why can't put tank next to sun light?

[viodea]

I've read many articles for beginners, some suggest not putting a tank where there is sun light. On the other hand, people buy very expensive lighting to mimic sun light. I just don't understand why. Is it because it's harder to keep amount of light consistent?

[bertoni]

Some people do use sunlight on their tanks, but unless the house has a well-placed skylight, sunlight tends not to be practical. The light from a window can overheat the tank and encourage algal growth. A lot depends on the size of the tank and the cooling available, etc.

[viodea]

i see....
also, why the thread is not subscribed automatically when I start I new thread?

[hybridgenius]

Also... sunlight beaming on your anemone and corals could really annoy them sometimes and keep them from expanding all the way.

[bertoni]

I'm not sure what you mean by not subscribed, but there's a lot of options under "My RC", and the feedback and questions forum people might be able to help.

[cy88]

Originally posted by viodea
i see....
also, why the thread is not subscribed automatically when I start I new thread?

I know what you mean. There are usually option. However, this is an older version of vB, which doesn't give you that option - I think.

[baldomero]

in the morning i open my curtain and let the sun in 4 about an hour before i turn my lights on its not alot of son but the fish seem happy and i dont get much algea,and its a 90 gallon fowlr tank

[Agu]

One of my tanks gets late afternoon sunlight and it never looks better than with the natural light.

But as pointed out heat can be a problem with too much direct sunlight through a window.

[rickh]

One of my tanks gets sunlight. The coral would expand and stretch to the light. Unfortunately the sunlit area also had a Byropsis problem. I painted the end of the tank to reduce the natural light. The algae problem persisted and only a PO4 reactor solved it. In retrospect the Sun probably was a good thing and did not cause the algae problem. R

[papagimp]

Originally posted by viodea
i see....
also, why the thread is not subscribed automatically when I start I new thread?

If you want the auto subscriptions, go to your control panel on RC
(the My RC button) and click on "Edit Options" and under "use email notification by default" click on yes. It'll email you with every response but it'll auto subscribe you to threads you start and/or reply in. Don't ask me why it's done that way, took me a minute and a few PM to mods to figure that one out

[Sk8r]

one word: cyanobacteria.

If your tank is susceptible, indirect sunlight really helps it thrive.

[WarrenAmy&Maddy]

good question!
i was wondering the same thing and surprised that more people dont try to 'harness' the natural lite... atleast supplementing the artificial liting they are using... seems to be an entirely overlooked area (imo atleast) in this hobby...


for my reef where its located etc...
sits on western side of house and gets all the afternoon lite on one end of the display... this is ok in the winter time but in the summer the heat is too much and cannot have it (live in desert)... havent had the time to thoroughly research this topic but its definitely something we are interested in down the road...

to have natural liting
one must be sure to keep their nutrient levels down to a minimum which will keep the algae from forming on the glass

if interested in natural liting
might research SOLATUBES... its the only one that i am aware of right now atleast... to install these in ones house themselves might be as cheap as a few hundred dollars.

here is a link that talks more about using natural liting
it references a guy in britain recognized as having one of the more beautiful displays around and he believes in/uses natural liting in addition to his other lites...

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1264315

regards

[HABS#1]

Originally posted by Sk8r
one word: cyanobacteria.

If your tank is susceptible, indirect sunlight really helps it thrive.

My tank get sunlight starting about 8 AM everyday till the lights come on at noon. The sun shines from the windows across the room. So unless I put the tank in teh basement there is no room in the house our tank will not get sunlight for atleast 4-5 hours a day.