Natural Light?

[jgraeff]

I have my tank right by a big window and i live on a canal and the light is very bright and comes int he house until about 8 at night. Anyways up until today i have been using my t-5 ho fixture and have had the blindes closed. Well my anemone decided to move to the back of the tank and underneath a rock. I dont think it is getting lighting where it is relocated at so i opened the window and he opened right up. Would it be ok to use the natural sun light along with my t5 fixture or will it cause algae problems?

 

[1fishkeeper]

I know there are a few people out there that uses natural sun light. But for algae problems Im not sure. I know someone will hope on here and let you know more for sure.

 

[jgraeff]

i hope so, i dont think it could cause any problems besides algae, im hoping it wouldnt because it sure does brighten up the tank alot.

 

[Pentagona]

Natural sunlight will almost always result in algae blooms. Trust me....I speak from experience!

 

[menace78]

I've seen a few systems that actually direct sunlight directly into there tanks.

Algae won't be a problem if you have very good filtration.
It needs both light and nutrients to grow. take away one or the other and it won't be a problem

otherwise, yes algae will be a problem.

Hope this helps.

 

[Palancar]

We have all our tanks in a greenhouse and I don't ever remember an algae bloom. We do use a shade cloth to keep the corals from bleaching. On sunny days the par was around 1400. If every thing is in check in your tank I believe your corals will benefit from some natural sunlight.

 

[jgraeff]

ok sounds good, as for filtration, i was looking to add a Taam Seio 620 powerhead to my tank which is a 30g, initally i thought it would be to much but im thinking if i put it at one end of the tank and aim it towards the other glass so it bounces off it should create movement throughout my entire tank. What do you guys think? Aslo any ideas on relocating a rtba, has been in the back of the tank since i got him kind of disappointing especially for the money it costs and extremely difficult to feed. I like having the natural light i just hope algae wont be an issue for me.

 

[Chichas01]

what is this 'natural light' you speak of? Where can we get some of this in western Washington?:lol::lol:

 

[returnofsid]

Algae needs more than just light to flourish. So, if all you're doing, is adding natural sunlight, it won't cause an algae bloom, as long as you're not adding more nutrients. If your tank husbandry is keeping nutrients to a minimum, the addition of light will only be an added benefit.

 

[jgraeff]

ok awesome! and ya the sun is florida is so strong im not sure how it is where you guys are located.

 

[JasonD]

I get natural indirect light in the morning thru the window (when it is not cloudy). I use the natural light thru the window to light the tank during the day. I then have the halides come on at 4pm and run them till 11pm. This works pretty well for me. I can't grow algae in my tank, because my sailfin tang has a huge appetite for it. I do get diatoms on the glass that have to be cleaned twice a week. I don't think this is from the sunlight. It would be from poor skimming. Just watch the temperature and make sure the light is not too strong. I don't run the halides while the sun is hitting the tank.

 

[marlinmero]

i keep my windows open in the evenings to let the direct sun in too. only thing it does to my tank is cause a little more algae on the front of the galss. a quick magnet scrub and its good as new

 

[busdriver]

i've been to atlantic sea farm and almost all of his stuff uses only natural light.... w/ all the snails in there (and probably good filtration) i didn't see any algae... he grew phyto in one tub/vat.