Turning Lights on/off on fish

[zackish]

I know most of you probably experience this as well as I do but when you first turn your lights on in the morning your fish freak out and swim all over the tank and into the walls. They do the same thing at night.
Now granted I am running some pretty bright light (65 watt) rather than a 18 watt in my 29 gallon it is a little more of a shock to the fish.
But, is there any way of making the turning of the lights on and off easier for the fish so they won't freak out as much?
I kind of think of it as if I am sleeping and someone turns the light on on me or if it's dark and all of a sudden you get a flashlight shined in your eyes.

[RobbieG]

If you had incandescants you could put in a dimmer - but you are probably stuck with it with a flourescent or CF.

I always make sure I turn on the room lights for a while first - it may help or may just make me feel better.

[zackish]

Ya I have compact flourescent. I don't really turn the lights on before because the glare of sunlight that comes through my window is enough for the tank to be seen. Just as bright as the lights in my downstairs room.

[Zerileous]

Yeah, turn the room lights on. I run a timer and the lights dont come on until the sun has been up for a while.

[MeganL3985]

Mine do that too, but I think your right about it being like someone turning a light on and off on us, without any warning ahead of time. :)

[salman]

Mine do that too, But one of my tanks are in my room, and i hate lots of light in my room.. so i turn one light on, then the next then the next.. and my tank has 3 lights each 20w.. so i turn them on 20 seconds apart. I think they got used to it now.

Or, cover up your lights with a paper or something and slowly move the paper.

[zackish]

Mine do that too, But one of my tanks are in my room, and i hate lots of light in my room.. so i turn one light on, then the next then the next.. and my tank has 3 lights each 20w.. so i turn them on 20 seconds apart. I think they got used to it now.

Or, cover up your lights with a paper or something and slowly move the paper.

That's a pretty cool idea, I have an acrylic lens that slides in as a splash proof thing into my corallife that would be cool if I got another one and painted it black and slowly pulled it out. Too much work though. The light in the morning shines in enough that it doesn't startle them as much. What really gets them bad is me shutting it off at night. I know my house well enough where I can walk around without any lights on whatsoever. All I do is walk down and shut the light off and come back up.

Zeril. reminded me though I need to get a timer, thanks!
I am moving my turtle tank down here so I am going to put a timer on all that. That way when I go to college I don't need to worry about my sister or mom turning on all the lights at the same time.

[Drumachine09]

My fish dont have any problems with the lights.

In my 55, i only have 30 watts, and i also have vloating plants, so that probobly keeps the fish sane.

The guppies are oblivious to everything around them. They just want food and to make babies.

My clown goby and my camel shrimp are out of hiding when i turn off the light, but usually they return to hiding. My damsel isnt bothered at all.

[Mark Lathrop]

My corys always go crazy as well, and I only have a 17w florescent. Not even turning the room lights on first helps. They can't seem to settle down in the new tank. They're always scared when I walk into the room.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

The guppies are oblivious to everything around them. They just want food and to make babies.


Beautifully put! :thumb:

I open the curtains so the tank gets to see the sun come up...when the light goes on, they've gone from dark to daylight already.

If anything, when the light comes on, they look for me to see if I'm going to give them breakfast or not (99% of the time, not).

[Zerileous]

The guppies are oblivious to everything around them. They just want food and to make babies.


lol, they get a little more interesting when they cant make babies any more :o (no females in the tank). Instead they just run around the tank aimlessly.