Tank placement and sunlight

[roostertech]

Hi all,

I'm pondering about where I could put a reef tank in the house. Our place has lots of windows and there is a lot of indirect sunlight.

Would sunlight cause any problem for the tank? I'm planning to also have additional led lighting of course.

 

[AZRippster]

Algae on the glass/acrylic is the big thing. Where we have ours is surrounded by windows as well. We ended up tinting all our windows that could potentially hit the tank with any intensity.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I think the issue with sunlight was because early tanks did a poor job of controlling nutrients. Combine that with sunlight and you get algae.

My 125g gets sunlight on one end every day for at least a couple hours. As long as I keep the nutrients under control I've never had any issues with it. When I do let nutrients get high, I get algae everywhere so the sunlight doesn't seem to do much.

 

[dpulve]

Yup whenever I've had to have my tanks next to indirect light I always struggled with algae on glass. Never tinted windows, but I like that idea. I went with blackout curtains.

 

[AZRippster]

I went with blackout curtains.

That must be highly effective. I'm quite certain my wife wouldn't go for that!

 

[roostertech]

I think the issue with sunlight was because early tanks did a poor job of controlling nutrients. Combine that with sunlight and you get algae.

My 125g gets sunlight on one end every day for at least a couple hours. As long as I keep the nutrients under control I've never had any issues with it. When I do let nutrients get high, I get algae everywhere so the sunlight doesn't seem to do much.

So having a refugium with macro algae is a must then in this scenario to keep nutrient low? Also would have to skimp on feeding?

 

[AZRippster]

I think the issue with sunlight was because early tanks did a poor job of controlling nutrients. Combine that with sunlight and you get algae.

My 125g gets sunlight on one end every day for at least a couple hours. As long as I keep the nutrients under control I've never had any issues with it. When I do let nutrients get high, I get algae everywhere so the sunlight doesn't seem to do much.

This is very true and you'll often see as your tank matures you'll get less and less algae as long as you keep up on maintenance and husbandry. One of the most beautiful tanks I have ever seen was a hybrid between natural and artificial daylight in Germany. Don't get me wrong, you'll still get algae, it'll just be less specific to the naturally lit pane and more evenly dispersed and slower growing.

 

[AZRippster]

So having a refugium with macro algae is a must then in this scenario to keep nutrient low? Also would have to skimp on feeding?

There are many different methods for nutrient control. You just have to find what works best for you. I like a skimmer and ATS. Others prefer refugiums with macro algae. Others find success in carbon dosing and the list goes on and on. All have pros and cons and can easily ignite a hot debate. You just have to find the one that works best for you and your maintenance personality.

 

[ca1ore]

I get sunlight on one end of my tank for part of the year. No issues with undue algae growth, though the spectrum is very different than my artificial lights so I've had to be careful about what goes there. Elegance coral loves it; others not so much.

 

[Psychomantix]

Keep your nutrients low and you should be fine. I have floor to ceiling windows all along on the north and west side of my apartment and the tank sits 5-6 feet from these windows. It gets a good 6 hours of indirect sunlight from the north everyday, then about 2 hours of direct sunlight from the west as the sun sets. Other than the initial startup phase, I never had algae problems. I clean my glass with a magnetic scrubber every week during water changes and that's pretty much it for algae maintenance. Just find a way to keep your nutrients low.

BTW, reefs in nature are not overrun with algae, and they ONLY use natural sunlight.

 

[Grey Legion]

This is a great topic. I'm so glad I decided to search instead of starting a new topic.

Where our tank will be it will see some indirect sunlight, luckily we have a good blind on the window as well if it starts to be a problem. I also figured I could make a "tank shade" if required.

 

[Nina51]

interesting read and glad i found this thread because i have worried about the direct sunlight my tank gets. it's only this time of year and only for a little over an hour as the sun is setting. glad to know it's not a big issue as i hate window coverings. i have none, anywhere!

 

[Dennco2000]

I just set up a frag tank using natural light. I'll add some updates but from my research natural light is better than artificial. I will also be using artificial light in the evenings since the tank is in my living room. My display tank is becoming over whelmed with softies and I have worried about not have a sufficient back up plan in case of a leak or crash so I thought a frag tank could come in handy and besides it's kinda fun.

 

[LuizW13]

I just set up a frag tank using natural light. I'll add some updates but from my research natural light is better than artificial. I will also be using artificial light in the evenings since the tank is in my living room. My display tank is becoming over whelmed with softies and I have worried about not have a sufficient back up plan in case of a leak or crash so I thought a frag tank could come in handy and besides it's kinda fun.

I would like to see that!