Lighting
 

Hi ....

I am a newbie to SW aquarium.
I have a 29G Bio Cube. I bought it used and there were already LR inside.
What I want to know is...what are the function each lights :
1. daylight
2. Actinic
3. moon LED

and how long should I have them on ?

thanks

Well the daylight and actinic bulbs provide your daytime lights. Some people like to run actinic bulbs for an hour before and after the daylight bulbs so as not to "shock" fish and corals by suddenly going from dark to light. The actinics also make some corals fluoresce under them and its pretty neat to see. The moonlight is used for night viewing or moonlight simulation.

Most people set their daylight bulbs for about 10-12 hours. The actinics for either 10-12 or an hour extra on either side of the daylight. And the moonlight bulbs are on while the others are off or for a few hours at night.

:biggrin:

Does that mean the daylight bulbs and actinics are switch on at the same time ? (plus 1 hour before and after, for actinics)

What is the best time to set them on and off ?

thanks again christy

Yes, the daylights and actinics will both be on at the same time (without the actinics, the daylight bulbs will often be very yellow in appearance). Lighting schedule is really a personal preference. Mine is as follows:

Actinics on: 10:30am
Daylights on: 11:00am
Daylights off: 10:30pm
Actinics off: 11:00pm

Moonlights have no real affect/benefit for the inhabitants, I don't think. It's just for aesthetics. So, when you turn them on/off is entirely up to you.

Thanks Iron Chef... I will your schedule as a reference :biggrin:

I have read in a number of articles that the moonlights can really benefit some night time reactions in both behaviour and photosynthesis....
could easily be a good marketing ploy though....