photo period

[daugherty]

i was just wondering if a person could run the attinics 24 hours would this help to keep the water more stable and still help corals grow???? just a thought that i had.

[ccCapt]

I wouldn't do it. The tank needs a period of darkness. If you want some night lights, get a cold cathode pc light from Ebay. They work great.

[RAYRAY]

I Use A Small Led Light For Night Lights It Works Pretty Good. Takes 3 Aaa Batteries And They Lasr About 2 Weeks Running From 11 Pm To 6 Am . I Think The Antinics Are More For The Eye Then Growth. But Not Too Sure?

[Bifferwine]

Does the sun shine 24 hours a day? No? Then why would you want to run your tank lights 24 hours a day? We try to mimic natural conditions as closely as possible in our reef tanks.

[fishbait]

you would have algae out the wazoo if you ran them 24 hours. if you are looking for a way to stabilize PH, add a refugium and run a reverse light cycle from the DT.

[kyle]

well said biff

[fatman]

Corals with symbiotic algaes as well as macro algae need regular daily periods of darkness. Being photosynthetic they have different processes they must carry out during cycles of light and cycles of dark. Like fishbait said, the best you can do to stabilize your tank through lighting manipulation is to run a reverse cycle in a refugium containing some photosynthetic organisms such as macro algae or light loving corals with symbiotic algae or coraline encrusted live rock, in that order of preference. This will greatly minimize your pH swings (between night and day)and lower the carbon dioxide levels at night and increase the dissolved oxygen levels at night.

[Rcpilot]

I run a reverse light on my refugium.

Every organism needs a resting period. You can't run them on 24hrs lighting. I have 6 little moonlights on my tank. It's just bright enough to see inside the tank. I imagine myself inside the tank and seeing a huge shark swimming past in the darkness as I hide in the rocks. Creepy (shudders)