How long is too Long.

My Lights are in my signature. Im still in the process of getting a timer >.< I know I should have one but, its not on the top of my priorities when I have people at home that help me when Im not around. I Normally Turn On My Atinics around 930 10am. At noon I turn on my MHs and run them with my atinics till 6. I shut off Just my MH at 6 and run my atinics till about 9 and then I turn on My moon lights. Is that too long of a photo period? I had a problem for a couple months with GHA and then finally got rid of it, algae free. And Im just now noticing that a little bit of it is coming back, I thought that it might be because Im running my lights for too long? How long does everyone else run their lights for? Thanks;D

 

That's not too long at all, it's actually average to short, depending who you ask. The GHA is probably coming back b/c you are putting too many nutrients into the tank without exporting them quick enough. Try cutting back on feedings, or wet skimming.

 

12 hours actinics and 8 hours of MH is not an excessive lighting period in my opinion, Katie

nutrient are your main enemy here, and not your lighting IME
its common in new tanks to go through certain stages of algae
but if you control your water parameters Nitrate and Phosphate then each stage is normaly brief and does not become a plague

Steve

 

Great minds think a like. ; )

 

Thanks guys! I tested all my params and they read

PH 8.2
alk- low
ammonia- 0
nitrate- 0
nitrite- 0
salt- 1.025

I run a fuge with calup and red mangroves to help.
But then again my tank is only around 6months old. So maybe its just going through a short stage Its not like its horrible or anything just kinda like peach fuzz onmy back glass and power heads. Nothing on the rocks or sand.