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Author Topic: Lights Out?  (Read 5862 times)

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Offline JoeAyers

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Lights Out?
« on: May 13, 2008, 12:26:34 »
I'm sure most of you have read the thread on RC about turning your lights out for 3 days to help kill off algea and improve water clarity. My basic understanding is that by turning all the lights out and allowing the algea to die it will release the phosphates back into the water column allowing PFO and water changes to remove the phosphate thus leaving a cleaner clearer tank.

Anyone done it?  Anyone done it with a full blown SPS tank?  My tank isn't bad, but if turning the lights out three days before a water change will help I'm all for it, but I don't want to take a chance on my SPS taking a dive. I'm thinking about doing two days off and then my normal waterchange this weekend to see what happens. I'm sure my tank can handle two days.

What is everyone's opinion?


mrs. justcoral

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2008, 12:53:23 »
Scott tried it on the 90 upstairs to get rid of algae. It helped a little but the algae came right back. The sps that was in there lost some color, didn't die, but didn't look as good.

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2008, 13:17:33 »
Did he do the full three days? 

PS. Congrats on the 14 lbs. That is awesome.

Offline Secondgen

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2008, 17:29:52 »
I don't have any sps, but I have done the full three days with great results. I have done this as a part of my routine ever since. It also leaves your sand bed clean, and white.

Offline verper

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2008, 19:13:42 »
I've done the two day thing once and the three day thing once.  No problems with the coral other than some color loss either way.  If you do it only two days, it doesn't get rid of all of the Cyano.  The three day definately got rid of all of the Cyano that I had in the tank but didn't do anything for the bubble algae.  :laugh:


Offline ohioreef

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2008, 20:09:14 »
Hmmmm.....I may have to give it a try.

Offline Secondgen

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2008, 20:52:34 »
It didn't do anything for my bubble algae either. The only things that I have found to take care of that is my yellow tang, or emerald crab.

Offline ohioreef

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2008, 20:55:38 »
Do you continue to feed your fish?

Offline verper

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2008, 21:06:01 »
Yeah, I turned the lights on for 10 minutes every day to feed.

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2008, 22:46:50 »
I've done the two day thing once and the three day thing once.  No problems with the coral other than some color loss either way.  If you do it only two days, it doesn't get rid of all of the Cyano.  The three day definately got rid of all of the Cyano that I had in the tank but didn't do anything for the bubble algae.  :laugh:



Thanks for the info. I hate bubble algae. I do have to say though that mine is a lot better after the addition of a yellow tang.

mrs. justcoral

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2008, 07:20:57 »
Did he do the full three days? 

Ok, addendum to what I said before...Scott corrected me...

He actually did 4 days...whoops! He said a customer of his did it for 3 days who had slower growing and less algae and it worked great for him.


PS. Congrats on the 14 lbs. That is awesome.

Thanks :D I had a really bad day yesterday though. Gotta get back on track today!

Offline ohioreef

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2008, 08:19:43 »
Joe,

Do you have a link to the thread on RC?

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #12 on: May 14, 2008, 08:49:04 »

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2008, 08:52:46 »
OK. Here is my plan. Lights will go out half way through the cycle today and will be turned back on half way through the cycle on Friday after a water change (so about 2 full days of no light). I also plan to clean and change my GFO reactors. I will let everyone know how it goes. I'll try to take some pics, but I'm guess the pic will look worse that the actual tank with my skills.

Joe

Offline ohioreef

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2008, 12:45:40 »
Im thinking about turning mine off all weekend and then do a WC on Tuesday when Im off.

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2008, 19:47:35 »
Lights off at 7:30 PM.

1st observation:  Tank is very dark  :laugh:

Offline verper

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #16 on: May 14, 2008, 20:31:16 »
Its ok.  I had that same effect happen on my tank.   :laugh: 

Offline Secondgen

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2008, 22:07:03 »
For some it will be a nice break on the electric bill as well.  ;D

K9Gunner

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #18 on: May 14, 2008, 23:23:18 »
I have been fighting hai aglae, and I am on day 3 of no lights. I am going to do 4 days.  I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Now with MH lights, do you slowly ramp back up to the old schedule, or just set the timers the way they were. I had mine on MH 5 hours, CF 10 hours.

Offline verper

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #19 on: May 15, 2008, 05:43:20 »
I think you want to run the CF's for one day by themselves and then the MH on the second day.

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #20 on: May 15, 2008, 08:44:36 »
For some it will be a nice break on the electric bill as well.  ;D

I will save $2.50 this month. Going to get a soda and a donut....

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2008, 14:40:44 »
So I just turned the actinics back on and the small amount of cyano I had has morphed into a sand bed full. Very odd. I'll have to check more when I turn the halides on tonight for a few hours.

Joe

Offline ohioreef

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2008, 09:41:24 »
Lights went off last evening. Not turning them back on until Tuesday morning......

slandis3

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2008, 15:39:40 »
So I just turned the actinics back on and the small amount of cyano I had has morphed into a sand bed full. Very odd. I'll have to check more when I turn the halides on tonight for a few hours.

Joe


I tried this in my sump where i had some cyano and the same thing happend to me. It trippled for some reason. I will have to remove it and do some w/c this weekend

Offline JoeAyers

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Re: Lights Out?
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2008, 23:02:38 »
So for about 2 hours yesterday I turned my halides back on. Sand floor looked awful, but the rocks looked better, SPS colors were better than ever except one which was already well on it's way to browning out since it had only been in the tank for a few weeks. Lights on normal schedule today and cyano was all over the sand floor when the lights came on.  This evening sand floor looks better than it has in months. Weird but maybe the cyano was just on the way out and the water change and GFO recharge finished it off today. So my feelings on the 1st shot of 48 hours without lights is I would do it a gain and maybe go for something like 60 hours the next time.

Also, just a little teaser, but my new battery backup worked great on Thursday when we had the bad storms and my new skimmer that I put online today kicks arse. I'll post picks and explain everything tomorrow if I have time.

 

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