Should we be adjusting daylight hours throughout the year?

[ptrick21186]

With Summer fast approaching the days are longer than they were several months ago. The sun now rises and sets before and after my tank lights. Which got me thinking. With new LED technology we have the ability to gradually turn on and off our tank lights making for a more natural environment for our tanks. Hell even the moonlight setting on my EcoTech's will adjust for the phases of the moon. Should we also be increasing the day length in the summer and decreasing in the winter?

I know coral reefs are obviously located closer to the equator so the day light hours don't change as much as they do up here is Northern Illinois, but there's still about a 2.5 hour difference in day length from June to December in the Caribbean.

Is there any biological advantage to changing the time? Not just for fish but for all life in the tank. Or is there really no difference to just keeping it at 12hr days (my personal light setting) year round?

 

[bushdoc]

First-collection of scleratinian corals from Caribbean is totally of limits.
Second most Corals in the trade are now from so called "Coral Triangle" and Australia, so areas at or very close to Equator.
So if you want to change day/night relationship, I wouldn't adjust it for more than 1-1.5h and obviously doing it gradually
I don't know if there is any research in aquarium trade about this subject, but it seem that very few if anybody bothers to adjust photoperiod for their reef tanks.

 

[ptrick21186]

First-collection of scleratinian corals from Caribbean is totally of limits.
Second most Corals in the trade are now from so called "Coral Triangle" and Australia, so areas at or very close to Equator.
So if you want to change day/night relationship, I wouldn't adjust it for more than 1-1.5h and obviously doing it gradually
I don't know if there is any research in aquarium trade about this subject, but it seem that very few if anybody bothers to adjust photoperiod for their reef tanks.

Agreed. I doesn't seem like anyone does it. So I can only assume there is no real benefit then.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I adjust the clock on my controller and thats it

 

[ptrick21186]

I adjust the clock on my controller and thats it

Are you talking about daylight savings time?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Are you talking about daylight savings time?

Yes
Hard to compare with carribean as many specimens are also from Jakarta, south African, Bali and Sri Lanka with yet other lighting times.
Fish especially quickly adapt to our lighting schedules and types of lights.