light cycle

[bonsai411]

I started off with compact florescents for my 90 gal. However, wanted to upgrade to quality of light, so I added another fixture for supporting blue light tubes.

My question is the following. I was running the compact florescents for 10 hours. However, now that I have the blues, how should I cycle this lighting system.

Should I do only blue for a few hours in the morning, then both blue and white mixed, then only white for the most part of the day, then back to a mix, then back to only blue for the nighttime?

If so, what hours should I do this for each step, and if not - what do you guys recommend.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wayne]

Well blue light counts as white light but filtered thro to deeper water, or when there's less light. Keep the compacts as are, but put an hour or two of just blue before and after.
Don't keep your lgihts on all night unless you have a very weak moonlight. It'll screw with your fishes bodily rhythyms and strain their eyes. Some fish also become blind quickly if the lights are left on all the time

 

[bonsai411]

I have no moonlight - is moonlight neccessary? What are the advantages, disadvantages?

So, two hours of just blue, 10 of just white, then two more hours of just blue is recommended? Do I have this right?

Thanks . . .

 

[JWright]

Well, I dunno about saltwater, but a freshwater moonlight is just a few super-bright blue LEDs that cast a few murky rays of light into the tank simulating moonlight on a patchy cloudy night. They simply made to look cool...not to enhance your fish's lives any... I assume the same is true for Saltwater.

 

[aresgod]

not nessecarily, moonlights have been said to increase spawning and also all the night time critters that come out are much more visible to you, which is the point of having a tank, plus they look really cool, but not neccarry at all, even if you are trying to breed your stock

 

[bonsai411]

Okay, therefore back to the original question. Assuming I do NOT use the moonlight effect. Using blue lights and white lights, what cycle should I do? Is it 2 hours of morning blue ONLY light, then 10 hours of white ONLY light, then back to 2 hours of evening blue ONLY light?

Any mixing the two at the same time? Did I understand this right?

 

[wayne]

No. 2 hours blue (daybreak), 10 hours blue + white (full intensity daylight), 2 hours blue (evening)

You can use moonlights to help trigger some spawnings, but this typically doesn't work till you get them lashed up to a computer so there intensity matches a 1 month cycle