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Lighting & Pumps

Reef Lighting Schedule: Photoperiod, Ramping, and Lunar Cycles

How to program your LED schedule for maximum coral growth, minimum algae, and natural-looking sunrise to moonlight.

By Saltwater Aquarium Guide Published May 10, 2026

Torch coral tentacles with glowing tips under blue aquarium lighting — Photo: PilarMeca, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Coral growth depends as much on lighting schedule as intensity. Here is the photoperiod programming that experienced reefers actually use.

Total photoperiod

10 hours total: 1-hour ramp up, 6 hours peak, 2-hour ramp down, 1-hour blue moonlight.

Peak intensity timing

Stagger peak by 30 minutes across multiple LEDs to avoid hot spots.