lighting

[dawgfan]

Had an issue this week and so i will ask the question:

How long should i keep my light on?

I have a 75 gallon FOWLR. I have a T5 4 bulb 216 watt light

It was on too long while I was out of town and the brown algae went nuts.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[coolsurf]

How new is your tank? Have you gone through your diatom bloom yet? If it's a new tank the brown algae is normal. Next comes the green algae and eventually the coraline algae. If your tank is cycled, IMO, 8 hours would be fine. Some say less, some say more.

 

[dawgfan]

New tank, thanks for the info.

 

[dakota9]

FOWLR tanks really don't require that much light.... A regular NO fixture would surfice......

If you don't have a light timer, the next time you leave a couple of days, just turn it off, or actinic only IMHO.