Quote:
|
Originally Posted by aquaman3680 With it being naturally lit you will have a huge algae problems and it will be tough to control. You will also have a huge heat issue. You would be able to suppliment that with a chiller. Also when it is too cold your tank will get very cold. What would you do when it rains? snows? freezes?
Matt |
I don't think algae would be anymore of an issue than in a MH lit tank. Algae is always controllable with the proper herbivores and most importantly nutrient control. If one is lucky enough to have a flow through system as dave, then it is even less of an issue.
I don't think an outdoor system is a viable option at all in an area where is gets cold enough to snow or freeze. As far as rain I think most people that have any systems outdoors run shade cloths to help control temp and also block some rain. Keep in mind anything outside will need to be in an area that has fairly constant sunlight year round, pretty close to 12 hours a day year round, meaning you are limited to southern Florida and the southwest us if you are in the states.
A chiller seems like a very expensive way to cool a system like that. Can underground plumbing cool a setup like that sufficiently and less expensively?
Of course everything I've mentioned is for an outdoor system. One can do a naturally lit system indoors as well. The solatubes are an option for supplemental lighting as Boozeman posted. Flippin expensive though.
Coral Magazine about a year ago had an article about small aquarium lit by sunlight through the windows. It was pretty neat, of course the author used organisms with low light demand. Small anemones, polyps mushrooms and macroalgae. Pretty interesting tanks, not so much display tanks for the house but something for the aquarium geek to have fun with.
BTW, Dave, if you need a roommate to help scrub algae or make frags please call me
