Tank Lights On and Off Several Times a Day ?
 

Noob question: I'd like to turn on my tank lights when I feed in the mornings but I've held back on doing that since I don't want to screw-up the tank's 'biological clock'. After all, the lights are their sun and the sun doesn't pop-up for 10 minutes in the morning and then go back to sleep for ~4 hrs before coming out for the day !

I know this isn't going to kill anything but I'd like the opinions of more experienced reefers as to whether I'm stressing the tank at all if I were to do this.

I am not sure if you are stressing things, but I would personally setup a lighting schedule so you have things on for a certain amount of time.

For example, my lights turn on at noon, and turn off at 11pm, when lights are off, moon lights are on.

Is the tank description in your signature accurate? If it is, I assume you have a fish only tank. You can turn on and off the light a couple of times a day no problem.

....

I guess I could update it to be more specific since I'm a noob and details can be important. I have a couple of Yellow Tail Damsels, an Orange Spotted Watchman Goby, Red Banded Coral Shrimp and a Sand Sifting Sea Star. I'm looking to start on some LPS and am looking to upgrade my lights so i can look at some SPS.

I currently have a schedule running where the lights come on a little after noon (12:30 to be precise) and shut off at 11:30PM. This is because I work long hours and I want the tank lit when I'm at home at night. Otherwise, I'd just set the lights to come on in the morning and shut down ~11 hrs later.

what do you have for coral?

No coral just yet but it's coming -LPS only until I figure out some kind of lighting upgrade.

if you have no coral then you can do whatever you want with your lights

Fish are not exactly impressed though with abrupt lighting changes like that. I would just wait till later in the day and feed them a few times while you are home. I notice fish act weird when you do so. They dont bang in to walls, but they certainly dont act normally. Its like turning on room lights where someone is right asleep, they certainly aren't going to get up and eat breakfast then go back to sleep... if that makes sense?

Well they'll get fed at 8am or somewhere around 9pm when I'm home from work. Problem with feeding them at night is that the few hours between 9 and around 11:30 is when I live my life so I can't always be sure to be there or what have you. So, it pretty much has to be first thing.

Invest a few $ in an automatic feeder and that can take care of at least one feeding cycle for you. I use an auto feeder set up to feed 3 times during the photo period. I supplement the evening feeding with frozen when I'm at home. I find it takes my critters a good half hour to forty minutes to really come around and get comfortable. They tend to be quite careful and shy for the first little while. They into a good 'feed' mode after that half hour and I think much of any food I put in there immediately after the lights come on would go to waste.

I agree with this suggestion. I also find similar behavior with my fish.

Just make sure you pony up (the $) and get a quality auto-feeder, and even one that is heated is actually a good idea. The heat prevents the food from getting moist while 'above the tank' (from evap or spalshes). Also, NEVER fill it with flakes, these will jam and be messy. Flakes suck anyways. Use some sort of generic pellet, like NLS marine formula, or Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 or two.. Any generic marine pellet really.

Cheers,

Chris

11 hours shouldn't be a problem... I was running 12 for several months last year and found no ill effect.

Fish fish's lights are on more than 12 hours a day and my fish do wonderfully.

What time of the 'morning' are you talking? Im sure you could extend your photoperiod by a 2-3 hours no problem.