Turning the lights on and off

[swammy]

Ok, I may have skipped over a previous post covering this same topic, but my question to you all is :

When should I be turning the lights on and off?

My wife swears that she heard my LFS say to turn the lights on at night, and off during the day. I seem to remember hearing just the opposite. It makes more sense to me for the tank to be dark at night so the fish can sleep...and my ghost knife will feel comfy to come out at that time too (although he's quite content coming out during the daytime now). Well...just a quick question, no hurry in the answer. Until now I've been turning the light on when I wake up in the morning, and turning it off when I go to bed at night. Thanks for your posts!!

 

[freshwatergal]

Lights on during the day and off at night. They should have the same cycle of light and dark as we do. Anyway, most people say a cycle of 10-12 hours. Some recommend a timer. I turn mine on when I get up, and off at about 11 pm. (I normally get up at 9ish.)

HTH,
Tiff

 

[Dragonslair]

It is a matter of personal choice, but a few things you should bear in mind.
1. It is a fallacy that fish sleep. Fish never sleep, their metabolism slows down and they don't swim as vigorasly as they do, but if they were to sleep as you or I, they would die. They need water to flow past their gills constantly.
2. The amount of light entering the tank from the outside coupled with the artificial light may well give you algae problems. Too much light is as bad as too little.
3. Don't startle your fish by suddenly turning on the light in the tank when darkness surrounds the tank. Just think how you would feel if you had just settled down for the night and SUDDENLY the sun appeared bright and shining.
So a touch of common sense needs to be used here.
I would probably agree with watergal, but maybe less hours.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Some people who have nocturnal animals keep them on a reverse photoperiod, so the animals are active when the owners are awake to see them. Unless you want to do this, just do the normal lights on in the AM off in the PM thing.

 

[Adrinal]

SHort post:

1) buy a timer (schedual no matter what it is is best). Make sure it is the one that has a 3 pronged hole and on off switches for ever hour.

2) Decide when YOU want to see the fish. Turn those times on.

3) More than 14 hours? need to cut down.

10-12 hours is optimum. I assume your room gets ambient light and you are running a fish only tank. If you find you are getting too much algea, back off on the hours the tank is on.

my tank lights run from 12 noon to 11 pm. They are up when the sun comes up, but deff not enough light for algea/plants without the tank light on.

 

[G_Sharky]

Too much light can be stressful to the fish, I say you should turn your lights on not more than 8 hours a day(If tank is located on the living room as you have your lights on anyways) so you won't have any algae problems. If you have live plants then 10-12 hours is required. I use to turn on my lights for 8 hours but since I have live plants I turn on my lights from 1pm-11pm when I go to bed....

 

[DrOizo]

Because my parents have to get up early for work the light auto comes on at 7 and turns off at 7. i suppose i could have an off period during the afternoon but my tank seems ok

 

[lucky62]

you might want to concider getting a timer ,and plug you light [ lights ] into it . Mine comes on every day at 10 am and off at night 10pm . late in the evening is when I get a chance to sit and enjoy my tanks , that's why they stay on so late . Anyway 8 to 12 hours a day . Mine get quite a bit of light , between day light and when the lights go off , but I have had no problems . My tanks have plenty of cover caves , plants , rocks so when they[ my fish ] need a brake from the light they hide for a while .

 

[Olive]

I have a timer on my tanks and I love it........sometimes, if I oversleep, I see the aquarium light on downstairs and I know it is time to get up..........

thanks fishies for getting me up!

 

[Opcn]

1. It is a fallacy that fish sleep. Fish never sleep, their metabolism slows down and they don't swim as vigorasly as they do, but if they were to sleep as you or I, they would die. They need water to flow past their gills constantly.

Fish do sleep just differently if fish were in our position they might not think we slept fully. They do however have neuralogical chages in there "sleep" just like we do they also take that time to repair there body fish "sleep" is very important to there recouperating from injury.

Opcn

Edit: When we sleep we still breathe most fish would think this an awfuly odd thing too do.

 

[lilhurleybunny]

I usually turn my lights on around 7 when I get up and 10:30 when i go to bed. I'm sure this is too much time because i have some hairlike algea growing now like mad . Which is why I am getting a timer!

Timer = love ..oh and no algea .

 

[Dwarfs]

I usually turn my lights on around 7 when I get up and 10:30 when i go to bed. I'm sure this is too much time because i have some hairlike algea growing now like mad . Which is why I am getting a timer!

Timer = love ..oh and no algea .

get some otosinklus cats as well. I've seem mine eating that algae. My glass shrimp ate it at least once , I watched one tear piece off an in it went , you can see the color of the food they eat .

 

[swammy]

Thank you all for your posts. It seems that everyone has their own preferences, but all of you break it down to the same thing. GET A TIMER. Well, I will take this idea and run with it. Next paycheck I get, I am going to go get a timer. Awesome idea, and I didn't think they made such thing. As for the times I use right now....I get up at 5am, turn the light on and feed them. I get home at about 6pm, and turn the lights off at about 9pm. This seems rather long compared to most of you all. The timer should fix this all.

Thank you all for your posts. This has solved a little disagreement between my wife and I. Of course...I was right, and my wife now has changed her story to say that she was right all along, and I was wrong.
Lol, oh well....most of us know how that goes. Thanks again!!

 

[lucky62]

Thank you all for your posts. It seems that everyone has their own preferences, but all of you break it down to the same thing. GET A TIMER. Well, I will take this idea and run with it. Next paycheck I get, I am going to go get a timer. Awesome idea, and I didn't think they made such thing. As for the times I use right now....I get up at 5am, turn the light on and feed them. I get home at about 6pm, and turn the lights off at about 9pm. This seems rather long compared to most of you all. The timer should fix this all.

Thank you all for your posts. This has solved a little disagreement between my wife and I. Of course...I was right, and my wife now has changed her story to say that she was right all along, and I was wrong.
Lol, oh well....most of us know how that goes. Thanks again!!

If she reads this , You better sleep with one opened and one foot on the floor , my friend .

 

[swammy]

Lol lucky...thx for the advice.
I didn't realize that I repeat myself as much as I actually do.
"Thank you all for your posts."
"Thank you all for your posts."
I guess I sound kinda like a dummy when I say it every paragraph. Ok, I'll stop then. You all have a great day.