Let the sun shine in

[Aquarist007]

There is probably a thread started every spring about using natural sunlight, but IMO its worth mentioning especially for some of us from the great white north
Like good day eh

The sunlight is starting to get higher in the morning and more intense(thank goodness with the long winter this year)

This tank shot is the result of 2 weeks natural sunlight poring into the tank from an east window. The picture is taken from that side of the tank.

Other then some nuisance algae on that side which scrapes off in 30 sec I think you will agree that the sunlight is being felt by the corals in that corner of the tank.

So I vote---let the sunshine in

 

[sanababit]

i wish when i started my tank i had installed solar tubes, that would have save me a lot of electricity, well maybe on next upgrade, lol, BTW my tank does get sunshine all day from a window in front of the tank, corals as fish seem to like it....

sana

 

[timdam]

so i have a small reef tank by a window. the window has shades. so should open my window and use the sunlight during the day?

 

[widmer]

Yea I think solar tubes will be big in the future of reefers, unless somehow electricity gets cheaper, which is possible, but I'd be surprised. Some time in the next few years when I buy a house, that will play into my decision of which house to choose; if there's one where there's a good location in a common room to install solar tubes.

 

[Anemonebuff]

I get some residual sunlight that enters the room and the corals on that side of the tank love it. I am in New York and I am not too sure that the light is strong enough in the winter months. The winter photo period would be short as well. Solar tubes are probably not in my future, although I wish they were. Long Island has the second highest electric rates in the country, so I would love to save that 700 watts per hour.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14487648#post14487648 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by timdam
so i have a small reef tank by a window. the window has shades. so should open my window and use the sunlight during the day?

IMO try it for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference.

One caution--extra sunlight could bring a temp increase in your tank or increase the daily evaporation from it as the sun light heats the room also.

 

[seapug]

The sun hits my tank this time of year, too. It comes through a small window in the basement where the tank is. It's only for an hour or so but things really respond to it.

I started a thread with this exact title last fall and quite a few people posted pictures of their sunlit tanks. I should try to dig it up.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14488612#post14488612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
The sun hits my tank this time of year, too. It comes through a small window in the basement where the tank is. It's only for an hour or so but things really respond to it.

I started a thread with this exact title last fall and quite a few people posted pictures of their sunlit tanks. I should try to dig it up.

I am sure you did--I knew someone did before--I remember reading it.

 

[billford]

i have a 125 in front of 3 windows.i only used the sunlight to light iti looked great until a few weeks ago,when the sun started getting "stronger".my tank started growing hair algae.i have recently started a phosphate reactor.i have had my tank up a little over a year and the hard corals have definately grown.and i love the way the tank "shimmers".sorry no pics.no camera

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14493134#post14493134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billford
i have a 125 in front of 3 windows.i only used the sunlight to light iti looked great until a few weeks ago,when the sun started getting "stronger".my tank started growing hair algae.i have recently started a phosphate reactor.i have had my tank up a little over a year and the hard corals have definately grown.and i love the way the tank "shimmers".sorry no pics.no camera

your correct in suspecting phosphates for the growth in algae and not the sunlight.
Phosban will work but you should really try and find out where you are importing them from in the first place( eg over feeding, not enough flow, not basting the live rock once a week not rinsing frozen food ect ect)

 

[timdam]

not basting the live rock once a week? what does that mean?

 

[reefscape15]

Timdam - you should move your powerheads around every once in a while to dislodge detritus from the rocks.

I think that natural sunlight can be GREAT for a tank, as long as temp and algae growth don't go out of control. We try to replicate sunlight with all the different lighting options, but if it's available, natural sunlight is what the corals were started on and IMO there is nothing better for them!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Looks great Capn. My tank gets direct late afternoon sun every day.

BTW, your fish look fantastic too.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14494488#post14494488 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sugar Magnolia
Looks great Capn. My tank gets direct late afternoon sun every day.

BTW, your fish look fantastic too.

thanks I am a firm believer that fish and corals mutually enhance each other and contribute to each others health.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14494595#post14494595 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rsisman
I wonder is Solatubes will work as a reef light in Canada or the northern states? With our long winters I just wonder if it will be feasible for us.

I know it is being done presently but I forget where I read it--solar energy will definitely be the way lighting goes
500 watts to 1000 watts daily is expensive for sure and probably where the most of your monthly maintenance costs come from.

 

[Aquarist007]

While you are letting the sunshine in also open a window or a door for a few hours. It gets stale co2 laden air exchange with fresh oxygenated air.
In some cases it can make a noticeable difference on the pH of your tank

 

[Diatome]

I have been using sunlight on my aquariums since January 2005 and only had the tanks away from sunlight for a 6 month period and it was a noticeable change. I have SPS, including Acros, as well as LPS and softies in the same tank. All I use for filtering is the live rock and an algae scrubber. The algae scrubber is just a HOB that has nuisance algae on the two overflows. When I upgraded a 37 gallon to a 60 the algae issues were a pain because I had not added the scrubber I had been using on the 37 gallon I was taking down. Once I added it, algae was not an issue.

Here is the kind of light I get in the morning.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14493401#post14493401 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by timdam
not basting the live rock once a week? what does that mean?

once a week I take a turkey baster and lightly baste the reef rock and surface of the substrate. this gets detritus and settling organics back into the water column where they can be filtered off.

 

[Aquarist007]

Here's some pictures taken after one month of March sunlight

 

[jterrell]

Here is a cool thread I kept up with for a while.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13212347:smokin: