[checker Jim]

I am getting ready to tear down my 120 fresh and build it into a reef tank. my question is,
the location I have it in now in my house gets about 2 hours of direct sunlight on about 60% of the aquarium during the winter months. the fresh water fish love it and during that time they are swimming around in the light. when I build the marine tankwill I run into problems with corals or algae?

[glampka]

Absolutely!

[pogodzib]

There are some people that help light their reef tank using natural light. As long as your water quality is good, the corals will benefit and you won't have algae problems. If your water quality gets poor you'll know quickly with the natural light though.

FYI - Natural light is much more yellow than most people like their reef tanks so you may want to add extra super actinics over that area of the tank.

[poochi487]

my tank gets sunlight in the morning and i think its good for the tank but i can see also where it can go bad but if it works than why not!

[checker Jim]

yea I am still debating on it myself. I would assume that in shallow natural reefs they would see quite a bit of real sunlight so i don't think it would hurt specimens from low water reefs. but it is only during the winter that I get this much sunlight on the tank during the rest of the year the direct sunlight is minimal. guess I will just leave the tank where it is and hope for the best. the night lights are going to be awesome. I developed an LED system like nothing I have ever seen before. it will give me red light for night viewing as well as blue moon light and a mixture of white yellow and blues during the day. cant wait to get the prototype in. should be up and running in a few weeks...
Jim

[72fishboy]

when i worked at the Bermuda bio station we had a tank that was made of concrete with a diy dump system that faced east and was also inside and it was unreal. no artificial lights either!!!

[managemysite]

Yes, natural sunlight will definately start algae growing faster and even possibly harm some corals. Here is a good article on Maintaining a Saltwater Aquarium. 10 Tips For Maintaining A Saltwater Aquarium

[rlcline76]

Possible to set yourself up with some decent curtains?

[lynnvangsnes]

MussidFAQs
This article from WWW, makes sense why tank exposure to direct sunlight will not cause unnecessary algae growth. Exposure to direct sunlight may cause your tank to heat up, however.

[checker Jim]

well I watched it today and the sun does a sweep from the left to the right of my tank and it takes about an hour to light the entire tank and then runs off to the right of the tank as the earth moves. the tank is exposed to full sunlight for about a half an hour and I didn't notice a significant change in temp. this only happens for a little over a month out of the year I don't think it will be to big of a deal. once the tank is established I will see if it causes any problems. if anything I would think it may help. with all the money people spend trying to duplicate the waves of the sun I think it will be OK. if it becomes a nuisance I will throw a curtain over the window..

[pogodzib]

Originally Posted by checker Jim

with all the money people spend trying to duplicate the waves of the sun I think it will be OK

Some people have had good success in the southern US using Solartubes to help light their tank with good results. Many, many other people have had major algae problems with sun shining on their tanks. Yes, a ton of money is spent developing and purchasing bulbs, but they are developing bulbs with color spectrums that are the most beneficial to corals without having the spectrums that promote algae growth. In the areas of the ocean where corals grow, the water is much typically much cleaner than in our tanks so that helps control the algae levels.

[checker Jim]

I don't remember where but I was reading that the protein skimmer also aids in algae control by removing spores or something... don't quote me on that but I thought I remember reading that.. I still cant figure out how my skimmer works..

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by checker Jim

I don't remember where but I was reading that the protein skimmer also aids in algae control by removing spores or something... don't quote me on that but I thought I remember reading that.. I still cant figure out how my skimmer works..

Might want to look into that skimmer thing. Pretty important

[checker Jim]

it sucks cause I cant find another like it on the web. I understand how a skimmer works but this one doesnt make sence to me. I think it might be missing something..

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by checker Jim

it sucks cause I cant find another like it on the web. I understand how a skimmer works but this one doesnt make sence to me. I think it might be missing something..

You might want to ask these questions in a new thread in the equipment forum. Lot more people see it there than being buried in here. You might want to post what brand it is so some one can help you easier. Just a thought.