Window lighting?

[Cody Ray]

I've seen people light their system with solar tubs but what do you think about using a window, particularly an east facing window? I know it only recieves light for half of the day but I think 6 hours of sunlight would be plenty. My biggest concern would be overheating but I think several fans would help with this. Any thoughts?

 

[dots]

Phoenix? Yes, Overheating and a very good chance of algae blooms.


One of the first things I was told is that it was best to put your tank in indirect lighting away from the direct sun for exactly those reasons.

 

[Letmegrow]

I think the spectrum gets too warped and you end up with a K that is not good unless you want algae covered rocks and glass.

I never researched it, that is just my guess.

From the height of the sun, the angle it comes in, your window bending the light, your aquarium glass bending it, then your water. I think those would be some factors to punch in.

 

[Cody Ray]

I've seen a couple people run window reefs, they didn't have algae blooms and an sps system should be nutrient poor anyways, it would be interesting to see what would happen.

 

[Letmegrow]

I have a tank near a window at work, and it grew macroalgae that I never put in the tank. It has reasonable algae growths, nothing annoying. I want to see some LR cured in full day light and see what survives.