lighting question?

[Bruin]

Hey guys, we are just getting started our tanks is about 2 months old, with 55lbs of live rock in a 46 bow. It has two day t-5s and two night blue t-5s.

My fish before we got the t-5 lighting used to "sleep" or atleast lay on the bottom, but since we put in the night bulbs, its as if they don't know to rest?

There are three clowns in there right now. A yellow watchmen, a skunkback, and a blue mandarin goby.

Also, my two anenomies have moved under the rocks, and if i pull them out, come "night" time they go back under by morning.

Am I suppose to be running just one night bulb?

any ideas would be great!! Thanks so much!!

(the rest of the tank has some stars, a clam, some coral frags, and we are running a fluval canister, a biowheel filter over the back, two powerheads, a protein skimmer):.

 

[jayman10134]

usually people don't run their t5s at night. people use leds for moon lights. the actinic (blue) lights are used for a dawn and dusk feature. usually turned on 60 to 30 minutes before the daylight bulbs come on, and then leave them on for 60 to 30 minutes after the daylight bulbs go off.

 

[Bruin]

thanks for the response!! I really appreciate it, I was unsure about the effects of the lighting, but was told to run all four during the day then just the two blues at night... Your saying to only run the blues alone for about an hour then have the tank go dark??

Or get some LEDs and run them throughout the night??

 

[nichols]

I have my actinics come on 1 hr before my main lights. I leave them on through out the day and they go off 1 hr after the main lights go off. I just like the blue that the t5s add to the tank. Thy bring out the color of the corals. At night when the atinics go off the LEDs come on and stay on through the night. It's a nice look without disturbing the tanks inhabitants.

 

[Bruin]

thanks for the information, it makes alot more sense....