Exposing the DT to Natural Sunlight?

[Monroereef]

I was wondering if anyone could comment on any good/bad effects of exposing the tank to natural sunlight for 2 - 3 hours a day.
I am concerned that the new tank would have some exposer to the sun during the morning (not directly but will have sunlight on it).

Could this be an issue? Can this cause any algae problems?

Thanks
Sunny

 

[btkrausen]

My tank gets sunlight in the morning through the french doors in my walkout basement. The sun rises on the back of my house, so it lights up the tank enough to where I can see the fish swimming around, and see their colors even. I think it looks cool, but I don't think its really affected anything in my tank.

I have heard in the past that it'll cause problems for algae if its direct though.

 

[Monroereef]

Thanks. Anyone else has any opinions please?

 

[CJO]

I've had the same experience as btkrausen. It could cause some algae issues in a newer tank, but shouldn't make a difference in an established tank in good condition.

CJ

 

[1Der9_3hy]

There was a guy on RC (probably still there...but i never check) that was lighting his tank almost 100% with natural light using tubes in his ceiling. He had awesome PAR measurements and great color & growth. I think he had a couple actinics for darker days/add light after the sun sets, but other than that it was all natural. He didn't have an algae issue either....if you have algae with sunlight you will hav algae with T5s or MH.

 

[Jcr's Reef]

There was a guy on RC (probably still there...but i never check) that was lighting his tank almost 100% with natural light using tubes in his ceiling. He had awesome PAR measurements and great color & growth. I think he had a couple actinics for darker days/add light after the sun sets, but other than that it was all natural. He didn't have an algae issue either....if you have algae with sunlight you will hav algae with T5s or MH.

If its the same guy you are referring too, he is now adding LEDS to the mix

 

[fsu1dolfan]

My tank gets a ton of natural sunlight in the morning...it's like a perfect sunrise for my tank. Everything reaches over to the left side of the tank. I have seen no ill effects - but i would assume if your tank was next to a window, you need to monitor your temperature.

 

[akabryanhall]

My tank only gets sunlight for about an hour a day in the morning, but only between the months of october and january believe it or not. When it does get sunlight, I see no ill effects and actually like to think it must be nice for them to get natural sunlight every once in a while.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

lower order, nuisance algae grows from excess nutrients my friend...not sunlight,or any specific light per se. With proper control of nutrients you can enjoy tremendous benefits to natural sunlight. I've been growing corals in sunlight for over 20 years. Windows, skylights, and greenhouses. I can't speak any higher of unfiltered natural sunlight.

 

[Oceanslayer18]

Mine sits in front of a window and the natural sublight caused issues at first but now thats its established I dont have any issues

 

[Troylee]

I don't think sun will harm anything garrets acropolis is a outdoor system and only uses the sun to supply light to his system and it thrives from what I have seen... He does use some kind of tarp to block some of it so it's not direct light blasting in the shallow water and burning every thing...

 

[Anthony Calfo]

we are talking about corals that were collected in sunlight too, right? :) Or at least their recent parent stock was. LOL

 

[Troylee]

When I had a tank set up were the sun blasted it the only algae I saw was in the sand bed where the sand was against the front glass it had some cayno growth I would say was caused by the sun... Because it never appeared there untill I got sunlight in the front glass.... The lights above don't penetrate the sand lol... Just my guess but I'm pretty sure that was the case...

 

[1Der9_3hy]

I have dur dur dur moments all the time in this hobby...and this was one of them. I forgot to mention all the coral farmers in florida/GA who have/still use green houses for the obvious reasons.

Also look at the tropicorium in MI, he uses almost entirely natural light except on his high light stuff. But i believe that is because he is in the northern part of the country where winter light is pretty weak.

Its been a long dream of mine to add a sun porch on the southerly side of my house and put a lagoon style mangrove/zoanthind system there to take advantage of the sun.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I could give untold examples of my own, but two of my more "recent" examples are a 20 high frag tank and a 90 gallon tub (RBTAs) set up just over 2 years ago in my greenhouse - full sun - and I have never had any visible algae. At all. I mean literally, I have never scraped 3 of the 4 glass walls of the aquarium and I have only scraped the frotn of the tank once to get a critical crisp photo...and yet the rest of the time I still photograph through it. The walls of the tub are clean and always have been too. Did I mention that I buried a 6" dead bird wrasse and a 4" dead jawfish (from my LFS) in the dry sand to start the frag tank/ (I though I was hoing to grow a cute little field of shaving brush algae and I wanted to jump start the sand bud nutrients.

I stalked each of these systems with some Stomatella snails that are fantastic for waxing and waning in population with the various supply of diatom (brown) algae. They get most of the credit for keeping the systems squeeky clean. The anemone tub actually gets fed several tablespoons of selcon soaked shrimp every day!

I had a few turbo and one Diadema in at one point but had to remove them because these anks did not grow any filamentous algae; I feared they would starve.

Nutrients in my growout tanks are managed via banking in biolife (culture specimens getting fed and growing rapidly) and getting regular water changes.

It's about nutrient control truly. Not about which lighting type you use. You can grow many terrestrial plants, by comparison, either in sterile soil or sand no matter how good the lighting is. But as soon as you start pumping nitrogen into the soil...magic :)

 

[CJO]

I have dur dur dur moments all the time in this hobby...and this was one of them. I forgot to mention all the coral farmers in florida/GA who have/still use green houses for the obvious reasons.

Also look at the tropicorium in MI, he uses almost entirely natural light except on his high light stuff. But i believe that is because he is in the northern part of the country where winter light is pretty weak.

Its been a long dream of mine to add a sun porch on the southerly side of my house and put a lagoon style mangrove/zoanthind system there to take advantage of the sun.

If you really want to do it, pick up Calfo's book on coral propogation. He goes into some depth on how to set up a green house.

CJ