bought new mushroom (closed up period)?

Ohh been mean to asking...does it matter when you turn the lights on? Morning/afternoon, or is just preference and just making sure they get the 7 hrs??

 

No it does not really matter, just as long as you are consistent within reason.

If you work days and want the tank lights on in the late afternoon and evening then just set the timer for those hours.

 

Most people put them on timers so they get the same every day at the same time. Just be consistant with it. I turn my brights on while I'm at work 8:30 to 5. Then my moonlight from 5-10:30, then actinics 10:30 to 7 with an hour and a half of darkness in the morning.

My coral guy doesn't turn his moonlight on at all opting to give them a few hours of darkness. He says some corals (Stoney Sun Coral and such) will only eat when it is dark.

I think everyones lights are different depending on the corals they have.

Different corals = different care requirements.

I'm probably giving them too much light but I have my delicate corals in caves where the shadows can get to them. My tank is a 95 gallon so I leave them on a little too long to allow the ones at the bottom to get light.

 

I am still doing the manual on/off switches..lol. I need to get a timer, would I need to get 2 for independent control or could I get away with having one and turning both on at the same time? They are off right now with the exception of the moonlights and I'd like to be able to view the tank this evening. So turning them on at 5 would be bad for the corals?

I really only have the gsp, a frag, and the blue mushroom as of right now but will be buying more this evening so I'll have to be more consistent with the lighting when I add more. BTW my gsp is doing very well. I also have a feather duster and have the food for it that is also good for corals, how many times a week do you drop the liquid in the h20?

 

You can do the light thing to fit your schedule. Whatever you prefer, I don't think there is a right or wrong time to turn on the lights and I don't think it matters if you have the brights on in the daytime or at night.

Don't feel bad, I don't have a timer either. I just know what time I wake up to turn them on and what time I get home....go to bed...ect. I turn the lights on to fit my schedule.

Remember, mine is a large tank and is deep so it requires more light to reach the bottom.

I don't give my bio cube that much light.....it gets 8 hours of actinic when I leave for work..from 8:30 to 5:30, then 5:30 to 10 I have it bright, the rest of the time I run the moonlight. They are closer to the light and I don't want to burn them up. Just remember to keep an eye on your coral for awhile. And you should start slow to get them used to the new light schedule. They have to be acclimated up to the desired (light) levels and you might find yours do better with a shorter light time.

As far as feeding the Duster, I have not fed mine in a couple of years. I have fish in there and between the lights and the fish feedings, they are getting enough to eat. Since you've already bought the food, and you are feeding your fish, I would think a once a week feeding would be enough.

I'm sure others will chime in with answers too.

 

Great feedback, thanks Codee! Yeah, I think I'm gonn start off slow with 6 or 7 hours with a combo of blue/white blue on an hour before the whites, and after as well. Any other suggested feedback is always welcome too, lol.

 

Just remember to be careful and keep an eye on them starting out. You don't want to give them too much or too little. I have acclimated mine into what I am doing now and it was a slow process. I have added a half hour every couple of days until I got where I am. That doesn't mean start out at a half hour or they will not get enough light. Do what you're doing now but add or subtract according to how they are responding.

Don't extend your lights dramatically starting out or you could really stress your coral.

 

Also I prefer to never buy any coral that is freshly fragged and then moved to a new system. When fragged they should stay within the same system so they are not fighting recovery and acclimation. I leave my mushrooms on the bottom because I have LED lighting that is really to strong for them, I even keep some in shaded areas. Others require higher lighting as well so be sure to properly ID the shroom because not all are the same.

Just my 2 cents for future reference.

 

Thanks guys, so far they are doing good with 6-7 hours of lighting so far. I will keep updated progress.