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Should blackouts be part of the schedule?

1K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  AaronT 
#1 ·
I was thinking that in nature, plants don't get light all the time and they manage and it might help.

So, it's kinda not 'natural' to have lights on everyday... Maybe once a month, do a blackout to get rid of any pesky algae and reset the plants?
 
#3 ·
I've been experimenting with this idea. No electical lighting once a week on a "problem tank" of mine (the tank still get ambient light). I continue to play around with the lighting regime. It's still way too early for me to draw any conclusions. But, so far, I have seen nothing negative from this.
 
#4 ·
Christel Kasselmann writes in her book "Aquarium Plants" that it's not natural to have a totally dark day and it's not beneficial to plants to turn off the lights for a day once a week like some people do. In the nature, even in rainy day, there's never pitch black during day time. Once a month might not hurt the plants much, but I don't think it does any good either.
 
#5 ·
In the nature, even in rainy day, there's never pitch black during day time.
I'm not sure if everyone's tank is the same as mine, but even when the lights are off during the day, there's still light in the tank(I would think the amount of light in the tank would be comparable to the amount of light we'd see on an overcast or rainy day), so I don't see what the problem would be if you turned them off one day a week or so(as long as you don't cover the tank, it'll still get light).
 
#10 ·
I tend to be in the once a month, or every other month, or 3 times a year camp. A one day long blackout, or even two full days and nights won't hurt the aquarium one bit. Is it natural? I doubt it but who cares if it works and doesn't hurt the plants or fish. A enclosed aquarium is far from a truly natural setting anyhow. IME, plants really can clear up with a nice blackout every once in a while, just not on a regular basis.
 
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