Aqua Posted March 30, 2003 Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 I've just had a thought... (dangerous as that is! :lol:) Fluouro lights are designed to be turned on, and left on... Is it bad for the fish to have the tank continuously lit? I mean, would it be wreaking any kind of havoc with their circadian rhythmn?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 30, 2003 Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 You'd probably get heaps of algae and the extra cost of 12 hours of wear and electricity outweighs the extra wear from turning on the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 I've got the algae covered I was just thinking more along the lines of lifespan of the light bulb itself, as fluoros are designed to be on for longer periods of time than the standard incandescent, aren't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 30, 2003 Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 Yeah, but, while you may end up with more total lit time having them on all the time you'd still have them on twice as long. So you'd probably end up with them lasting say 9 months at 24 hours a day instead of 16 months at 12 hours a day. Or however long until you decide they've dimmed too much or just plain don't light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 Ah true... right well, I'll remember to turn the lights off before I go upstairs at night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 30, 2003 Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 Oh, and about messing up the fish's circadian rythm...It may...But I doubt it would be enough to have a major effect on the fish's health. I've read with fry a lot of the time it helps to have the light on 24 hours a day, they grow faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted March 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 ooooh that's good to know - I've got some 1 1/2 month old baby WCMM in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 30, 2003 Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 I have stacks of fluro tubes 3tf/4ft that work perfectly but I have replaced them (bulk spares). I replace 1 tube in my tank (a total of 5) every 3 months. So I should prolly replace them slightly more often but I figure it prolly doesn't matter a great deal. When a tube is replaced you can certainly notice it though. Even the tank looks brighter when the new tube goes in and often some plants respond by shooting more runners or growing darker/redder leaves. I am looking a replacing my T12 fluros (standard output fluro) with the newer T5 lights. The are 10% brighter per watt than Metal Halides, and cheap to run (similar to standard output fluro). The REAL advantage is that the tubes have a usefull lifespan of approx 15000 hrs. So you should get about 5 years out of the tubes! They are also rated to light tanks upto 850mm deep, where as anything over 600mm deep is hard work for the standard output fluros. I like to grow plants, so that extra light and cheaper running costs is worth it (I think). I can buy 2x T5 fittings, reflectors, ballasts, 2x 5ft 6000/6500k bulbs for about NZD $380. So if your looking at buying new lighting its a very good option. Aslo with the 24hr cycle. I had my timers crap out once, stuck on. Didn't notice for about a week. My fish looked SUPER stressed, cardials lost colour, odessa barbs went opaquie (sp?). I think a few others went missing. I also noted that some of my plants (crypts, hairgrass, ambula & some swords) started to 'yellow' and their leaf composition went 'mushy'. I had a little more green algae, mostly on the glass where the bristle noses don't really eat it. My PH went up (but I use Co2) and my water looked 'older'. So its BAD to leave them on NOTE: Some people use a 24hr lit tank for saltwater to grow algae in a tank to help export nutriants, but the norm is to light it on an oposite cycle to the main tank. Pies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 31, 2003 Report Share Posted March 31, 2003 Aqua, This site http://p2.utep.edu/watts/resources/myths.cfm Like others dispels the myth that flourescents should not be switched. You will get greater life by switching.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted March 31, 2003 Report Share Posted March 31, 2003 I believe perpetual light may prevent fish from sleeping by confusing their biological clock. If their clocks work like ours then the soporific chemicals like melatonin in the brain don't get released while the eye picks up too much light. Shouldn't be too serious for them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted March 31, 2003 Report Share Posted March 31, 2003 timers are cheap to buy on special and are the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted April 2, 2003 Report Share Posted April 2, 2003 Hi Pies, What's a T5 fitting? $380 sound pretty expensive to me for a dual 5' fitting. You can get a standard double fluro fitting with Philips TLD95 5 phophour 6500K tubes for approx $85.00 at Mastertrade. Is there something special about the T5? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted April 2, 2003 Report Share Posted April 2, 2003 Warren. Yeah the T5s are 'all good', cept the price. A standard fluro tube is also known as a T12, a T5 is just smaller in diamater. You know those energy saving bulbs you can get for your house? Well they use a T5 tube. The T5 units come with Electronic ballasts, not the older 'coil' ballasts. They run cool and quiet. The ones I have purchased also come with snapon reflectors (like the ones arcadia make). I am also getting 6000k tubes and BLUE actinic 03 tubes (5ft fluro are about $45ea). There are 2 MAJOR advantages of T5 though. 1 is they are 10% brighter than Metal Halide lighting per watt. And about 40% cheaper to run than halides (similar to the cost of normal fluro). The other major advantage is that the bulbs have a usefull rated lifespan of 15000hrs (approx 4 years on a 12hr cycle). They are rated to light tanks up to 850mm in depth. Which is quite a bit deeper than standard fluro. They are all the rage in Europe, and now America is catching on, although they are very keen on the Power Compacts or VHO fluro. Pieman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 Hi all I think, that leaving the light on for 24 hours a day is crazy. People overseas worry about a "midday pause". 10 to 12 hours a day is sufficient. Not only will it create algae, but also, as Interfectus said, the fish will go nuts. My mollies swim all day. When I switch the light on, lets say after midnight, to get a fag, ALL my mollies are on the bottom almost motioness. Leaving the light on 24 hours a day is cruelty and boarders on unmittigated madness. Sorry to say that. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted April 11, 2003 Report Share Posted April 11, 2003 Hi Here is one of the FAQ's of the Melbourne Aquarium Do we regulate the period of the lights in the tanks? Over 24 hours it is dark between 11pm - 7.30am. Timers control 6 different light settings to simulate the sun rising and setting. Over the year the lights will simulate the seasons, but the animals rely more on changes in water temperature for seasonal cue. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted April 11, 2003 Report Share Posted April 11, 2003 As was mentioned by Pies, when his lights were on 24 hours a day the plants started looking bad - probably because plants need a period of darkness. While plants are exposed to light they are photosynthesising (so using light energy to turn CO2 and water into sugars etc and giving off O2). During darkness the plants respire, use O2 and the sugars they've made as an energy source for growth etc (giving off CO2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spent Posted July 21, 2003 Report Share Posted July 21, 2003 I had a 400W HPS bulb on the other side of my room, aimed away from my tank and switched on for just a couple of hours each day as I was doing some photography, and my plants doubled in size in 2 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Hey again... :lol: I've got an Aqua-One 120cm light fitting, it has 2 light fluorescent bulbs in it, and one of them hums! It's really irritating!!! Would it just be a loose fitting? I've tried wiggling it around to see if it's slipped out a bit or anything, but to no avail... And it's only one of the bulbs! :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 I think humming is usually the ballast, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Is it humming or buzzing? This makes a difference. If it is new, ask for a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 umm... I suppose it's buzzing... And it's a few months old... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Sounds like the internal ballast may need tightening, depending on how it is fitted and where, but this is a job for a qualified electrician for safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted July 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 perfect - my bf is an electrician, just not by trade I knew he'd come in handy sometime!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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