i am currently running an 8 hour photoperiod with my m/h’s. whats the consensus with limits to keeping just actinics on? for example, i am up early in the am… so i timed my moonlights to come on around 5ish so i can take a look around b4 i leave for work each day. they go off around 7, i figure the sun is filtering into the room so i can use it for a “dawn” type of effect. then i moved my lighting period later, so everything is on when i get home. but on the weekends or if i get early company over the lights r still off until 11 or so. then the mh’s at 1-9 and the pc’s back off at 11 pm. i am about to switch ALL of my pc’s to actinic and my question is: is there any harm with leaving just the actinics on for say… 14 hours or so? then, even if the halides r off myself and whoever may stop by, can still see whats goin on in there? (i was thinking like 9am to 11pm or so)
Using MH you really have no need for anything but actinics from your PCs. I wouldn’t reccomend leaving actinics on 14 hours a day everyday, but if you’re having company over there really is no harm in leaving all of your lights on for 14, 16, 18 hours for the one day. Fortunately neither our fish nor our corals have wrists so the extended period doesn’t bother them.
(no watches)
lol! ive always been scared to leave the halides on ant longer than maybe 10 hours at a time for fear of burning something. good info to have. thanks craig
While I cannot prove this out and I only have 8 T-5 lamps over my65. When I shortened my light schedule to 6.5 hours of all 8 being on I see much better coral growth. Normally I was 11 hour total now I have 4 bulbs on from3-11pm than 4 more on 4:30-10;30. Some where I read that some comercial coral farms had gone to a 6on 6 off schedule around the clock for better growth. Something to do with the rest period for thecorals
Mike
PS bulbs are 1st 4;2 actnics,1blue plus,and 1 fiji purple
2nd 2 midday sun(10k about to be changed),1 6500 bulb,and 1 blue plus