How long should i leave my lights on?

[Dcon89]

Hello, i just set up my first reef tank andI was wondering how long I should leave my lights on once I put coral in? I have had planted tanks for a long time now and I found that if I turn my lights on for 2 hours in the morning then have them turn off then turn back on for 6 hours in the afternoon that almost no algae grows. Would this work for a reef tank?

 

[lpsouth1978]

I don't think that would be a very effective way to run your lights for a reef tank. How long you run your lights will depend on a few factors.

1. What lights are you using?
2. What corals are in the tank?
3. What is the PAR that the lights produce?

The higher the PAR the less time you would need your lights to be on. The issue is that if you have too high PAR you can damage/bleach your corals. An average light cycle may be anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. Mine are on a 12 hour cycle. There is a 4 hour ramp up and 4 hour ramp down with 4 hours at my full daylight intensity.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

I run 10 total hours. 1 hour ramp up and 1 hour ramp down. 4 of those hours I run peak intensity, 2 hours mid intensity , and 2 hours of mostly blues for viewing before ramp down .

 

[ReefStable Verified Sponsor]

This is actually a very common question, and unfortunately there is not really a good "One size fits all" answer. It depends on your coral, lighting, tank depth, etc. If you have a PAR meter, it's easier to answer. If you don't (like most of us) there are a couple of places to start.

One is the Coral Lab AB+ sheet. If you have the right kind of lights, this is what I use.
Otherwise, I did write an article about how to find a starting point for "How Long to Run Reef Aquarium Lights".

Hope one of these helps!

 

[Sailingeric]

I run 10 total hours. 1 hour ramp up and 1 hour ramp down. 4 of those hours I run peak intensity, 2 hours mid intensity , and 2 hours of mostly blues for viewing before ramp down .

I do almost the same. And between that and my yellow Tang I have no visible algae

 

[warpaint1990]

This is actually a very common question, and unfortunately there is not really a good "One size fits all" answer. It depends on your coral, lighting, tank depth, etc. If you have a PAR meter, it's easier to answer. If you don't (like most of us) there are a couple of places to start.

One is the Coral Lab AB+ sheet. If you have the right kind of lights, this is what I use.
Otherwise, I did write an article about how to find a starting point for "How Long to Run Reef Aquarium Lights".

Hope one of these helps!