Lighting schedule
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21222
Printed Date: February 19 2026 at 6:02am
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Topic: Lighting schedule
Posted By: chk4tix
Subject: Lighting schedule
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 11:24pm
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I was wondering what kind of lighting schedule other members use on
their tanks. I was reading over on another forum about lighting and I was interested in how a lighting schedule should be set up. From what I read, aome people say there should be multiple timed lighting periods. For example: 9pm-8am - moon lights 8am-11am actinic's 11am-7pm MH 7pm-9pm actinic's or should you have something where your moonlights are on at night and your other lights turn on at the same time to run during the day. Which is better any why? ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Replies:
Posted By: jonafriendj
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 11:32pm
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That's an awesome question, I was wondering the same thing. I do:
Moon lights - always on
8am-11pm actinics
11am-10pm MH
------------- Pleasant Grove |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 11:43pm
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Here's my lighting schedule:
Moonlights - Midnight to 8 AM (8 hrs)
Actinics - Noon to Midnight (12 hrs)
Halides - 1pm to 9 pm (8 hrs)
Fuge light - 6pm to noon (18 hrs)
You may notice that from 8AM - noon no lights are on except the fuge light
I do this to give everything a little "rest" period w/o any artificial light - just ambient room window lighting ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 11:46pm
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BTW - you should turn off your moonlights when the others are on... not that it hurts anything; just that it can't be "seen" anyway when other lights are on - and (eventually) you will burn out the LEDs after so many continuous hours.
Also, more than 8 - 9 hours of MH is probably 'overkill' when you have other lighting available. Plus the MH lights are the 'heat makers' and 'energy hogs' in your tank ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: jonafriendj
Date Posted: October 17 2007 at 11:54pm
I'm not really worried about the LEDs burning out, they last just about forever. I am planning on putting them on a timer though since they run off a transformer (waste of electricity).
The MH sure are heat makers! Wouldn't mind cutting back on MH time, we'll have to see what people have to say about it. My MHs are getting a little older so I think I'll run them a little extra untill I replace them! ------------- Pleasant Grove |
carlso63 wrote:Posted By: dkle
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:30am
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It depends a lot on your preferences. Conventional wisdom states that 6-8 hrs of MH is enough for coral photosynthesis; actinic is to create sunset and sunrise. Lately, several people on reefcentral use MH only for 4hrs a day and still have good results. So it boils down to what you like: whether you want to conserve energy AND avoid overheating the tank; whether you want an extended period of viewing times, etc. My schedule is: Actinic on 10:00, off 23:00 (13hrs) MH1 on 14:00, off 21:00 (7hrs) MH2 on 14:30, off 21:30 (7hrs) MH3 on 15:00, off 22:00 That way I have a lot of viewing time; a good amount of sunrise and sunset and don't spend way to much electricity on MH. ------------- If you can't bedazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bs! Dinhkim Le - Procrastinator extra-ordinare |
Posted By: jonafriendj
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:35am
That sounds awesome!!
How come MH1,2,3? Different color temps? ------------- Pleasant Grove |
Posted By: dkle
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:41am
Nah, they are all 14k DE Phoenix bulbs running on Icecap electronic ballasts. My tank is 72'' long, so I have 3 MHs. I stack them up so that the fish don't get scared when suddenly their environment goes from dark to bright and vice versa. ------------- If you can't bedazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bs! Dinhkim Le - Procrastinator extra-ordinare |
Posted By: Cody Pearce
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:43am
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What are you using to control them dkle? Do you have an AQ? ------------- 90 gallon mixed reef My fish swim naked. |
Posted By: dkle
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:46am
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I am not all that tech-savvy. I use good old industrial grade timers to control them.
------------- If you can't bedazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bs! Dinhkim Le - Procrastinator extra-ordinare |
Posted By: TriggerHappy
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:48am
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I totally agree with Dinhkim...personal preference is a very big player here! My schedule on my 125: 3 160W URI VHO Actinics 9:30a-10:00p 2 175W 14k MH 10:30a-9:00p Refugium lighting 9:00p-9:30a I'm thinking about cutting down on the MH by about an hour or so for energy reasons, but now that it is getting colder...maybe not.  ------------- 210 gallon Mixed Reef |
Posted By: Cody Pearce
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 1:04am
Hehe I thought you would be all over that with your sps! ------------- 90 gallon mixed reef My fish swim naked. |
Posted By: dkle
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 1:14am
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I wish that I were!
