Reef in Heavily sunlit room

Kronk · #1 01-07-2008, 05:39 AM

Hey all, I bought a house and want to upgrade my reef and put it in the south facing livingroom. It has a 12 foot window so there is a lot of light. The light wont be directly on the tank and there is central air so heat isnt a big concern. I did some researching and have heard algae problems due to sunlight is a myth, anyone have any experience with this ?

Thanks,
Ken

justinl · #2 01-07-2008, 05:50 AM

people have done this before with success... in Florida. I dont think it would work anywhere in Canada; there just isnt going to be enough sunlight hitting that tank. You'll need to at least supplement light.

untamed · #3 01-07-2008, 05:56 AM

I think the "sunlight and algae" thing doesn't really apply to reef setups. Seems to me that more light could only be good for a reef (to a point?), with the exception that you might have to watch temperature.

hillbillyreefer · #4 01-07-2008, 06:02 AM

My tank is beside the front window(east facing) and doesn't seem to be affected. It's all Green even the side away from the window lol. I don't think the sunlight has anything to do with the algae. Most of the reading I've done has also supported natural light as a good thing. Lots of the coral aquaculture guys do it in greenhouses.

HTH
Brad

justinl · #5 01-07-2008, 06:26 AM

in nature, algae is limited, not by light, but by nutrients like iron, phosphorus and nitrogen. So unless you allow your nutrient levels to go awry, light should not be the deciding factor in algal growth. If it does, for whatever reason, become a problem, you can just install a heavy drape.

Mattgesy · #6 01-07-2008, 06:26 PM

I have a friend that has there tank right in the window, it does fine, if your also worried paint the side of the tank that could possible see sun and go from there

Chin_Lee · #7 01-07-2008, 06:52 PM

The amount of sunlight is highly dependent on your location. Many prairie locations will have lots of sunlight in the winter but in the Lower Mainland (Langley), i don't think it will cut it for lighting photo period and intensity. I think its enough to keep things alive but you won't get the desirable and vibrant colors that is one of the most rewarding part of this hobby.

skylord · #8 01-07-2008, 08:29 PM

I think this is being read two ways....I don't think Kronk is saying they will use only natural sunlight for lighting but wondering if natural light will cause any other problems. Central air takes care of the heating problem and if the photo period needs adjusting they could have heavy drapes. The extra light is just free energy.

Scott

Kronk · #9 01-07-2008, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinl

people have done this before with success... in Florida. I dont think it would work anywhere in Canada; there just isnt going to be enough sunlight hitting that tank. You'll need to at least supplement light.

Sorry i didnt intend the question to be read this way ... i will be using Metal Halide for lighting i was concerned about the sunlight in the room causing additional algae, just and wondering if anyone had noticed tanks in sunlit rooms having more algae. I agree that algae is due to excess nutrients and not extra light levels. But in freshwater aquaria i have noticed that any excess of one thing be it light or nutrients or even CO2 will cause algae.

Thanks for the replys,
Ken