When can I turn on my lights?

[>>klong<<]

I filled my tank about a month ago, and it's been cycled for a couple weeks. I have a couple clowns in the tank now.

Before I filled the tank, I watched a TON of BRSTV. Their 5 minute guide series recommends not turning on the lights for 4 months (I think). I *really* want to turn on my lights, but don't want to battle algae the entire time. I understand why they recommended it.

Is a 4 month lights out period normal?
If I were to establish a refugium, would this help with algae issues and allow me to turn on the lights?

Currently my levels are:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10-20
Phospate: 0.06

 

[Aggie1978]

Following....

 

[Garf]

I filled my tank about a month ago, and it's been cycled for a couple weeks. I have a couple clowns in the tank now.

Before I filled the tank, I watched a TON of BRSTV. Their 5 minute guide series recommends not turning on the lights for 4 months (I think). I *really* want to turn on my lights, but don't want to battle algae the entire time. I understand why they recommended it.

Is a 4 month lights out period normal?
If I were to establish a refugium, would this help with algae issues and allow me to turn on the lights?

Currently my levels are:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10-20
Phospate: 0.06

What lights have you got? You can run them low, very blue, short period, but get ready to buy a clean up crew, bristletooth or something like that. You got a photo of the tank? If your quarantining your fish you need to factor that in also.

 

[SMSREEF]

Personally I would turn lights on right away.
I did light out for 3 months and still had ugly stage when lights came on.

You may as well enjoy the tank and your clowns.

Get a CUC of astrea, trochus and cerith snails, keep up on your water changes and you should be fine.

 

[>>klong<<]

What lights have you got? You can run them low, very blue, short period, but get ready to buy a clean up crew, bristletooth or something like that. You got a photo of the tank? If your quarantining your fish you need to factor that in also.

I was considering a square tail, white tail or a one spot foxface.

I have 2x Radion G5 XR15 Blue

Lights on to reduce reflections (whites only - my iPhone struggles with the blues). You can still see my FW planted in the upper right and left. LOL.

 

[Garf]

I was considering a square tail, white tail or a one spot foxface.

I have 2x Radion G5 XR15 Blue

Lights on to reduce reflections (whites only - my iPhone struggles with the blues). You can still see my FW planted in the upper right and left. LOL.

That will look great in blue.

 

[>>klong<<]

If your quarantining your fish you need to factor that in also.

Umm. I am not. I live in a very small apartment where 3 humans are essentially quarantining right now. I have heard only great things about TSM Aquatics, which happens to be a 20 minute drive for me. They have a quarantine process that I'll be trusting for all my fish.

 

[SMSREEF]

I was considering a square tail, white tail or a one spot foxface.

I have 2x Radion G5 XR15 Blue

Lights on to reduce reflections (whites only - my iPhone struggles with the blues). You can still see my FW planted in the upper right and left. LOL.

Are you against getting a piece (or a few) of live rock with coralline, other microbes and algaes?
This will help increase your tanks biodiversity.
There is a risk of hitchhikers/parasites you don’t want. But you will have same risk in adding corals if you don’t quarantine them.

 

[>>klong<<]

Are you against getting a piece (or a few) of live rock with coralline, other microbes and algaes?
This will help increase your tanks biodiversity.
There is a risk of hitchhikers/parasites you don’t want. But you will have same risk in adding corals if you don’t quarantine them.

I avoided live rock because of hitchhiker concerns. I'm really most concerned about fish disease, though. Aptasia and the like is pretty unavoidable from what I've heard. One of the reasons that I'm asking about turning on the lights is I'd like to introduce coralline via the bottled stuff they sell on BRS. It seems like people generally have a good experience with it. Anything that adds that diversity and is "clean" and in a bottle or jar I'll pay for - if it works.

 

[davefromdc]

interested to see what ppl think on this subject. I am in the same boat, except I have my original 75 gal still running with my fish and corals. I want to turn on the lights and transfer the corals in with a few pieces of the live rock, but this 4 month lights out thing is in my head now LOL.

 

[davidcalgary29]

interested to see what ppl think on this subject. I am in the same boat, except I have my original 75 gal still running with my fish and corals. I want to turn on the lights and transfer the corals in with a few pieces of the live rock, but this 4 month lights out thing is in my head now LOL.

I started three tanks at the same time last December: an Evo, a IM40 Nuvo, and a RSM c250. I put in 11lbs of live rock in the Evo; I never really had much nuisance alage, but did (and still have) some cyano. I put in 11 lbs of live rock and another 10 of dead rock in the IM40; the tank is just coming out of an ugly algae cycle (and is still full of cyano). The RSM 250 came with fifty pounds of live rock...which sprouted a nice, thick carpet of turf algae which is still there while my inverts are in quarantine. And that was with a bioload of three fish and a working protein skimmer! Lights were on from the start in the Evo; dark for two months in the IM; on from the start in the RSM. I'm not sure that there's a moral to this story beyond the fact that every tank is different, and you can still have algae problems in a tank that was kept dark for months.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Never! Lol
Honestly my tanks fowlr and i turn the lights on when i want and when i feed.
No timer. No schedule. Just when im home.
D

 

[Hemmdog]

I’ve always ran lights right away. I had less algae issues than most I feel. Many ways to skin a cat as they say.

 

[Ta2oodfreak]

I turned on lights after the cycle finished, but I did a quick cycle using live sand, IO bio spira and well established rock from my 180G tank to start my lagoon. My tank was up and cycled in a week dosing ammonia.
I'm using the acclimation timer with my radion XR15 ramping from 15% to 50 over 4 weeks with the white channel turned down.. Already have some algae popping up so will drop a CUC in this weekend and probably a lawnmower blenny to keep it at bay.

 

[polyppal]

just turn your radions power to very low and dont run them when your not home or paying attention to them