Lights Out

[Lichan]

I have recently removed all the plants from my tank (the Discus have not minded one bit and actually seem much happier) I now want to start to reduce the amount of time I have the fluro lights on. When kept in an aqarium without plants...how much light do they need to remain at optimum health considering that Discus naturally come from darker waters and prefer the darker shadowy areas ?? Anyone shed any light ?? :lol:

[Ben]

Hi Lichan
Will your tank get any natural light at all through out the day?

The tanks in my fish room get some light through out the day with the aid of a sky light, but i have a 4 foot light set on a timer which goes out at 10pm in the middle of the room.
I have it set up this way so i can water change before lights out.

Some thing to think about is to make sure there will be no shadows when walking past the tank as this can spook the fish. An over head light really helps to fix this problem i have found, but you already have the light so no problems!
This seems to happen more so with young juvenile discus.

In saying all of this, light on the tank for 8-10 hours a day set on a timer will make the discus feel more comfortable, and you will see the colour better in my opinion.

Hope this helps,
Ben