I actually do just the opposite. My lights are on from 8-8. From noon-4 I have a timer set to turn on the other 130 watts of light for a mid-day burst (total 260 watts). The plants love it and really start producing alot of oxygen when that happens. You can see all the bubbles coming from the plants.
Breaking up photoperiod
Are there any advantages or disadvantages to having a "rest" period in the photo period. Say four hours light, a break of ninety minutes and then a final four hours light? Will it affect the likelihood of algae?
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I have a split photo period on one of my tanks. Lights turn on at 5am, off at 10 am, on at 4pm, off at 10:30 pm. The tank is in my room and I like to watch the fish before I get up and before I go to sleep. The split photo period curbed the algae bloom I saw and the plants are just fine. This is a low-tech tank with no CO2 or ferts. Not sure how it would work for a high-tech tank.
My tank is also low tech but with some fert and I am battling an outbreak of hair algae.
Simkie, in splitting the photoperiod did you also in effect reduce the overall lighting period?
I did give it a try for a short time but observed that the on off interruption spooked my discus so I was seeking confirmation that it will be of some benefit and worth the discomfort the discus apparently experienced.
Thanks.
Will be trying it again.
Simkie, in splitting the photoperiod did you also in effect reduce the overall lighting period?
I did give it a try for a short time but observed that the on off interruption spooked my discus so I was seeking confirmation that it will be of some benefit and worth the discomfort the discus apparently experienced.
Thanks.
Will be trying it again.
The breaking up of the photo period during the day was in vogue for some time here in Finland because it supposedly helped to reduce the algae. I tried it for some months and wasn't convinced at all. In the end, my plants didn't grow as well and the algae was there... so I went back to continuous photoperiod. My tank is a low tech one.
IME it is not necessary unless you want to view the tank at later periods in the day. In which case you could just have the lights come on later. I just switched back to a non-stop photoperiod from one with a break time, and the tank is doing better now.
I split the photo period in order to reduce the overall lighting period. I had an impressive outbreak of algae when I left the lights on 5 am-10 pm (not surprisingly.) By splitting the photo period, I was able to bring the algae under control and still have the tank lit when I woke up and when I went to bed.My tank is also low tech but with some fert and I am battling an outbreak of hair algae.
Simkie, in splitting the photoperiod did you also in effect reduce the overall lighting period?
I did give it a try for a short time but observed that the on off interruption spooked my discus so I was seeking confirmation that it will be of some benefit and worth the discomfort the discus apparently experienced.
Thanks.
Will be trying it again.
I haven't noticed any issues with the fish, but they're easy fish--Hemichromis lifalili. I can understand how the multiple lights on/lights off would spook delicate fish.
I've never found any validity with mid day breaks/split photoperoids.
Turn the lights on for 10 hours and that's fine.
If you have algae, it's not due to not having a split photoperoid, thus you have not gotten at the root of the issue, nor realized you have room for improved horticulture.
Many have tried this, for most it does not work. Where it does, it is often a CO2 related issue. When the CO2 goes south a little bit, algae generally creeps in.
No light= no CO2 demand.
As far as physiology, algae have the advantage to rapid responses over plants. Good CO2 is a better solution and simply focusing more on how to grow plants well resolves most algae issues+ some gardening/weeding.
Several members tried this years ago with some rather good algae blooms in their tanks, not once did any of it work.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Turn the lights on for 10 hours and that's fine.
If you have algae, it's not due to not having a split photoperoid, thus you have not gotten at the root of the issue, nor realized you have room for improved horticulture.
Many have tried this, for most it does not work. Where it does, it is often a CO2 related issue. When the CO2 goes south a little bit, algae generally creeps in.
No light= no CO2 demand.
As far as physiology, algae have the advantage to rapid responses over plants. Good CO2 is a better solution and simply focusing more on how to grow plants well resolves most algae issues+ some gardening/weeding.
Several members tried this years ago with some rather good algae blooms in their tanks, not once did any of it work.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Thanks Tom, advice welcomed.
:thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
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