aquarium lighting...

[LAVMAN]

how long do i NEED to keep my light on in my aquarium? and is it possible to keep it on too long? right now i have a timer for my light and its on at 8:15am till 9:15pm so on for 13 hours and off for 11. also would there be any need to have the light off for a period of time in the middle?

 

[Newman]

The amount of lighting youre giving is ideal for most plants. or rather, the duration of the lighting is great. IDK about the wpg of your tank setup though.

 

[LAVMAN]

i dont know what IDK is and its a 10G and its a 15W coralife 50/50

 

[no.1chuy]

IDK is short for i dont know. you'll be good as long as you dont get any plants that need high light. its recomemded to keep you light on where from 11 - 14 hours a day.

 

[OrangeCones]

i dont know what IDK is and its a 10G and its a 15W coralife 50/50

Are you trying to grow aquatic plants? If so, the bulb you have is not the right type (its meant for saltwater). You need more red and yellow light to grow the plants. With the right light, usually 12 hours is plenty. More can cause algae blooms. I grow plants that are low and medium light, and use 9 hours of light per day.

If you are not trying to grow aquatic plants, the light amount is up to you. With too much, usually you will get algae blooms.

 

[unwritten law]

You dont really need a light but its nice for you and the fish..... and you might get some algae keeping the light on that long... 8-10 is better...

 

[LAVMAN]

i just have a planted tank i dont know the name of the plants but i was told they are low light plants.

 

[Newman]

I wouldnt rely on what you were tonld at the place you bought them at. try classifying them or posting some pics up, so that people on this forum could help classify them. if they really all are low light plants, then 8 hours a day is good for em.

 

[OrangeCones]

Unfortunately, a lot of pet stores sell non-aquatic plants as aquarium plants. They just die in a few months, causing you to go back and buy more (go figure). Mondo Grass is the biggest offender I see locally.

 

[LAVMAN]

i believe i have 1 anubias 1 ludwigia (it was one plant and i trimmed it and planted it again) and 1 myrio-red?... ive noticed since i got that coralife bulb i do have that green fuzzy algae growing on leafs and a lot on my rock but i assumed that was a good thing. there is a little bit of the ugly hair like algae growing on a couple of leafs aswell but its very minor so i ignore it. <pictures taken while i was doing this write up>