How Long Do You Run The Lights? 2-Part Question

Cut me some slack guys. I know I babble on for a long time, but this has got my brain smoking and stripping gears. So, bear with me.

Part 1
Here is my current schedule on my 30g display tank.

Actinics:
6:00am--7:30pm (13.5hrs) too much? not enough?

Daylights:
7:15am--6:15pm (11hrs) too much? not enough?

Moonlights:
10pm--5:30am (7.5hrs) too much? not enough? makes no difference-quit spoiling them.......

Part Deu:
Refugium:
Recently switched to 24hr lighting--but my cheato is growing outta control, so I may turn it off when the tank lights are on.

Here's my issue with the refugium lighting:
I don't have any plant material or macroalgae in the display tank. So, when the refugium light goes out, I am probably building up co2 in the system. I've been having pH problems and decided to run the refugium lights 24/7 to try and combat the carbonic acid buildup.

Can I turn my refugium lights to an opposing cycle and still do okay, even though I don't have any photosynthetic plants in the tank to take up co2 when the refugium light is off?
Seams to me that whenever the refugium lights are off and my cheato stops photosynthesising (is that a word?) --I'll get carbonic acid buildup and then pH drop. :shock:

The easy fix to this conundrum would be to take some cheato out of the refugium and put it in the display tank. Then I've got photosynthesis going all the time--no mater which tank (tank or refuigum) is on or off. But, I don't exactly want cheato floating around in my DT all willy nilly.

Am I worrying about nothing?

 

Yes

Did I annoy you with the flourescent green?

 

Yes ... but this is worse !!

 

Thanks guys. :Cheers:

 

Your Welcome.

 

I agree -- you are worrying about nothing. Freak is right, even though you don't have macroalgae in your tank, there are tons of photosynthetic organisms working overtime to keep your pH on track.

I leave my fuge lights on 24/7, because I'm too lazy to set them on a timer. I don't think it hurts anything.

 

BTW ... here is my lighting schedule ...

actinics on @ 10am

halide 1 on @ 12pm
halide 2 on @ 12:15pm
halide 3 on @ 12:30pm

halide 1 off @ 7pm
halide 2 off @ 7:15pm
halide 3 off @ 7:30pm

actinics off @ 10pm

 

Are you as picky as me

Mine come on right to left in ordrer,
and go off left to right,
My light period

actinics on at 9:30

halide 1 10:am
halide 2 10:10
halide 3 10:20

M/h 1 off at 8:40pm
M/h 2 off at 8:50pm
M/h 3 off at 9:00pm

actnics off at 11:
Moons on till 9:30 AM

 

here's mine
moonlights 24/7, i'm too cheap to buy timer for moonlights
actinics on 1:00 pm
daylights on 2:00 pm
daylights off 9:00 pm
actinics off 10:00 pm
fuge lights on 24 hours most of the time. too cheap for timer
total time lights on 9 hours. been thinking about upping photoperiod for a couple more hours.

 

I just turn 'em on when I darn well please and they will like it...dammit!

-Doc