Can I Put My Fish Light on a Timer?
Many people are curious about putting their fish light on a timer. Ever Underwater Fish Light comes equipped with a photocell. This photocell senses the light and automatically turns the system on at dusk and off at dawn. Some customers would still like to place the light on a time to ensure that it does not run all night long. For instance, they might want it to turn off at two o’clock in the morning, rather than at sunrise. This type of timer is possible and can be purchased through our online store. It is simply called a photocell timer. While this timer will turn off your system before dawn, there are some things to consider before placing your system on a time.
These systems were designed to run from dusk to dawn for two reasons. The first, is to ensure the bulbs remain clean. All Underwater Fish Light systems are self-cleaning. These bulbs must come on every night, so they can burn off any kind of aquatic growth on the bulb. If a system is placed on a timer and is only running for a couple hours a night, they might now be burning long enough to clean off all the barnacle growth that has formed during the day while the system is off.
The second reason these lights must come on every night is to build a feeding cycle for the fish. With your light turning on every night, the fish will become accustomed to finding food at your dock every night. These bulbs produce a food source by reflecting off microorganisms in the water that attract bait fish. These baitfish, in turn, attract the predator fish (snook, tarpon, bass, northern pike, etc.). If the light does not come on every night at the same time, the fish will not become accustomed to the feeding cycle, and may not show up as frequently.
Rather than purchasing a photocell timer, some customers will simply put their outlets at their docks on a timer, or a switch they can operate on from inside their house. The problem with connecting the outlet to a switch, is if you forget to turn the light on every night, or if you go out of town with the switch off, the light will not come on, and aquatic growth will develop on the bulb and the light will no longer function as designed. Also, the feeding cycle will not be implemented for the fish, so you will not see the same amount of fish as someone who has their system running every night.
Putting your system on a timer is definitely possible, but there are other things to consider when doing so. As long as your light runs at least 6-8 hours a night, it will remain barnacle free. If you have any questions regarding our photocell timer, please do not hesitate to call us at 855-FISH-LIGHT and speak with anyone on our team.
