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]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

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