PC lighting

[Lessa]

I just hooked up my Custom Sea Life PCs! It has 1 - 10,000K Ultra Daylight and 1 - Actinic Blue bulbs.

How long do I keep them on. I just need to confirm what I'd heard. 9 hours for the blue and 8 hours for the daylight (so, the blue comes on 1/2 before and stays on 1/2 after daylight one)

Is that correct?

[MalHavoc]

I'd go a little longer. How long to reefs in nature get sun? In some places, it's more than 12 hours a day. I'd go from 9 am to 9 pm with your actinic and from 10 am to 8 pm with your regular bulb, myself.

[rjwilson37]

How old/mature is your tank?

You typically run a shorter lighting period in the beginning to keep algae growth down. The last two hours of the day the algae really starts to bloom. Once your tank matures, you can run 12-14 hours and not really worry about algae as much.

[Lessa]

The tank is a couple months old. I had NO lights, but then added coral so had to go to PCs. I'm more concerned about bleaching, the new aquarium algae bloom already came and went.

MalHavec - I had the same thoughts. So, that won't cause bleaching?

[rjwilson37]

Being you have not had lights on it at all I am not sure what kind of algae bloom you may have. I would run about 6 hours a day for the first 3 days, then move to 8 hours a day for 3 days and see what happens. You do not want to just go to full 10-12 hours because your reef environment is not use to any light of that magnitude.

[Lessa]

RJ- NO = Normal Florescent silly!

[Casino]

Oh RJ, what can we do with you? :p

[rjwilson37]

hmm. That is what happens when your on 2 different medicines for the flu, you just overlook things. hehe :)

I now see the it as NO, not no. hehe :)

[Secam]

What corals did you add? I believe that his may be the determining factor, regardless of possible algae blooms.

[Lessa]

Poor RJ - that flu is nasty. Guess we can forgive you :-)

I don't understand why the type of corals would determine the hours of light. I mean, they don't get a choice in the wild. Right now I have ricordia and star polyps, but plan to get a kenyan tree and /or xenia.

[Casino]

Its just so that algeas dont do a repeat appearence. Gradualy increase the tanks photoperiod. I dont think that corals will determin the amount of algea bloom. Maybe he wants to know what corals you have to see if he can get the same lights as you did or something similar.

[rjwilson37]

The more intense the light the more algae growth you get. I know in my nano I have a 65w 50/50 PC on there now and the algae is alot more and I have to syphon the bottom. It needs more algae eaters especially the Red Algae I get is like a mat over the sand.

[Lessa]

OK, I will keep that in mind. I was planning to order more hermits anyways.