------------- If you can't bedazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bs! Dinhkim Le - Procrastinator extra-ordinare |
Posted By: reptoreef
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 8:07am
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MH on at noon and off at 8pm... no actinics or moon lights, just 2 250 watt 12k reeflux MH on a dual PFO ballast.
------------- www.captivereefing.com |
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:21pm
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Thanks for all the great responses. I think I need to make some more changes to my lightng system. I have all ways just had my moonlights on at night and my /mypc lights on at the same time durring the day.
I will need to chance a little wiring to allow me to alter the schedule more, but I guess that will be todays project.  ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: ReefBones
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:26pm
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VHO Actinics on at 8:30am and off at 11:00pm
2 250 watt MH HQI`s on at 9:00am off at 10:00pm
fuge light on at 10:00pm and off at 9:00am
No moon lights but will be soon to add them.
------------- 140 gallon Reef 65 gallon Reef 55 gallon Aggressive www.thesalttank.com 801-865-6074 "encourage other divers and sea enthusiasts to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles" |
Posted By: unixnum1
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 12:38pm
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I have found it is nice to have some lighting in between actinics and MH. I use VHO for the in between times. For example I run: 6AM - 10PM Actinics 8AM - 8PM VHO 10AM - 6PM MH1 11AM - 4PM MH1 No matter what you do I have found you want lots of options. It is best to have the lights on seperate transformers/timers. I also find the VHO is nice to have for tank maint times. I don't like having the hot MH running when I am trying to clean the tank. ------------- 220G with 30G sump, SPS/LPS. RoboTank Controller. ===================================== why am I always the stem? 
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Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: October 18 2007 at 2:23pm
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Tank lights on at 10:00am off at 8:00pm, moonlights 8:00pm to 10:00am. Mike -------------  |
Posted By: Bryguy514
Date Posted: October 19 2007 at 7:54pm
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Moon lights off at 9am
PC lights on at 9am
MH1 on at 10:30am
MH2 on at 11:30am
MH3 on at 12:30pm
MH1 off at 5:30pm
MH2 off at 6:30pm
MH3 off at 7:30pm
PC lights off at 9pm
Moon lights on at 9pm
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Posted By: Corey Price
Date Posted: October 20 2007 at 12:58am
| I have set a split actinic schedule with 8 hrs of MH in the middle. |
Posted By: GARFVolunteer
Date Posted: October 20 2007 at 1:23am
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My VHO actinics come on at 9 am and go off at 11 PM
The VHO daylight (Actinic White and Aquasun) bulbs come on at 10 am and off at 10 pm
The 250 watt MH over the sump comes on at 10 am and off at 10 pm. The sump doesn't seem to care one way or another how long the MH is on. Coraline growth in the skimmer goes nuts though.
 Thanks,
Scott
------------- President Idaho Marine Aquarium Society A fair and biased reef hobbyist "How do you make poor people rich by making rich people poor" Rush Limbaugh on Obama taxes |
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 20 2007 at 11:09am
What size tank is this on? This is about the schedule I had, but I don't have VHO's. Since I changed my lights down to 250w MH, I decided to try different schedule as well. My schedule is now: moonlights 10pm-0700am actinic's 0800-10pm MH's 1100-7pm I think I changed to much at one time to see what solved my lighting issue. However since changing down to the 250w's my colarine algae in the main tain is growing even better then before. My corals, for the most part, seem to love the new light. ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: GARFVolunteer
Date Posted: October 20 2007 at 9:43pm
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It is a 150 gallon tall. 48" x 24" x 31-1/2" tall.
Thanks,
Scott ------------- President Idaho Marine Aquarium Society A fair and biased reef hobbyist "How do you make poor people rich by making rich people poor" Rush Limbaugh on Obama taxes |