How long is your photoperiod?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Curious what photoperiod length has been the most successful for your tank. Leaving out actinic lighting for sunrise/sunset effects. 'Daytime' lighting only.

There is so much more to it than just length of course so maybe add the following if you feel like it:

1. Tank Depth
2. Light type/wattage/height from water
3. Reflectors
4. What coral do you grow?
5. Do you run carbon or anything else to 'clear' the water?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

For me I went from 10 hours (I think, can't even remember) to 6 and have had great results. Much better coral color and growth.

1. 22"
2. Metal Halide/400 watts/18" off the water surface
3. Lumenbrights
4. Mixed...bit of everything
5. Carbon all the time

[lobsterboy]

1. 21" substrate to water level
2. 12 39 WT, T-5's 4 1/4" off the water surface
3. individual
4. SPS
5. Carbon all the time, 1cup changed every 2 weeks

[Aquattro]

I also now run 6 hours, and have better results than I've ever had.

1. 18" depth
2. MH/400w aquaconnects/6 inches from surface
3. PFO
4. SPS
5. Carbon full time, 1 cup, changed monthly

[michika]

I'm trying to cut it down by another hour from 6 to 5ish.

1. 24"
2. 250w MH about 12" off the surface
3. Luminarcs
4. SPS & Clams
5. Nope, I run nada!

[christyf5]

1. 24"
2. MH 250W 6" off water
3. Lumenarc Mini A3
4. SPS dominant with some LPS
5. carbon in phosban reactor, 10% weekly waterchange, 100micron filter sock in sump

[saltynuts]

1 17
2 12" ---250watt.
3 pfo
4 sps. bug bit me hard again. with some zoos
5 carbon every month. water change every month.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Interesting...so far most people are either at 12 hours or half that at 6 hours.

I would have never even tried 6 hours until I read the RC thread with people raving about how well their corals responded and the thoughts on photo-inhibition. At least for sps, they can get 'tired' if you give them too much light and not enough 'repair' time from what I understand. Someone likened it to the gym...Your muscles grow 'overnight' as they repair themselves as do sps and like a work out, you can really overdo it. Especially since our lights are stuck at high noon for all these hours. It would be great to have dimable halides and be able to keep my lights on 12 hours a day, fading up to full and then back down over a long period of time. Just don't have the money for that right now.

[Snaz]

It would be great to have dimable halides and be able to keep my lights on 12 hours a day, fading up to full and then back down over a long period of time.

For nano tanks LED makes this possible.

[BC564]

I run for 6 hours and the corals seem happy.


1. 24"
2. 7- T5 HO's 54 watts each.
3. The fixture is the 48inch Aquactinics Constellation
4. A bit of everything
5. Just started Carbon

[PoonTang]

1 24"
2 10k 2x250 HQI 4" from water
3 Aqualight Pro
4 Sps dominated with some LPS, softies, zoo's
5 Carbon in TLF reactor, 1 cup/month. WC 12G / week

Recently lowered photo period from 8 hours to 6 after reading that everyone was getting better results. Havnt noticed any change after 2 months. Going to change bulbs out to 14k Phoenix and give that a try.

[Myka]

I think it's important to know what bulbs/ballast/Kelvin you are using as well to have any sort of idea on PAR.

I voted 4 hours or less. MHs run 4 hours on my tank. Mostly because the lights are too strong for my LPS in the shallow depth of this tank, so I can't run them for the 6 hours I would like to. When I transfer this fixture and all my livestock to my 90 I will run it for the full 6 hours, and I will be upgrading the reflectors and bulbs. :)

I run actinics for 10 hours a day. One KZ Fiji Purple, and one AquaScience 17,500K.


1. Tank Depth?
14-15" from water surface to sand surface.

2. Light type/wattage/height from water?
2x250w DE Coralife 10,000K on electronic ballasts (bulbs came with fixture, will be changing out), 8 1/2" from water surface.

3. Reflectors?
Crappy ones. Same shape as the typical DE in fixture reflectors, but just smooth mirror finish. Will be replacing them.

4. What coral do you grow?
LPS.

5. Do you run carbon or anything else to 'clear' the water?
Carbon - 1 week on, 1 week off.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

I think it's important to know what bulbs/ballast/Kelvin you are using as well to have any sort of idea on PAR.



This is true and I am even thinking of raising my lights to 22" off the water from 18" and trying a long photoperiod to see how that works. The light should be less intense but longer. The reason is that I can't keep LPS or even some sps in the middle of my tank, even on the bottom. They don't do well except in the shade. Birdsnest literally have to be out of direct light or they start to fade fast. I have also noticed one of my torts in not too happy about half way up directly under one of the lights but if I move it down to the bottom, its fine. Problem is, I don't want it down on the bottom.

[brizzo]

1. 14" Depth
2. 150w HQI, 5" from water
3. Coralife clamp on, stock reflector
4. SPS and LPS
5. No media filter, or skimmer

My photo period is 10 hours a day, and I have some SPS frags about 3" from the water line that are colorful, growing, and encrusting. Pieces I have on the bottom are also doing well, along with Maxima clam that seems to constantly have new skeleton under its mantle :biggrin:

Though I find interest in this 6 hours per day theory, it makes sense with the muscle/workout analogy.

[michika]

I'm amused and interested to read that everyone has lowered their photo periods for the purposes of growth. I did it just to save some cost on energy bills...and it worked. I saw a $40 drop in my bill, which I can't 100% attribute to my lowered MH use, but I do know they contributed.

