Light On Or Off?

[boatboy]

I have never given it much thought before, but thought this might be a good place to ask. Is it better to leave my hood light on 24 hours a day, or should I turn it off for so long each day/night. In the past, I have always left it on 24/7 and used it as a night light thru the night.

This is on a 20 gal community tank with mollies, platies, tetras, zebra danios, swordtails, and a pleco. My hood uses a fluorescant light. I had a regular incandescant lighted hood years ago, and had to turn it off at night due to the heat buildup thru the day, but this isn't a problem with fluorescant lighting. I also do not have any problems with algae growth.

So, what is it...lights on or lights off?

 

[Fishsmurf]

Boatboy,

IMO turn it off at night. I tend to go with 6 - 8hrs max of artificial tank lighting a day, the rest just of the time just let nature take care of it.

Low light is also less stressful for your fish so unless you have live plants or are actually watching you don't actually need the tank lights on. Darkness / low light will allow them "chill out" a bit.

HTH

 

[Kossy]

Also if you leave your lights on for 24 hours im sure you will get an algae problem sooner or later

 

[my_fallen_angel]

fish do need to 'sleep' at sometime.
they dont have lights on in the wild 24/7
You should turn it off at night

 

[Jo]

If you want, you could get a blue tube to put in there at night, this will be alot more peaceful on the fish, but won't shock them so much as the main light goes out...?

 

[thecichlidaddict]

A day/night cycle is important for the health of our fish. If you do not keep live plants then the amount of light you give the fish is up to you. If the room has a decent amount of lighting through windows during the day then you don't even need the aquarium lights at all, except for tank viewing purposes. If you do keep plants then obviously that is a different story.

 

[Aqua_Princess64]

Fish sleep too ya know. You ought to turn off the light at night and turn it off when you get up in the morning. That's what I do.

 

[Jo]

personally I do this at the moment, but I have noticed that whenever i turn the light off all the fish dart to the other end of the tank (closer to the lamp at the other side of the room) they are obviously startled by the sudden change and if i turn the light back on, often my tetras have gone very pale and sometimes my cichlids have gone black....obviously (to me) a sign that they are stressed by the sudden change in circumstances.

IMO, a sudden change from very bright light (I have plants, so have more than one tube running) stresses the fish, as I'm sure it is never pitch black in nature. Therefore it is my choice to run a low light tube, such as a blue tube (either purchased or painted black) which will let out very little light, but enough so that the fish dont get stressed by the change...!

this is as ever, just my opinion tho, fish keeping is all about decisions I think and is up to each individual what they want to do !

 

[boatboy]

Also if you leave your lights on for 24 hours im sure you will get an algae problem sooner or later

I did have an algae problem a few years ago, but not anymore. About 2 years ago, my bulb burnt out and I had to replace it. I went to Wallyworld, and thought it was rediculous to spend about $10 for a similar bulb (from the aquarium section) that had been in it. I looked around in the lighting department, and found a bulb that was not a standard fluorescant bulb like in house lighting, but one that was for plants. On the box, it said it was suitable for aquariums and was the same wattage. The price for it was less than $5 from what I recall. Since installing this bulb, my algae problem has declined by about 75%.

I am getting ready to re-aquascape my aquarium and am planning on adding some live plants. I have only had 1 in there for about a year, but it has not really prospered. After finding out about my hard water condition and high pH, I am wondering if this had anythng to do with it's stunted growth. I have been in the process of softening the water and lowering the pH closer to 7.0 from it's initial reading of 8.0 last week. I am also considering changing back to the original style fluorescant bulb and see if that makes any difference. I don't really know which factor contributes the most to low algae and plant growth...the bulb or the water condition.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

IMO, a sudden change from very bright light (I have plants, so have more than one tube running) stresses the fish, as I'm sure it is never pitch black in nature.

As a matter of fact, many of the tropical areas from where our fish exist in the wild it is quite light all night long because they are near the equator. A night light is not a bad idea for fish, though it sounds kind of funny. I always leave the room lights on for a bit before turning the aquarium lights on. Plus, my apartment backs onto the parking lot, so with the shades open it's never that dark.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Boatboy, was that bulb by any chance called 'Grow Lux'?

 

[boatboy]

Boatboy, was that bulb by any chance called 'Grow Lux'?

This is what is on the bulb.

GE Plant & Aquarium
F20T12-PL/AQ
Wide Spectrum

As for anything else, that is all I know.

 

[Where the river goes]

I leave the light off on my tanks, unless I want to view the fish. For now, the blinds in my room stay closed, until I put up a curtain, 'cause I get afternoon sunlight in one of my tanks, so they stay somewhat dark most of the day (but enough light for them to see each other and flare lol). When I do turn on the lights I make sure the room light goes on first, or I open the blinds first.

 

[Jo]

As a matter of fact, many of the tropical areas from where our fish exist in the wild it is quite light all night long because they are near the equator. A night light is not a bad idea for fish, though it sounds kind of funny. I always leave the room lights on for a bit before turning the aquarium lights on. Plus, my apartment backs onto the parking lot, so with the shades open it's never that dark.

yeah..thats what I was trying to say!

 

[dirty332]

I dont think alge would be a problem with the pleco but this is what i do i turn the light on when i wakeup and feed in the morning until i feed them and go to bed that seems to be fine a little brown hair alge in the filter where the water flows out but i whip that off and its fine G/L