Hours per day lighting

[C J Rodders]

I have just purchased three LifeGlow 6,700K tubes and one Arcadia Marine Blue Actinic tube.
Q1) Have I got the right gear for my reef system? If not, then what tubes do you recommend?
Q2 For how long should the lights stay on?
Q3) Is it OK to have the lights on for two hours in the morning before I go to work and then for another seven hours in the evening when I return home from work.
Q4) Should I stagger the lights coming on with the Actinic light coming on first? How long a gap should be left between each light coming on?
Can I just say that as a rookie, your replies so far have been a superb help. Thank you all.

 

[Anonymous]

I donb't know about your system so I won't comment on the actual lights, but as far as turning them on and off and back on again goes, it's not a good idea. When you turn the lights on, everyone will wake up come out for the day - your corals will puff up, your fish will come out of hiding and the night guys will go home. If the lights go off 2 hours later and then on again 6-7 hours later, it'll goof up they're systems/habits. My lights are on a timer and come on at noon and go back off at 10:00pm since I work during the day. I don't get to see the tank in the morning, but they are there waiting to be fed when I come home.

With the actinics, I don't have mine on a separate ballast, but I wish I did. Most people run the actinics a half hour or so longer than the regular lights, at least at night. Not sure if people do it in the am too. Running them longer at the end of the day is a good idea because when I first got my fish, they would freak when the lights all the sudden just snapped off. Now they actually know when bedtime is and go and hid about 10 of 10. Pretty neat.

Welcome to the board, glad you find it useful. I would be in big trouble without this place.

 

[rotorh60]

I have actinic 03's on for 12 hours
Actinic 03, and 50/50 for 10 hours
3 400 watt MH on for 6 1/2 hours
Everything off at 10 pm
So tank has dawn, early morning, mid-day, evening, dusk. Corals and fish know the routine, and I feed as soon as the MH's are off. If I am not home, they are all out and waiting patiently for me