2 Light Cycles in a day?

[codsack]

Does anyone run two light cycles in a day? I've been reading up on reefers getting better color and coral growth by cutting back on there light cycle. I read that corals in the wild can only absorb so much light in a few hours. After that, the intense sunlight actually does damage and the corals dedicate a certain amount of their metabolism each day repairing what the sun has done. Has anyone shortened there photo period by cutting some time out of the middle of your light cycle. Say you have your Main lights come on at 10am then turn off at like 2pm then come back on at 6pm and stay on until 10pm. It would be a total of 8 hours but the corals would have a break from the intense light for 4 hours. You could have supplemental light on during the entire photo period.

Sure this is not really "natural" but if corals can only absorb so much at a time maybe the break would encourage growth and coloring. And for people who work during the day you would get some time at night with your lights on.

 

[falos]

I run 8:30-2:30on 2:30-8:30off

 

[grouper therapy]

CodSack;709748 wrote: Does anyone run two light cycles in a day? I've been reading up on reefers getting better color and coral growth by cutting back on there light cycle. I read that corals in the wild can only absorb so much light in a few hours. After that, the intense sunlight actually does damage and the corals dedicate a certain amount of their metabolism each day repairing what the sun has done. Has anyone shortened there photo period by cutting some time out of the middle of your light cycle. Say you have your Main lights come on at 10am then turn off at like 2pm then come back on at 6pm and stay on until 10pm. It would be a total of 8 hours but the corals would have a break from the intense light for 4 hours. You could have supplemental light on during the entire photo period.

Sure this is not really "natural" but if corals can only absorb so much at a time maybe the break would encourage growth and coloring. And for people who work during the day you would get some time at night with your lights on.

I've read some of those articles as well. I would like to know how they knew it was the light cycle that encouraged the growth and did they have a control,constant or a comp. All the evidence leans to the anecdotal side so far.IMO

 

[falos]

As had sum good articles so did coral mag. just my personal experience I have Sean faster growth in my lps mainly chalace dunken frogspawn and lobo my micromusa favia faviaeta hammers and balstos don't seam to like it that much I still git full expansion but never see sweepers enymore during the night cycles. As far as sps I have Sean as much as 1" in growth in a less then a week in sum mainly tables and bushys I'm not sure on elkhorns I don't have eny at the moment .
Just make sure your using led running multiple cycles with t-5 and mh cuts there life down 50% per extra light cycle.