Having just received a mega electric bill (they just put up prices here by 25% plus it's the winter) I am looking at ways to reduce my consumption. I have already changed over the power filters in some of my tanks to air powered sponges which does make a difference but I was wondering about lighting.

My tank lights are on timers and come on at 06:00 going off at 21:00. I have heard that some people have their lights on in the morning and in the evening but off during the day. I was wondering if anyone did this and how it worked out?

Thanks,

I have my lights on in the morning from 8:00-11:00PM at this time the sun makes it through the windows and they turn off until the evening from 6:00-9:00PM...I noticed that my electric bill lowered a little doing it this way

Thanks Warlock,

I have just set the timers to 6 till 9 in the morning and 5 till 9 in the afternoon and will see how that goes.

i run one powerglo bulb from 4 pm till 8 pm ....... then a blue moonlight changes over on timers till 10pm ...........thats it ....no algae and natural light all through the day ..its the best lighting timers i have ever run

Mine are on timers from 8 am till 11pm, is this the reason I'm fighting brown algae all the time?

It could be

i open my 10W light whenever i arrive home from
office.... in daytime, my tanks had full view of
sunlight.

My 2', 3' and 4' tanks get no light other than the tank lights so I have these on from 06:00 till 20:00.

The 5' and 6' tanks get some natural daylight (but not direct).

Both of my tanks get basically no lighting beside sun light during the days i then turn on the light at night from 1800-2100 i have had no algy in my tank. Every once in awhile ill run my blue lighting just for the affect from 2100 to 2200.

Your fish dont need your tank to be lit (plants do though). Ponds and rivers quickly get dark as you go deeper and fish are adapted to see in several feet of water. Most fish can see perfectly well in a tank with no light. We put lights on a tank so we can look and see our fish well. Also the more lights and the longer you have them on the more algae you will get. I only have the lights on in my tanks in the evening