LIGHTS AND CICHLIDS

How long to leave your Cichlids tank light on is something everyone seems to have an opinion about. I have heard some set timers, on for four hours, off for four hours, then on again. Other people keep their lights off except for feeding times and viewing times. To me that's just ludicrous. Like me there are also those who set their lights according to their life style and schedule.

It's personal preference. There is no right or wrong way. Cichlids live in the shallows of three main lakes in Africa. You can imagine they are used to bright sunshine. In my tank there are many dark caves and nooks they can hide in if they want darkness even during the day. Keeping your lights on is in no way harmful to your fish.

LED Night Lights 

The only element that may concern you when keeping your lights on long periods of time, is the algae growth will increase. My African Cichlids love grazing on algae between feedings so I let it grow. I also have a couple types of Pleco's and other algae eaters in my tanks which do a great job keeping the algae under control. I do weekly water changes and scrape excess algae off the front and side glass but I never touch the back wall or any of the rocks and decor in the tank. I also have magnetic brushes in each of my tanks that I frequently use even just as I'm watching the fish. The magnet brushes are a must have in my book.

I'm usually up by 8am and bedtime by midnight. That's about 16 hours my tanks are lit up. The two that have the night lights look so beautiful at night I would love to get those lights for all my tanks but for now I'll just have to be happy with the lights I have.

I couldn't imagine having fish tanks in my home and not leaving the lights on

so I can enjoy their beauty at anytime, whether I am just walking by or sitting

and watching them. One of many reasons I have my Cichlid tanks are simply

for my own pleasure.