Lighting again

[Pinepages]

I usually start work around 4am. The ceiling light in my office is an energy saving tube type. (Think around 15W) It is around 2m from the tank. What is the effect on the fish? (9 Neons) From the outside I can see into the tank and there is not much activity. They seem to be behind the plants. (Mostly)
I am running the tank lights for 12 hours from around 10am as per your suggestion- thanx. I don't know if it does anything but I bring the tubes in at 30 min intervals. Therefore 10 hours peak light with 2 hours lesser light.
How much sleep do fish need?

[Chrona]

I usually start work around 4am. The ceiling light in my office is an energy saving tube type. (Think around 15W) It is around 2m from the tank. What is the effect on the fish? (9 Neons) From the outside I can see into the tank and there is not much activity. They seem to be behind the plants. (Mostly)
I am running the tank lights for 12 hours from around 10am as per your suggestion- thanx. I don't know if it does anything but I bring the tubes in at 30 min intervals. Therefore 10 hours peak light with 2 hours lesser light.
How much sleep do fish need?

Fish start to stress out after leaving the tank lights on for more than 14-16 hours (Judging from loss of coloration in my case)

The effect of that light (or any ambient light other than direct sunlight) is minimal. 15 watts from 2 meters away disperses so much by the time it hits the tank that it's nothing compared to the 90 watts your tank lighting is putting out from point blank.

When the tank lights go out and the fish go to sleep, they generally like to hide somewhere. My cardinals will sleep in my mass of wisteria.

I don't think turning on the lights at the same time is an issue after a while, and as long as you don't turn them on in like, the middle of the night or something. When I go to turn my tank lights on at about 8, my fish are already up and moving around, so it doesn't phase them one bit. Many people put their lights on an appliance timer and turns them all on anyways, so don't worry about it.

The only time lighting is a concern is when you are adding new fish. I've found turning the tank lights off and feeding the fish in the tank before introducing new livestocks helps a bit.

[Pinepages]

Many thanx Chrona
Still relating to lights. Does one get a UV for tanks? If yes, what is the effect on visuals, fish and plants?

[Drumachine09]

Many thanx Chrona
Still relating to lights. Does one get a UV for tanks? If yes, what is the effect on visuals, fish and plants?

A UV sterilizer?

[cocoa_pleco]

UV sterilizers kill parasites plus some algae

[Pinepages]

A UV sterilizer?
I don't know the purpose (if any)
I am thinking that normal UV lights make certian fluorecent colours glow.

[Chrona]

I don't know the purpose (if any)
I am thinking that normal UV lights make certian fluorecent colours glow.

Oh you mean a blacklight. Many people have tried it and it doesn't work all that well. Your 15000k bulbs should already be pretty good in that department

A UV sterilizer is a unit that attaches to the hosing for a canister filter or a pump that douses the passing water with high energy UV rays to kill off algae and parasites in the water.

[cocoa_pleco]

blacklights never worked for me. looked like crap.

[Pinepages]

You guys are a veritable well of information ! Thanx!

[Tails]

A friend of mine has a UV/Blacklight in her tank, and her neons glow like those glow in the dark stars some kiddiwinkles stick up on their bedroom ceiling...she also has some UV gravel which looks a bit space aged.

I dunno, dad, I'd recon in your tank, the lighting you have looks best, and UV may make it look a tad gawdy (not that it necessarilty looks gawdy in others). It doesnt seem to fit in with the way you're designing your tank regarding layout etc

[Drumachine09]

Black lights will light up every little tiny peice of waste/debris/forigen matter in your tank thats floating around. Black lights are not reccomended.

[cocoa_pleco]

Black lights will light up every little tiny peice of waste/debris/forigen matter in your tank thats floating around. Black lights are not reccomended.


That wasnt my problem. My blacklight made my 10g cichlid tank look like the fish were in a dark mopey cave.