I also read the thread on RC that a lot of you are referencing. I noticed towards the end, or whenever I stopped reading it, that a lot of people were returning to their old photo periods, or commenting that the growth bursts seem to be short lived. I understood it that people saw some great growth and colouration, and then again it would slow down, but in most cases was still faster growth then when they were running 10 or 12+ hours of lighting.

[BC564]

I went to a smaller period to save money....be it energy cost or bulb life.....it all adds up...and if I get the same results.....its all good.

[whatcaneyedo]

1. Tank Depth
2. Light type/wattage/height from water
3. Reflectors
4. What coral do you grow?
5. Do you run carbon or anything else to 'clear' the water?

1. 24"
2. DE MH/250W/6"
3. Lumenmax 3
4. LPS & SPS
5. 1 cup carbon changed monthly

[Denis]

1. 24"
2. 14k 250W HQI @ 7"
3. 3x PFO mini on 5' tank
4. SPS
5. Carbon in sock and Ozone

[marie]

I don't have any supplemental lighting and I don't like looking at a dark tank so the lights are on for 10hrs. I have good colour and great growth.
1. 29" deep tank
2. 250w 10k xm's with hqi ballasts approx 12" off surface
3. lumenmax elite reflectors
4.sps
5. carbon changed ever 6 weeks or so


If cutting back on the lighting period means increased growth maybe I'll keep the lights on for 15hrs instead:razz:

[loveless]

1. Tank Depth
30"

2. Light type/wattage/height from water
20K radium 400W, 15" from water

3. Reflectors
Spiders - def not the best

4. What coral do you grow?
SPS, nem, goniopora

5. Do you run carbon or anything else to 'clear' the water?
Negative

[Umpa]

I have mine on 12hrs a day, and I am having brown corals, I dont think its bright enough.

[steve fedyk]

I lights are on 8 hours

1 24"
2 2-250w hqi 10" off water
3 giessmen
4 sps
5 zeo and carbon

[OceanicCorals-Ian-]

Photo period is 6 hours, better health now than when I was running a longer photo period.

30" tank depth
2x 54W T5's -- 2x 250W DE 14k Phoenix bulbs
Lumenmax 3 reflectors
LOTs of SPS w/some LPS
Carbon (passively)

[Aquattro]

I have mine on 12hrs a day, and I am having brown corals, I dont think its bright enough.

When I ran my 400w MH 12 hours, I had brown coral too. Now at 6 hours, I have colored corals.

[Umpa]

Oh I might try that then, my understanding was that all zooxanthellae is brown, and when there is not enough light the coral makes more zooxanthellae and thus the coral goes brown. That said - if there is even less light then the zooxanthellae dies and the coral starts to bleach and die.

So now I'm not sure what to do - lol

[OceanicCorals-Ian-]

Oh I might try that then, my understanding was that all zooxanthellae is brown, and when there is not enough light the coral makes more zooxanthellae and thus the coral goes brown. That said - if there is even less light then the zooxanthellae dies and the coral starts to bleach and die.

So now I'm not sure what to do - lol

I will tell you exactly what to do.

1 - Reduce your photo period by 1 hour every other day until you reach 5-7 hours. I would suggest you start your photo period in the late afternoon and thus you will have your viewing time in the evening when you are home. Your actinics could come on about three ours before your main lights come on and then a couple hours afterwards.

Just my opinion of course!

Ian

[Umpa]

I'll give it a go.

[Trigger Man]

I keep my photoperiod at 10 hours, up from 9 hours before
1- 24"
2- 4x54w Tek T5 and 2x39w Hagen Glo T5 (5 hours)
SPS and LPS (lower down)

I run carbon and phospate remover and change it around 6-8 weeks

[StirCrazy]

Leaving out actinic lighting for sunrise/sunset effects. 'Daytime' lighting only.
?

Doh didn't see this befor I voted. I voted for 12 hours, but realy it is about 7 hours for the MH the rest was all actinic.

Steve

[michika]

I'll give it a go.

I would also recommend that you take time lapse photos, over the course of say a month or two. Then you can physically look at the photos and see how much coloring up your stuff is doing.

Although remember, some corals really are just brown...:lol: However, I hope that is not the case for you. :mrgreen:

[OceanicCorals-Ian-]

I would also recommend that you take time lapse photos, over the course of say a month or two. Then you can physically look at the photos and see how much coloring up your stuff is doing.

Although remember, some corals really are just brown...:lol: However, I hope that is not the case for you. :mrgreen:


This is a great idea. I would be interested in seeing the diff. I wish I did this with my tank.

[JDigital]

1. Tank Depth - 20"
2. Light type/wattage/height from water - 2x250 Ushio 14K DE MH w/ 2x54W Supplementals, 6" above water
3. Reflectors - Lumenmax 3 for MH and TEK2 Retrofit for T5s
4. What coral do you grow? 80% SPS 20% Zoas/Torch/Clams
5. Do you run carbon or anything else to 'clear' the water? Carbon & Rowaphos

I vote 7 hours, but my schedule isn't the same every day of the week..

MH - Ushio 14K : 3pm-10pm Mon-Fri
MH - Ushio 14K : 5pm-11pm Sat-Sun

T5's - Gmann Actinic+/True Actinic : 2pm-12am Mon-Fri
T5's - Gmann Actinic+/True Actinic : 4pm-12am Sat-Sun