actinic - to leave or not to leave...
 

Hey I am debating whether I should leave the actinics to run at the same time as my other power compact bulbs. Or do I just run them one hour before and one hour after the main lights; only two hours of the day?

I would leave the actinics on while the other PC's are on if you have a reef system. You may not visibly notice a difference, but the corals are getting the additional beneficial light. If you have a fish only system, unless if makes the tank brighter, I would save the energy and bulbs by running them only at dawn and dusk.

agreed

Also, how long should I have them on before and after the main lights? Is one hour O.k.?

Thanks!!!

Can you give us more information about the size of your tank, is it reef, FOWLR or fish only, and what exactly are you using for lighting? If you have a reef tank, you may not have very strong lighting and I would leave your PC's on for 10-12 hours. If you have a fish only system and algae is a problem run your main PC's for less (6-8 hours). The actinics give the tank a nice look and don't usually contribute to nuisance algae so you can leave them on as long as you like. I would still turn them off at night to simulate a natural day/night cycle.

I have a 110gal reef system with a light bar that has 2 65w dual daylights by coral life (pc) I only have a few softies now and some anenomes about 150lbs live rock

I would personally leave them on at all times. Otherwise the lighting generally appears very yellowish...which...well, is kinda ugly :)

reply
 

-well his lights aren't really yellowish, whiter actually, but some blue-lite
wouldn't hurt, by the way stev, it looks even better with the actinics on:smile:

IMO actinics not only add more light to the tank but they're also there for aesthetic purposes. Many people like the added blueness that counterbalances any yellow their main lighting gives off. On their own they also can help simulate a dawn/dusk effect so that fish aren't startled by the brighter main lights when they turn on.

I have mine on all day with the main lights. :biggrin:

Same here