I was wondering: does it negatively affect the fish if one were to switch off all the lights at the same time as opposed to having each light on a different timer and swiching them off gradually?
Hi Gradual dimming will be better - try to simulate the sunset. Sudden changes probably cause stress. Hope this helps. Kind Regards Ismail
I have one of those moonlight LED's that I have permanently switched on, so when the lights go off its still on, but the fish still get spooked...
Ja, I find that mine are pretty casual. I have all 4 lights on different timers that go off over a period of an hour. The fish will naturally take up their resting spot just before the last light goes off, and quite calmly settle in. I'll have to do that with my cube too then....
At the moment, my fish all freak when the lights go off but somehow I get the feeling that they kinda getting used to it now as they don't dart around in the tank too crazy like they used to, but they still stress. Had no fatalities as a result of it though
I'v noticed something wierd, when it starst to go dark outside the Hygrophila Difformis, limnophila, cabomba piauhye and a few others actually close their leaves, how do they know its night time?
www.swatch.com ;-) ...if you do not find the answer there, it is quite simple...plants have 2 cycles the one they take up CO2 and give off O, at night they take up O and give off CO2. Therefore they are receptive to light. cheers, KarelM
Ya I know but surely if the lights are still on and the curtains are closed the plants shouldn't know when its night time
Perhaps the plants got some sort of timing mechanism in them to know when the tank lights go on in the morning to prep for night night time? ie, same as our human body's metabolism. Or is it as simple as what Karel's explained; ie, no light = bedtime? Prof Dirk, Andre, W.B.S?
i have seen my cabomba doing that too... plants do have a mechanism, it called "nyctinasty" my guess is they are tracking the suns gravitational pull, as some plants will be facing the sun at sunset and turn to face the sunrise at night, while there is no light, so it is not based on photoreceptors etc. although some plants like daisies etc. do track sunlight. seems like there is so much we will never understand about the plant and animal kingdom, and how sensitive some plants and animals can be. millions of years of evolution, compared to a couple thousand years of trying to figure this stuff out...
You can always make a DIY moonlight to have your fish less spooked at sleeping time. Checkers has those blue Lumaglo LED light bulbs (purple pack), you just have to break the glass bulb and take it off without cutting yourself, then there are 5 (I think) blue LED's inside attached to the light bulb base which provides a nice blue moonlight effect.
