I have a BC 14, with stock lighting. I believe they are PC lights. Although my tank does not get any direct sunlight, it gets a full days worth of indirect sunlight (about 10 hrs). I was wondering if anyone new what indirect sunlight was comparable to? MH, T5 PC, or something totally different...
Real sunlight....
- Thread starter FreDre
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XSiVE
New member
Well, for one.. if the sunlight passes through any glass, which I assume it does.. most of the UV rays will be blocked before getting to the tank. I dont know if it answers any part of your question.. but it's just a FYI that you'd be missing some of the spectrum that can be provided by bulbs over the tank.
Aquarist007
New member
Re: Real sunlight....
I think I read somewhere that the strenght ratio of halides to true sun light was about 30,000 to one ???
I think I read somewhere that the strenght ratio of halides to true sun light was about 30,000 to one ???
Aquarist007
New member
I am also reincarnated from a fresh water hobbyist 
I think the simple matter is that algae growth is stimulated much more by an over abundance of nutrients then sunlight.
I lived with the other misconception for years and years until I came to this site
I think the simple matter is that algae growth is stimulated much more by an over abundance of nutrients then sunlight.
I lived with the other misconception for years and years until I came to this site
WhiskeyReefer
New member
I thought Direct sunlight was a bad thing because it does promote Algae growth<--the bad Algae...I could be wrong?
You are probably right about the over abundance of nutrients....i was battling that idea in my head too...so you think 30,000:1...that's interestig....so pretty much am I understanding that there is pretty much no positive and no negative effect to having indirect sunlight on ur tank all day? Does everyone agree with this?
Aquarist007
New member
you have to remember that sunlight is an ingredient for photosynthesis and algae perform photosynthesis----so extra light is going to help the growth of algae
The concept here is if you remove the food from the equation then the algae will die off so increasing sunlight won't make a difference.
The concept here is if you remove the food from the equation then the algae will die off so increasing sunlight won't make a difference.
Aquarist007
New member
smcnally
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10425608#post10425608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XSiVE
UV is what gives you sunburn.. have you ever gotten sunburnt through glass?
Regular glass does not block much UV at all. Tempered glass, however does block a much larger percentage.
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
The info in that Krib article is good in theory, but poor in the fact that it's nearly 10 years out of date.
FWIW, it's very easy for powerful MH bulbs to produce illumination in our tanks that is higher than the intensity of light at the ocean's surface on a tropical reef. Go read up in the Lighting, Filtration, and Equipment forum if you want numbers to back it.
There are two big issues with letting (or promoting) natural sunlight in a reef tank. First of all, the spectrum is not going to be "correct" - either visually or photosynthetically. The fact that the light has passed through glass before it reaches your tank at home causes some of this, but also the fact that, on a natural reef, the light has likely passed through several feet of water (at least!) before getting to the corals and other creatures we keep. That shifts the spectrum quite a bit compared to light at the surface, and commercial reef lighting products have been designed to mimic that, rather than the spectrum of sunlight as it hits the water's surface.
The other big obstacle is that, unless you live in an extremely sunny and stable climate, the light will be unbelievably variable from one day to the next. This type of variation (along with the not-so-natural color spectrum) tends to fuel the things we don't want in our tanks (pest algae) more than the things we do want in our tanks (corals!). Hence, the rumors common in the FW world about natural sunlight fueling algae.
Oh, and another disadvantage, linked somewhat to the variability factor. Natural sunlight can heat a tank to sky-high temps in a short time if it is direct and intense. Most people with reef tanks have so much equipment dumping heat into the water already that this can be a huge problem.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about diffuse, indirect sunlight, but I wouldn't place a reef tank in a location that got much natural sunlight at all, unless I lived in SoCal or someplace else that's the same (sunny!) 99% of the time and I wanted to experiment.
FWIW, it's very easy for powerful MH bulbs to produce illumination in our tanks that is higher than the intensity of light at the ocean's surface on a tropical reef. Go read up in the Lighting, Filtration, and Equipment forum if you want numbers to back it.
There are two big issues with letting (or promoting) natural sunlight in a reef tank. First of all, the spectrum is not going to be "correct" - either visually or photosynthetically. The fact that the light has passed through glass before it reaches your tank at home causes some of this, but also the fact that, on a natural reef, the light has likely passed through several feet of water (at least!) before getting to the corals and other creatures we keep. That shifts the spectrum quite a bit compared to light at the surface, and commercial reef lighting products have been designed to mimic that, rather than the spectrum of sunlight as it hits the water's surface.
The other big obstacle is that, unless you live in an extremely sunny and stable climate, the light will be unbelievably variable from one day to the next. This type of variation (along with the not-so-natural color spectrum) tends to fuel the things we don't want in our tanks (pest algae) more than the things we do want in our tanks (corals!). Hence, the rumors common in the FW world about natural sunlight fueling algae.
Oh, and another disadvantage, linked somewhat to the variability factor. Natural sunlight can heat a tank to sky-high temps in a short time if it is direct and intense. Most people with reef tanks have so much equipment dumping heat into the water already that this can be a huge problem.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about diffuse, indirect sunlight, but I wouldn't place a reef tank in a location that got much natural sunlight at all, unless I lived in SoCal or someplace else that's the same (sunny!) 99% of the time and I wanted to experiment.
What do you mean by indirect lighting from the sun? Sun rays coming through a window pane and directly hitting your aquarium would still count as direct light. Indirect light would mean it is receiving a bit of light that is bouncing off other objects in the room. Like Macht said, direct sunlight can really cause temperature issues within your aquarium.
Aquarist007
New member
thank you for jumping in and saving my butt
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Anytime. 
