Reef Lighting - Adjacent to Window

[ParkerYoung]

I am starting up my first reef and its going to be in a glass jar. I have a giant 6.6 gal jar that I intend to put coral, shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, and eventually a goby in. I am about to start my 1 month of live rock / live sand startup but I need to be sure my lighting situation is healthy for my reef.

This reef will be located at my desk at work and will not be in direct sunlight, but the room will be full of ambient / indirect sunlight & some artificial lighting. Additionally, I've got a hygger 36W light that I intend to use at the 40-60% level.

Lastly, I'll state that my office is in a skyscraper and most of the walls around me, excluding the pillar the reef will be sitting adjacent to, are glass. The windows in my area of the building are facing South - so with the East/West pattern of the sun, there wont be any morning or evenings where the sun is shining directly through the windows that are nearby.

Is this indirect sunlight going to harm my reef? Does my reef need to be in an entirely artificially lit room?

Thanks in advance!

-Parker Young

 

[KrisReef]

If you are correct about the light being indirect, then it will not be that much of an issue. Direct sunlight on a jar of water can easily raise the temperature many degrees in an hour, which is not a problem in this case.

In a skyscraper, the room temperature will have more impact. Is the room temperature controlled on the weekend as well as M-F?

 

[ParkerYoung]

If you are correct about the light being indirect, then it will not be that much of an issue. Direct sunlight on a jar of water can easily raise the temperature many degrees in an hour, which is not a problem in this case.

In a skyscraper, the room temperature will have more impact. Is the room temperature controlled on the weekend as well as M-F?

Thank you for the quick response and I agree, with the glass not being flat there could potentially be some form of magnification of direct sunlight in the jar.

Great question, the temperature is controlled on weekends. In this case, it sounds like my reef will be fine but I'd love to hear additional opinions/perspectives.

 

[Baldyreef]

I agree with @KrisReef you should be fine, what kind of coral/goby are you thinking for stocking?

 

[ParkerYoung]

I agree with @KrisReef you should be fine, what kind of coral/goby are you thinking for stocking?

I have yet to decide which corals/goby I will get. I intend to give my reef a month to cycle before I introduce any inverts or corals. I'll probably figure out what inverts, corals, and goby species work well together in my sized tank during that month period.

 

[CKW]

I believe that you will be ok. I would add a heater which should help with keeping the temperature stable. A top or lid will help also.

 

[Baldyreef]

I believe that you will be ok. I would add a heater which should help with keeping the temperature stable. A top or lid will help also.

a lid would help massively with salinity stability

 

[keagan]

A lid is definitely needed, I used to clean office buildings and we sprayed alot of chemicals around especially when treating carpets. Someone spills coffee next to your desk and the cleaning crew will blast it with a pump of sprayer full of lots of chemical.

 

[KrisReef]

A long time ago, in a college laboratory experiment, I learned that a simple cover of plastic film (Saran Wrap) would allow molecules of O2 to migrate across while slowing (stopping?) evaporation of water. Makes a nice throw away lid that doesn't need to be unscrewed to access when you want to reach into the jar.

 

[ParkerYoung]

A long time ago, in a college laboratory experiment, I learned that a simple cover of plastic film (Saran Wrap) would allow molecules of O2 to migrate across while slowing (stopping?) evaporation of water. Makes a nice throw away lid that doesn't need to be unscrewed to access when you want to reach into the jar.

Would I need a lid if I have an ATO system already? I've got a 5 gal RODI reservoir right now sitting under my desk. I may cover the top with Saran Wrap but I worry it'd render the ATO system I just spent $150 on useless.

 

[KrisReef]

Would I need a lid if I have an ATO system already? I've got a 5 gal RODI reservoir right now sitting under my desk. I may cover the top with Saran Wrap but I worry it'd render the ATO system I just spent $150 on useless.

If you have the technology, use it!
Saran Wrap is amazing, but an ATO can make it unnecessary as far as evaporation replacement. Depending on what livestock you add, a lid or a Saran Wrap "force field" may help keep jumping fish, snails, and flys from ending up where you don't want them.

Are you going to do what I have never done, and start a tank thread so we can watch your SkyScraper Reef Jar get built and stocked? You get a nifty badge for starting a thread!

 

[ParkerYoung]

If you have the technology, use it!
Saran Wrap is amazing, but an ATO can make it unnecessary as far as evaporation replacement. Depending on what livestock you add, a lid or a Saran Wrap "force field" may help keep jumping fish, snails, and flys from ending up where you don't want them.

Are you going to do what I have never done, and start a tank thread so we can watch your SkyScraper Reef Jar get built and stocked? You get a nifty badge for starting a thread!

Yessir, I intend to start a tank thread once I start establishing my setup.

 

[BryanM]

I am starting up my first reef and its going to be in a glass jar. I have a giant 6.6 gal jar that I intend to put coral, shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, and eventually a goby in. I am about to start my 1 month of live rock / live sand startup but I need to be sure my lighting situation is healthy for my reef.

This reef will be located at my desk at work and will not be in direct sunlight, but the room will be full of ambient / indirect sunlight & some artificial lighting. Additionally, I've got a hygger 36W light that I intend to use at the 40-60% level.

Lastly, I'll state that my office is in a skyscraper and most of the walls around me, excluding the pillar the reef will be sitting adjacent to, are glass. The windows in my area of the building are facing South - so with the East/West pattern of the sun, there wont be any morning or evenings where the sun is shining directly through the windows that are nearby.

Is this indirect sunlight going to harm my reef? Does my reef need to be in an entirely artificially lit room?

Thanks in advance!

-Parker Young

when I got in to the hobby about 2 years ago I asked about this, as we have two windows and a huge glass slider, and my wife likes LIGHT.

But my tank is at least 10 feet away from these light sources, and I was told this was completely fine.