lighting schedule?

Im sure this sounds like a dumb question but i just got a current dual 96w w/dual daylight and actinic lights for my 40g reef tank im setting up. i have a few fish live rock but no corals. the hippie woman at the store told me to run the daylight for 8 hours a day and the actinic for 9 hours. now im sure ive heard to go for 12 hours a day somewhere so yeah how long should i keep my lights on for? also these things are bright as hell like if i look at my tank then at my computer screen the screen looks all orange and faded i think its great but will the lights dim down after a while or will they always be this bright

 

Patience my friend you have 2 post back to back saying the same thing. Remember that it is very late at night and takes time to get a response.

Light cycle is what you decide you want it to be 8 hours 10 hours 12 hours all on you.

As far as the lights dulling yes they will over time but that is normally when you want to replace them.

 

Yep. It is variable. I do 12 on 12 off with 24/7 in the fuge.

 

+1 on Seans reply - with fish only with live rock the lighting period or intensity is not as critical as it would be in a reef tank - you could increase, no problem, just be mindful of nuisance algaes , but if your PO4 and Nitrates are in check then increasing daylight time is OK

 

so will more light time mean more algae? and i plan to add corals shortly, would i be able to go 12 hours with them without causing any negative effects?

 

depending on the light type your coral selection will be greatly limited...

More light time can mean more algea depending on you parameters and also you filtration system. My lights run like so: T-5 atinics- 10am to 9pm and MH's- 12 pm to 7pm. I have no algea issues.

 

I have two Current 4' lights on my tank. Both have 2- 96 watt dual daylights, and 2- dual actinic lights. That's a total of 520 watts. I have the dual actinic lights come on an hour before the dual daylights and remain on an hour after the daylights go off. I run the Daylights for 8 hours so the actinic lights are on for 10 hours. I run the moon lights for the remaining time. I do not have a problem with algae. Your clean up crew should keep up with the algae, if not you should increase the size of the clean up crew. Phosphates will also play a role in the algae. A UV light will also help. You will need three timers to get this set up maintenance free. The bulbs will diminish over time and should be replaced every 10 to 12 months. Hope this helps