What is the best lighting schedule for reef tank?
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What is the best lighting schedule for reef tank?
For saltwater reef tanks containing corals, lights should be on for 9-12 hours every day. Corals need light to produce food. An algae in their tissue called Zooxanthellae processes light into energy and without enough light, the coral would die. Fish do not require light to survive.
How many hours a day should you run a reef light?
Here are our recommendations for fish-only, freshwater planted-tanks and reef tanks. For lights that simply turn on and off, you should leave your lights on for 6-8 hours a day. Even though the sun is up far longer than this, the sun does not shine at full strength all day.
Should I turn off my reef lights at night?
Aquarium fish do not need light and it is best that you turn it off during the night. Leaving the light on can cause stress to fish as they need a period of darkness to sleep. Too much light will cause algae to rapidly grow and make your tank look dirty. So the short answer is no, do not leave your lights on.
Should I turn reef lights off at night?
Do reef tanks need different lighting schedules?
Our reef tanks are a beautiful addition to any home or office so does that mean we just need to keep the lights on when we are there like a freshwater aquarium or do reef tanks need a different lighting schedule? For saltwater reef tanks containing corals, lights should be on for 9-12 hours every day. Corals need light to produce food.
What is the best light rating for a reef tank?
The light of the ocean depths can be recreated by using lights with a rating of 20,000K. Some aquarists prefer a higher K rating for reef tanks because of the attractive ambiance of the bluish light. High K ratings also penetrate deeper into the tank allowing corals to derive more benefit from the lighting.
Can you use LED lights on a reef tank?
Some of the best benefits to LEDs on a reef tank are that they are very energy efficient, colors and intensity can be individually controlled, they can be dimmed to simulate sunrise and sunsets and they are very low-profile units.
What is a 12 hour schedule for the aquarium?
A 12 hour schedule lets you enjoy the tank for a longer period of time. The ramp down can be an amazing time to view the tank because the corals will be open and reducing the white colored light will allow the coral fluorescence to shine through and really pop.
