

S

stoneriff

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Hey folks. One more question. I have patches of green and red algae popping up all over. I have cut down on feeding substantially. I have ramped back my Ecotech LED's, I just did a 40 gallon water change on my 120 mixed reef. I also just re-filled my phosban reactor. I want to kill this algae. Will my corals be OK if I turn the lights off for 2-3 days???

Thank you.
 
yesjenks

yesjenks

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Manhattan Reefs
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Clifton NJ
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I think a few days with light off won't hurt your coral. However, it's important to figure out what caused the algae to grow. Have you tested your Phosphates? How old is your tank? How much LR do you have? Did you start your setup with mostly LR of dead rock seeded with some live?

You mentioned your toned your lights down. What percentage are they at? What's your light cycle?

Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to help.
 
Jan

Jan

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Manhattan Reefs
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Virginia originally from New York
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That's fine. You may even notice your corals perk up after lights out for a couple of days. I do a lights out once a month for about 3 days right after a water change.

What are your nitrate and phosphate readings? I like to use GFO for phosphates and Boyds red slime remover for cyanobacteria if water changes don't work.

My mantenance routine includes changing GFO every month and dosing red slime remover once every 30-40 days.
 
S

stoneriff

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Location
Las Vegas, NV.
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yesjenks said:
I think a few days with light off won't hurt your coral. However, it's important to figure out what caused the algae to grow. Have you tested your Phosphates? How old is your tank? How much LR do you have? Did you start your setup with mostly LR of dead rock seeded with some live?

You mentioned your toned your lights down. What percentage are they at? What's your light cycle?

Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to help.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the help. My lights were at 70% at 14K for 4 hours after ramping up for 3 hours. Then they would ramp down for 2 hours. Lights were on for a total of 9 hours.
I reduced it by 10% and one hour a day. My tank is 2 years old. I started with dead Pukani rock and Arag-Alive live sand. I have roughly 110 lbs in the tank. It is lightweight, so takes up a lot of space. Tested Phosphates, barely had a reading using a Salifert kit.
 
S

stoneriff

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Location
Las Vegas, NV.
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Jan said:
That's fine. You may even notice your corals perk up after lights out for a couple of days. I do a lights out once a month for about 3 days right after a water change.

What are your nitrate and phosphate readings? I like to use GFO for phosphates and Boyds red slime remover for cyanobacteria if water changes don't work.

My mantenance routine includes changing GFO every month and dosing red slime remover once every 30-40 days.
Click to expand...
Phosphates are barely readable using Salifert kit. Nitrates went from 5 to 1 after water change. Also using a Salifert kit. I just changed my GFO.
 
Jan

Jan

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Manhattan Reefs
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Virginia originally from New York
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You may want to cut back on feedings too. You should only feed enough food that will be eaten in 3-5 minutes. If you have food floating around after 3-5 mins you are feeding too much. You can increase the feedings to 2-3 times daily. Fish nibble and graze all day long in the ocean. It's best to try and mimic what they are accustomed to in the wild.
 
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