Lighting questions….

[SneaksMcdoogle]

So I’m new to reefing and while Iv googled and searched here on R2R and haven’t been able to find information on this so my questions are…

I have read that it’s bad to turn lights on quickly and to transition you aquarium lights on (make sense sunrise and all) The problem is I get up at five in the morning I have to turn my kitchen light on to see, since the aquarium is in my dining room transition living room the kitchen lights illuminates the tank as well, Most likely disturbing the fish. However I wish to have my light cycle later on in the morning so when I get home I can enjoy the aquarium into the night.

So should I schedule a ramp up in the morning and have a longer light cycle?

should I have a small ramp up from 5-6 and back down until 9?

Should they just live with it and keep a later light cycle and not worry about the house lights bothering them in am?

also open to other suggestions I haven’t thought of.

 

[Alex Cataldo]

So yes, the fish will be slightly stressed from the early morning light, but you really shouldn't run your lights until at least 8 or 9 AM. You could always run a moonlight cycle if you feel they would respond better to the change in light.

 

[FurrierTransform]

It seems to me that you have a built in ramp already: When you turn on the kitchen lights, that amount of ambient light getting into the tank is quite a bit lower intensity than the aquarium light (assuming you don't also turn on your aquarium light at the same time). At night, maybe turn off your aquarium light an hour or so before you turn off your kitchen light. If you think it would help, get a dimmer switch for your kitchen lights and ramp that up and down over a few minutes. In the tropics, when the sun rises and sets, the change is pretty abrupt, as twilight doesn't last long there.

 

[SneaksMcdoogle]

Wow thanks for the quick responses.
Im running two Hydra 32s, So they do have a moon light cycle but I’ve read it’s bad to keep your lights on 24 seven as it may stress at your fish, so I don’t currently have it on. I wasn’t sure if 2% blue or 5% moonlight give or take would be too much for the fish and stress them out luckily the tank is still in its infancy and I just so happen to be thinking about this before I have it fully stocked.

 

[Seansea]

I wouldnt worry about it too much. Set the light cycle to your preference and things in your tank will adapt. Do allow enough dark time for critters that only work at night to do their thing but thats about it.

 

[SneaksMcdoogle]

I wouldnt worry about it too much. Set the light cycle to your preference and things in your tank will adapt. Do allow enough dark time for critters that only work at night to do their thing but thats about it.

Thx, yeah 1 of my main concerns was (light shock) to the fish or coral for Turning lights from darkness to bright for 30ish mins before lights off again for another hour or so while the light schedule ramps up.