# aquarium light and filter question



## gkarmadibetta (Dec 12, 2010)

Are they suppose to be on 24/7??
If you turns on and off the lighst a few times a day, will that cause stress to the fish??

Thanks in advance (sorry, i am new to aquarium).


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## Chromey (Sep 25, 2010)

Filter, On, Always

Lights I run a 10 hour cycle.

Lights on:
7Am to 11am
Off
11am to 3:00 pm

3-9 pm.

Off all night.

Moon lights on at 9:15 to 6 am.

I havent had a alge outbreak yet. 1 year running this way.


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## Kajendra (Dec 12, 2010)

If you have any plants in the tank you want a minimum of 8-10 hours of light. But it really depends on the plant. If you don't have any plants you can either keep the light on when you want to look at them but try to be consistent. You could also leave it off most of the time.

I'm sure others would probably have more advice on this though.


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## gkarmadibetta (Dec 12, 2010)

I dont have many plant in the tank. It is a 10 gal tank with 1 betta fish and 1 plant (not sure what its called), but it doesnt have any roots (and the seller told me it can be planted or leave it floating). I tied one end of the plant to a rock and sink it .

Now, i do have 2 trips over the border comming up in january. 1 is a 3 days trip and the other is a 7 days trip. Should i leave the lights on during this my trip or leave it off?? I dont have a timer to control this lights


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

I feel personally that a timer is an essential piece of equipment.

There are a few things you should understand about light...

- Plants need it. This is fairly simple. Photosynthesis is dependent on light.

- Fish need sleep, and fish need darkness to sleep. Just like people. They can't exactly close their eyes, but they do sleep and darkness is important to them.

- In nature, fish use light to establish behavioural patterns. Feeding, breeding, etc. Now I'll state that this is arguable, and that I'm not saying everyone needs to be doing this, but some fish keepers might argue that fish will be happiest when kept on a regular lights on/off schedule via timers, with fairly regular and predictable feeding times. Personally I don't adhere to strict feeding times, but I do keep my lights on a regular schedule with the use of a timer.

In conclusion, I would say go buy yourself a timer. You can pick one up for under $20 at Home Depot or just about any hardware store (Canadian Tire, Rona, etc... Even places like Future Shop or Walmart might have them, I know Big Al's in Missisauga has them (they're by their marine equipment, you might have to ask an employee to help you find them as they're sorta out of the way. Other pet stores might have them, I haven't exactly gone around looking)).

If you really, for whatever reason, cannot manage this. Leave the lights off while you're away. Your fish will do better without light at all than with light 24/7. Your plants wont do well, and you might lose them, but there's really not much you can do about that without a timer...

Filter should be on 24/7, always, no exceptions, except brief maintenance periods.

I've noticed you seem to be searching for ways to provide for your fish the best possible (that's the feeling I got from your thread about the garlic teabags). If you're serious about this hobby and eager to learn as much as you can, a great book to read is the Baensch Aquarium Atlas - Volume 1. 

You don't need this book, because there's absolutely no shortage of information online. But I do think for a beginner it will bring a sense of confidence to you in regards to this hobby (much as it did myself, and I still use this book as a reference from time to time). It's also useful to have this information grouped together into one trustable source that may not be completely cutting edge in regards to practices, but explains solid foundations that will help you to understand current methods better.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

When I turn the aquarium lights on or off in a dark room, I turn on another light in the room for a while. This gives the fish a chance to get to their sleeping places, and prevents that panic that sometimes ensues when lights go on suddenly


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## arc (Mar 11, 2010)

Rona has them for $6-7 taxes in. Best item for a tank (especially a planted tank) next to the filter as you never have to think about when to turn on/off the lights. The fish are a bit jumpy when the light first starts but after a few weeks they settle in.


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## jeff1727 (Nov 7, 2010)

ikea has 2 timers for $6. doesnt have ground tho


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## gkarmadibetta (Dec 12, 2010)

Ok then, i'll look for a timer system. How about feeding the fish while you're away?? Is there such thing as an automatic (timer) feeder??


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

There are automatic feeders, but they are rather expensive and not very reliable. Fish can go a long time without food, and it's safest to just leave them unfed if you're gone for as long as a week or ten days. Most aquarium fish are overweight, which isn't any better for them than it is for us. In nature, food is not always available, so fish are adapted to live off their fat when necessary. (We're adapted to live off our fat too, but most of us in this part of the world never have to...)


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

There is, but fish are absolutely fine going long periods of time without food.

With automatic feeders you may find them hard to control how much food they actually put in the tank.

As long as they're well fed before you go they'll be alright.


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## gkarmadibetta (Dec 12, 2010)

i want to thank everyone that reply to my thread and your input is much appriciated. I also want to share a couple of pic of my betta and its home.
It is a 10 galon tank with automatic heater and a small filteration system. I purchased him about 2.5 weeks ago from dragon aquarium in mississauga for $4. He is rather small (just about 1.5 inch in length from mouth to the tip of tail) and the seller said he is from Thailand  and should grow twice the size by summer time or so.


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## theeyrietrainer (Dec 9, 2010)

Your pictures are quite tiny, but from the looks of it you may have Cabomba on your hands. Its a pretty easy to grow plant that does enjoy its lighting so make sure to give it a good dose once you get back.


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