Showing the tank at night

[jimeluiz]

We have a holiday party coming up at our house and we're very proud and excited to show off our successful (knock on wood ) tank for the first time. I'll be cleaning everything on the day of - but my question is about stressing the inhabitants.

During the peak of the afternoon everything is expanded and happy and gloriously beautiful. Around dinner time our mushrooms have lost half their extension and later near 'lights out' our green star polyp is sometimes completely retracted.

So if I want to leave the lights on LATE during the party (that will probably just be getting going after the tank lights would normally be off), am I going to be stressing out everything.

I guess I know the answer -- yes, I will. But given the foregone reality that the tank lights WILL be on at least for several hours well past the normal cycle, I guess I'm asking for any lessons learned in this area.

Could I turn off the lights for several hours during the day, or early in the evening, then to turn them on later? Would that just be more confusing? (Kinda like a big, nasty solar eclipse.) It would be great if everything would be at its best for our visitors. But then - I have been trying to embrace the fact that the tank is its own reality - not existing to satisfy my asthetic whims.

What say yee? Thanks.

[tankgirl]

I don't think the corals will be unduly stressed by a long photoperiod on the day of your party. Corals are used to variations in photoperiod and intensity - cloudy days, storms, etc.

Plus, you know how some days go by very fast and some go very slow. Since the corals don't have watches, they'll just think it's one of those extra long days.

[Maxx]

something else you could do is alter the photoperiod a couple days in advance. Just decide what time the lights will be on later...(ie til 8 pm as opposed to the normal 4 pm. 4 hours difference) and make the adjustment (if lights go on normally at 10 am, adjust this to start @ 2 pm) does this make sense? Doing this a couple of days in advance will give the corals an opportunity to adjust to your new schedule. After wards you can set it back w/o any worries. I dont think this will stress out the corals, since the timnes have changed, but not the duration. Doing this a couple of days in advance allows the corals to adapt to the new time frame and will have them all out when your guests are over ooohhhhing and aaahhhing over your tank.
Good luck...oh yeah, and how about some PICS!!!! I've got teh exact same tank you do and want to see how you've aquascaped it!
Nick

[mwrager]

Yah just what Maxx said is what I was going to say. I have done this in the past with out a problem. I now have the lights come on around 11:00 and dont go off until 10:00. I started at 8:00am and just moved the start and stop time by 1/2 hr every few days.

[SZHTTM]

Yep, it actually is a pretty awesome feeling when other come to see your tank and to see their expressions. Usually its "WOW... Then questions and comments about that is must be really hard to keep a tank like that...

If the tank has been setup on a stable timer for a good amount of time, they have conditioned themselves to open and close at certain times. If you leave the lights on longer than usual, they will begin to close up when they expect the lights to go out.; but after a little while, they will reopen as long as the lights are on. I don't think this will stress the animals too much.

What might add a little stess to them is having a lot of people hoovering in front off the tank. The fish won't be use to this and may hide more than usual.

Keep in mind too that having additional people in the house will raise the amount of CO2 and will cause your PH to drop. A good way to prevent this is to try to keep the windows open in the house to allow for good air exchange. If the weather doesn't permit this, then try to "air out" the house the next day; or as soon as the weather permits.

Good Luck;

[jimeluiz]

Good idea I'll adjust the time for the lights AND not worry too much

Nick - I'm itching to take some pictures to share. I just ordered a Canon A70 online a couple of days ago. It is probably in a truck crossing the Rockies as I type. Any day now!!

Thanks folks. Any other thoughts out there?

[Witfull]

another thing,,,do the big sprucing up a day or 2 before the party, that way anybody in the tank that may be "upset" by this will have time to get over it..... then on the day of the shindig clean the glass and let the fun begin.
as for the lights...turn then on late, just before folks arrive. then turn them off later,,,theyll never know the difference.

[wooddood]

i agree i dont think its that big a deal.like wit said i would do the cleaning a couple of days ahead of time.jmo