need some verification on lighting during cycle?

should I use my lights on during cycle? also what are these little shrimp looking things?

 

no and amphipods IMO

no - if there is no live stock in the tank, then the need for lights is not there
also if you started with live rock, cycling in the dark can help reduce any potential algae menace


Steve

 

+1 with that and a boom shakalaka.

 

What if its base rock?

 

Still same procedure. no lights

 

okay cycle in the dark great... i have live rock with some live corals popping up... still no lights?

 

strega168

I take it this is a new tank and not the one in your images?
just checked you album 1st saltwater tank and you have fish and corals/ nems on those images

so is this a second tank and you have used some of the rock from the 1st tank

what sort of corals are we dealing with ?

if you know the source of the rock and your confident that its not going to sprout all manner of green menaces - then lighting to preserve the corals is a good idea IMO

Steve

 

yes new tank for our home, the rock is from a friends tank that he broke down and does have some mushroom coral...

 

Oh no I have been doing it with the lights on! I noticed a lot of green. Glad I cought this. From now on I will do it with the lights off... uh.. that sounded wrong.

 

Most mushrooms are pretty hardy and don't need much light. If you are going to run the lights, I am certain they would survive on a short light cycle so long as water parameters hold up. With a short light cycle you shouldn't see to much algae IME. Good luck!