lighting question
 

i just had a question about my lighting
i just got a new compact flourescent light and i wasnt sure whether to put the 2 blue actinic bulbs on a timer or leave them on 24/7 i already have the 2 10,000k lights on a timer 12 on 12 off

i do not htink you should leave them on all day long. 12 on 12 off would be perferred. think of it as day and night. i also know you can buy night time moon simulating bulbs for night time

thank you the store i bought my light at said to leave the blue actinic bulb on all night but i didnt think that sounded right

No 12 on 12 off is good for actinics. The guy at the store has probably seen tanks with LED moonlights on at night, but they are a much dimmer light than actinics.

How long do you keep the 10000k's on?

i keep the 10,000ks on 12 on 12 off also is that right

I keep my actinics on for about 11 hours a day and my 10,000k's on for 5 hours.

i assume thats halides?

with PCs id personally do 10-12 hours with the actinics and 8-10 with the 10ks

It's T5HO. I used to keep them on longer, but I was having GHA problems, so I had to cut back a little. My original lighting was 12 hours with actinics and 8 hours with 10,000k's. The GHA has resided, so I might leave the 10,000k's on longer... My corals are doing great on this schedule, so i don't know if a change is necassary.

If it aint broke, don't fix it! :-D

I keep my MH on for 8hrs and my Actinics (VHO HO) for 12hrs. Everyone has their own schedule. Just make sure they get more then 6hrs a day and less then 13hrs. I've seen personally and have heard from others that this can be a costly mistake.