Fish_adicted

im sooo confused about posting

Fish_adicted

Hey, im fourteen years old and i saved my money frome christmas and birthday and finaly saved enough money for a niced size fish tank and some fish..... im a first time fish owner and have a question.... i like to have the aquarium light on at night but some of my fish like the dark... i dont want to be selfish so what should i do... my aquarium consists of mollies,loaches,an upside down catfish and a pleco. the aquarium is relaxing at night but is it bad for my fish?? please help me!!!

Chief_waterchanger

What size tank is this and what kind of loaches and pleco is it that you have?

Fish_adicted

im not sure about the pleco but its a dojo loach and i think the tank is 55 gallon?maby something like that

jsalemi

Fish will adjust to the rhythm you establish with the lights. In general, they should be on 10 - 12 hours a day if you have live plants, less if you only have artificial plants. So you can plan that span to include the evening hours so you can see your fish before you go to bed. I have our tanks on a 9am - 9pm schedule.

And you can get LED 'lunar' lights that will cast a moonglow over the tank -- dim enough for the fish to sleep, but bright enough for you to see some of the activity in the tank in a dark room.

COBettaCouple

It is best to try to replicate a day/night cycle for the fish. You could find lunar lights like these online or maybe at local stores, when you have the money to spend on them. We'd like some ourselves.. for our cichlid tank at least. Just extra is needed.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113544
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113146

Neville

I keep my lights on from 10 am to 10 pm; u should keep your lights on 10-12 hrs maximum, lights will not be a problem for plecos, provide them some hiding places.

Sabi

Best to let the fish know day and night. I leave mine on from 3pm till 10pm, or around that. That is because its too hot to leave th light on earlier and the temp will rise. You could make caves, hiding places with deco, rocks etc for those fish that do not like the light. What about a pic of the pleco, maybe we can id it?

≈ D ≈

They'll adjust to what you set it at. Plus if you search around, you might find ways to build your own lunar lights

And don't worry about being confused, we've all been down that road and sometimes still on it that's what Fishlore is here for - YOU

susitna-flower

We are all confused at times....No problem.

One of the reasons you will want to limit the light to no more than 10 hours a day, beyond that and you will just be encouraging algae growth....

Fish benefit from periods of rest just like we do. Some that I have are nocturnal, and only come out to feed when the lights are off.

I agree you would probably really love lunar lights, and these would allow you to enjoy your tank at night, without the other downsides of having your daytime lights on.