How long to you run your metal halides
 

I'm curious as to how long people run their metal halides per day. As a follow up question do you try to simulate cloudy days, or darker days but not running your halides at all?

8-10 hours.

Do you suppliment your lighting?

Actinics on 12:00PM
Hallides On 2:00PM
Hallides Off 9:00PM
Actinics Off 11:00PM
Sump Lights on 12:00AM
Sump Lights off 7:00AM

I have yet to add moonlights or give much thought to cloudy/rainy days as I am not keeping much for corals.

MH's - 8 hrs
T5's - 10 hrs
VHO"S - 12 hrs

Michika,

I may turn on the PC actinics before & after (for an hour or two), but otherwise only use MH. Have 3x 250w DE 14,000k Aquaconnects over the big tank & 175w SE 10,000k Reeflux over the "cube" frag tank. Also have moonlights over both tanks.

Anthony

12 hours, unless the tank has supplemental actinics in which case 10 hours with 1 hour each for dusk/dawn.

The tropics are faily regular at 12 hours, works for me. And in my version of tropical paradise it's never raining or cloudy unless I forget to reset the timer or something :p

My version of a storm is when some idiot hits a power pole. Otherwise I do the same as Delphinus.

Scott

:rofl:

Same here.

Everything comes on at 10am (MH + Actinics) and goes off at 10pm. Timers are too big to fit two on my powerbar and they don't really do much for the tank anyway with my fantastically useless reflector positioning (shades most of the actinic light)

:lol: :lol: :lol: I run my MH 8-9 hrs. 1pm-11pm and my cool little attached LED moonlights 11pm-12am

I run my MH lights 10am to 10pm and LED moon lights 10pm to midnight.

7 1/2 hours a day....but not every day. Two days a week I don't run them at all. Simulates an "overcast" day.

Do you think having overcast couple of days work in your tank's favor?

Yes, I do. The use of less light is beneficial towards algae control.

Actinics only 430AM - 630AM
Actinics and 1 MH 630AM - 1030AM
Actinics and 2 MH 1030AM - 330PM
Actinics and 1 MH 330pm - 500PM
Actinics only 500PM - 700PM
Moon lights only 700PM - 430AM

At least that's what I was thinking of doing. Looked up sunrise/sunset in Fiji

Two 48" actinics on from 6:00am until 10:00pm
Two 250W MH 20,000K geissman (sp?) from 8-8
well, to be totally geeky, the east light turns on at 8:00 am and turns off at 6:00 and the west light turns on at 10:00 am and turns off at 8:00 pm.

I have a large anemone that I need to keep on it's cliff and by allowing it the last two hours of light, it stays there all night.

I use three outdoor timers that are specifically designed for block heaters. I got them at home depot. They are waterproof, have ground fault built in although I use ground fault receptacles as well, also they are made for the full 15amp load. I've been using them for two years without issue. Although when the power goes out for any length of time my corals move time zones. :smile:

my two bits.