Cycling-lights On Or Off?

[Louie]

I see so many different opinions on this and would like help from the experienced reefers. I am on my second week of cycling and want to know if the lights should be on or off. If the lights are to be left on, how long should they be on for?

 

[marks69]

you only need them on when you want to look. it will just give you more algee.

 

[Louie]

you only need them on when you want to look. it will just give you more algee.

if the lights are off, does that effect the coralline algae growth. What I mean is, will the coralline algae on the rock die off?

 

[TORX]

I personally advise to leave the lights on just so that algae's do their thing. A lot of this hobby works for one and not another though. I know a lot of people who leave the lights off during the cycle. I personally do not. I also have not cycled a tank in almost 10 years though.

 

[Winks]

I cycled my 110g about 3 1/2 months ago. I also had my lights turn on with the same schedule that I'm running right now. You will get algae but that is also part of the cycling process IMHO. Once cycled and your nutrients get under control after the cycling, the algae will disappear.

 

[LittleMermaid10]

Lights off. It's to prevent

 

[Matt1997]

I’ve always done a lights on cycle because I like to see how the tank progresses. I have no evidence supporting which one is better.

 

[Monnishan]

My first tank in marine and I cycled with lights on a normal lighting schedule. Worked out fine

 

[Jewel]

Leave them off, just forget about it for a bit

 

[monizb]

I did my cycle with lights on 8 hrs a day on a timer and no issues


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[Mido]

in my opinion u will almost always need to leave them on but not for more than 6-8 hrs/ day, algae will also boom and recede and do their cycle and it will happen when the lights come on regardless of if u r starting the cycle or after when " you think" the tank is cycled...
the only advise i can give you when cycling is do it for twice the time you think your tank is cycled and measures zeros,
a friend of mine cycled his tank for 6 months before he put ANYTHING in the tank, i did my cycle for 10 weeks and everything was reading zeros after 6 weeks btw