running time for lights

G

greg1186

Reefing newb
i still havent figured out my timer for running the lights.. my lunar led lights seems to be on almost 24/7... i still cant get my actinics and my day lights to come on at proper times... how long should each of these three lights be on for during the day/night?
 
Lunar lights usually stay on 24/7. That's just how most fixtures are set up because they don't make a difference when the other lights are on.

The other ones should be on between 8 and 12 hours a day. Some people set their actinics to go on one hour before and turn off one hour after the daylights.
 
greg1186 said:
i still havent figured out my timer for running the lights.. my lunar led lights seems to be on almost 24/7... i still cant get my actinics and my day lights to come on at proper times... how long should each of these three lights be on for during the day/night?
Click to expand...

What kind of timer are you using? I have not seen one that was difficult to use. I have my Actinic come on an hour and a half before my MH, and on an estra hour and a half after they shut down.
 
the timer i have is made by coralife... the aqua light power center.

i thought i had it all figured out but when it came time for the lights to come on.. they never did. i just started the cycling process yesterday so i dont know if lights are that important but i still would like to figure the darn thing out haha.
 
greg1186 said:
the timer i have is made by coralife... the aqua light power center.

i thought i had it all figured out but when it came time for the lights to come on.. they never did. i just started the cycling process yesterday so i dont know if lights are that important but i still would like to figure the darn thing out haha.
Click to expand...

Is it the single digital timer? If it is, this will be the one and only time you see me go against something Biff says. I have 2 of them, they work like a charm. Check the display and make sure the mode is set to "AUTO" you may have it on off, or Random.
 
fastrd400 said:
Is it the single digital timer? If it is, this will be the one and only time you see me go against something Biff says.
Click to expand...

HOW DARE YOU!!! :evil:

:lol: :rofl:

Nah, I and a lot of people have had terrible luck with those timers. Like Fast said, check your settings. You may have it on the wrong one.
 
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haha, well no its not the digital one.. its the one with two setting dials... and for once i actually figured out how to work it on my own... i started cycling yesterday... have the actinics set for 4-8 PM and the day lights 4-6 PM thats what i was told.. the lunars stay on pretty much all day except when the actinics are on...


any suggestions or comments?
 
While your tank is cycling, that light schedule is fine. Once you get corals, you will need to keep them on longer. During the cycle, there's no need to keep them on for a long time.
 
ok thanks... i just tested my ph and ammonia for the heck of it.. my ph is 8.0 and my ammonia is 0ppm... has the ammonia not gotten a chance to spike yet i guess? and is my ph too low? just rearranged my rock to the way i like it... tried to get it as stable as possible.. hopefully the little hitch hiking snail doesnt get to wild in there haha. theres also a couple of green mushroom corals that tagged along with the rock.. they look so nice under the actinic lights : )
 
Just an FYI, the dual timers are not made to run MH set-ups of 250 or greater. I had one that kept burning out do to overload from the light draw.
 
LMAO, MH is a Metal Halide fixture. 250 is the wattage of the bulbs. I was trying to run dual 250 watt metal halides on the one dual timer strip. After talking to Corallife, they told me that the wattage was too great for those and ended up sending me a pair of the digitals free.

And there is nothing wrong with being new, all of us were at some point. Besides, the only way to learn is to ask the questions here.
 
haha well in that case... are my lights on the 14 gallon biocube 250 MH's? and i just noticed a bout a halfinch long clear lookin little shrimpy thing floating around the current in my tank.. he looked kinda dead? any ideas what he is? i guess he came in on the rock just like the mushrooms and my snail
 
my room is usually pretty hot. i have a fluval heater in my 3rd chamber along with a uv sterilizer. the heater goes up to 78 and turns off if it gets to hot. this morning i woke up and the temp was 82.. it usually rangers between 78 and 82. is 82 too hot?
 

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