Should i turn my aquarium light off at night?

I'm sorry, but I don't agree that your fish is ok with that type of temperature change. If your water temperature changes THAT drastically when you turn the light off, it CAN be harmful to your fish. And it sounds to me too like your Oscar may be in a relatively small tank? He should be in the very least a 75 gallon tank, preferably a 100+ gallon tank, as these fish get HUGE, and they are very very messy fish. You really need to purchase a heater for your fish so that they can stay at a proper temperature (74-76 steadily would be perfect). Think of yourself standing naked in a heated house, then going outside into a snowstorm......how would you feel? It would be a shock to your system, and if his water is cooling down 8 degrees in 6 or 8 hours, that's quite a difference. (This is my opinion, but I can direct you to websites to back up what I am saying).

You need to be diligent in the care of your Oscar as they are susceptible to many diseases if their water is not kept in pristine condition and regular tank maintenance is not performed. If you only have a small oscar, a smaller tank is ok for the meantime, but you definately need to get a large tank for him to survive happily.

Good luck!! ;o)

First of all i'd buy an heater. For the size of your tank(i'm guessing it is 55 gallon or more) one will only cost between £20-£25. I have a tank with a red oscar and a pleco in and i keep the temperature about 79 degrees and they are fine. You should only have your lights on in your tank for a maximum of 10 hours a day or a build up of algae will occur causing your water to go green

If the temp is so greatly affected by lighting I get the impression this is a smaller tank - I hope I'm wrong, with the fish you have. Either way, a heater is a necessary investment in proper tropical fish keeping because it provides proper, even temperatures, so go buy one.

The drop in temperature won't kill your fish - it's not like it's dropping and rising in an instant, but it is constant, daily stress on the fishes system and does have a gradual impact on their health.

It won't kill your fish to have the light on all night, but it would really stress the pleco, which is a nocturnal creature by nature, and you'd end up with a nightmare of algae problems.

It is better to purchase a small heater and turn your light off at night.

The light being on all of the time IS going to eventually cause an algae problem for you.

Your light should only be on for 8-12 hours per day.

If you want, you can get a cheep $5.00 timer and set it for the time that you are home most, you will not have to turn the lights on or off anymore, Let the timer worry about it.

Yes you should turn it off! It's stressful for your fish.

The best solution is to purchase a timer to turn the lights on in the morning and off in the evening after approximately 12 hours and a heater to keep the temperature steady around the 75 degrees if possible.

Best regards

Carsten

http://aquainfo.dk/

I would put it on a timer. Or make sure you turn it off at roughly the same time each night. Fish, like humans, need a day/night lighting cycle. Having this cycle will greatly improve the health of your fish.

Not only is it important to prevent the water from over-heating, your fish will become highly stressed (just as you or I would) if they had constant light.

Best to keep the lights on during the day and turn them off at night - try to make it at the same times everyday...

If you're not home to do this everyday, then I would strongly suggest getting a timer which you can set the ON and OFF times for everyday... Then you don't have to remember to do it.

Hope this helps you.

B

x

yea just like fish in the wild they need a regular cycle of day and night it also keeps the water from getting to hot

i turn mine off every single night. i had a goldfish live 12 years and i turned his light off every night before bed.

YES! especially in a marine aquarium!