# When do you switch on the lights Morning or Evening



## sudeep (Jun 25, 2017)

Hi guys, 
I was just wondering, I have an ada 60p nature scape, and my lights come on at 6pm and go off at 12pm. i do this cause i am generally home only by 9 pm and i would rather have them on when i am there. I have been reading about this for sometime, and there does not seem to be a conclusive answer. For some its about the circadian rythm, for some others its about the ambient light in the day which would cause the fish to get stressed. 

I have been running this setup for about a month now with finnex ray2 and my plants seem rather healthy no algae as of yet just the normal diatoms which are going away. As of yet i have only 5 otos, and they seem fine as of yet. 

What do you guys do and what are your opinions on switching on the lights in the night instead of day.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I don't think that's a problem as long as they get their light. I have one tank that comes on at 3pm and off around 11pm and it's been doing great.


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## sudeep (Jun 25, 2017)

do you have ambient lighting in the room during the morning? enough to read a book? how were the fishes long term?

btw your 75gbowfront... OMG... Love it...


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Yep they are all fine. It's in the kitchen so it does get ambient light in that location. Thanks on the bowfront comments!


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

I work 12 hour night shifts so if I had my tanks following a regular daytime schedule I might get to see them for a one hour window each day. I've had mine running 5pm-1am for years and have not observed any negative effects. There is no direct sunlight on these tanks though and they're in the interior of the house with a relatively minimal amount of ambient sunlight reaching them--enough to read a book but not very comfortably. Not sure how fish in a tank that is brightly lit for an inordinate amount of time by natural light followed by artificial would fare.


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## psalm18.2 (Oct 16, 2010)

My shrimp/snail tank light goes on at night and stays on all night for the plants to grow. I'm at work all day so the light is basically backwards, on at night, off all day.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Fish adapt very easy if the change is gradual and they get used to something we might call odd. If we start with them being in a glass pen we can assume the lighting cycle may not be a big thing to them?


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

Mine comes on in the afternoon and off at 10pm. I want the lights on when people are home and awake to enjoy the tank.


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## Ben Belton (Dec 12, 2008)

I don't want my lights on while I am at work and then go off when I am home. Mine come on at 2pm and off at 10pm. Plants are fine.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

It's fine. Why even have fish if the lights are not on when you are home to enjoy them? I have insomnia and have never been a morning person in general so I have mine set to come on at 4 and go off at 10. The room that most of my tanks are in is not that well lit but there is some light. I don't think they care much. Most of the fish we all keep are from the tropics where they get 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness pretty much year round.


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