Natural Sunlight tanks - Page 2

boozeman · 12-15-2006, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corallimorph

...I have a big surprise in store!

Boomer · 12-15-2006, 01:03 PM

I have to agree with Matt on the algae problem. I have seen it many times. The success or unsuccess is how it is run, more or less what Mike has stated. You have to remember it is a closed system and small and MH are not the sun by a long shot.

Nice to see wehat you are doing corallimorph

Boomer · 12-15-2006, 01:05 PM

Bozze, you and BoomerD eat to much popcorn

boozeman · 12-15-2006, 03:13 PM

burning2nd · 12-21-2006, 04:53 PM

never say never, But i would guess you would save a lot in the power bill department.

The1poolman · 12-29-2006, 09:55 PM

I have been to an outdoor aquarium in Oahu, I believe the name was the Oahu ocean aquarium. The entire place is all outdoors, no lights, all sunlight. If you are on or close to the equator, the sun is plenty strong enough. For all the rest of us we will stick to technology. BTY the place was absolutely beautiful.
Ed

PhilOlsen · 12-29-2006, 11:03 PM

No way i could have one in Chicago, unless it was a penguin tank, but.... I have been doing some reading about the UV light that comes only from natural sunlight and we are not able to reproduce in our indoor tanks safely as of yet and it made perfect sense, the corals are subjected to a fair amount of UV in nature.

ussubs · 01-06-2007, 06:02 PM

I've had good luck with an indoor reef aquarium near a large Southwest facing glass door. The tank gets about 4 hours of natural sunlight a day that compliments its usual dose of relatively intense artificial light.

I live in Northern Idaho and so temperatures are not much of an issue in Winter, being that the tank is indoors and in summer the room is kept at 68 degrees. The tank maintains a 75 degree temp all year around.

The inverts really react positively to the intense natural light. I keep nutrient levels low and so algae is not a problem.

DrBCool · 02-13-2008, 11:05 AM

Ok I gotta jump in here . :-)
I am fixing to set up a 54 gallon corner bow front and have been researching Sola-Tube as my primary lighting source . I currently run a 2X65 watt pc lighting fixture over my 36 gallon bow and plan on keeping it around to add some night vewing blue atinics to the tank .
I know you can grow corals with sucess in a green house in Ohio as I buy some of my corals from one . They don't seem to have much of an issue with algae in their systems .
I like the idea of saving money on electricity , never having to change a bulb , And in that the color of my bulb will always stay the same where as a MH loses its ummmph after awhile . If the sun loses it's ummmph we are all in trouble .. lol
Glad to see there are others out there looking at a green alternative to lighting their reefs :-)

Actually I was looking into taking my reef off grid , but darn that is expensive to do . You would think by now in an age where we can fly to the moon they would have figured out an economical way to use the sun for energy . Just to run a 130Watt light fixture would cost me over 6 grand to do with solar and batteries :-( So the solar-tube is my only option for a green reef . No I am not talking algae...lol

I will be sure to take some pictures of my install as it will be unique in it's self . I have to run the sola-tube out an existing window on the southwest side of the house . RENTAL House .. Will also take pictures of coral growth and such .

SubRosa · 02-13-2008, 05:13 PM

The biggest problem I would forsee with a naturally lit tank is the difficulty in controlling the photoperiod.Days are just too long in the summer this far north( or south) as opposed to tropical and subtropical areas like Hawaii.Algae would be a bear when the tank is lit for 15 or 16 hours a day.Now for a refugium it would be great.I have a similar plan in mind for growing mangroves hydroponically in natural sunlight.

mps9506 · 02-13-2008, 05:17 PM

Sunshades!

I like your idea subrosa.
If I ever get a sunroom I'm stealing that idea.

SubRosa · 02-13-2008, 05:48 PM

You can't steal what someone already gave you!

DrBCool · 02-13-2008, 09:09 PM

I will keep you posted on how it goes . If nothing else the way I am looking at this is : Experimentation :-) If it doesn't work out for the reef I will use it to make a grow area for my house plants :-) Only have 1 south facing window in this silly house .

I am hoping that it makes everything grow . I don't mind some algae , there is algae in a natural reef . You can't be natural without some algae . :-) I just hope my corals explode in growth . I want to make some money back if I can . lol

I am in contact with sun pipe now to get measurements and they are goinna help me with the layout and such . :-)

Opsanus tau · 02-19-2008, 09:58 AM

Hello all!,
It's been awhile,I must "chime in here" and warn of "sloa-tubes" "yellowing" over a short period of time,(two years), ....my friend in AZ has had to replace his with a different brand,(I'm not sure what brand).The yellow was projected down into his tank.
I am using a 21"tube by "Sun-Dome"( of Florida).
It is amazing!(they guarantee it will not yellow)...and it only took me a half a day to install myself.
I have a PAR meter with a 100' cable and have been able to take readings in the feild,.. and then use the SAME EXACT LIGHT METER in my tanks!
Most of the corals in the sun-lit tank are from the same nursery at 36'.
The corals in the tank (at mid day) recive as much as 5X the light they did in the wild.-Opsanus tau

DrBCool · 02-19-2008, 12:18 PM

Opsanus Tau , Hey thanks for the heads up on the yellowing problem of Sola-Tube . Sun-Dome was the other brand I was looking at for the experiement . I have only found 3 companies making the solar tubes and the third is Velux

Wow .. that is a lot of light . So do you have a tank lit with the solar tube ? and if so do you control how much light is coming in and how long they stay open etc.. Right now I am using a mirror to reflect light into my 36 gallon tank . My Anemone , leather , kenya tree and rics all seem to love the extra light . :-)

12-15-2006, 01:03 PM	#17 (permalink)
Boomer Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Duluth, Minnesota Posts: 1,939 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks I have to agree with Matt on the algae problem. I have seen it many times. The success or unsuccess is how it is run, more or less what Mike has stated. You have to remember it is a closed system and small and MH are not the sun by a long shot. Nice to see wehat you are doing corallimorph __________________ Boomer Want to Talk Chemistry ! The Reef Chemistry Forum Want to See More ! The Coral Realm If you See Me Running You Better Catch-Up An explosion can be defined as a loud noise, accompanied by the sudden going away of things, from a place where they use to be.

12-15-2006, 01:05 PM	#18 (permalink)
Boomer Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Duluth, Minnesota Posts: 1,939 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks Bozze, you and BoomerD eat to much popcorn __________________ Boomer Want to Talk Chemistry ! The Reef Chemistry Forum Want to See More ! The Coral Realm If you See Me Running You Better Catch-Up An explosion can be defined as a loud noise, accompanied by the sudden going away of things, from a place where they use to be.

12-21-2006, 04:53 PM	#20 (permalink)
burning2nd Acropora Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pocono PA Posts: 1,796 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks never say never, But i would guess you would save a lot in the power bill department. __________________ ________________________________________________ 30g, 10g DIY sump w/ mag7 Csr90 over flow. 36" sunpod 2x150 2 Tunze 6020 40 Lb's Live Rock 20 lb's of Ls Aqua C REmora mIxed reef, softies, pora's, clams, 1 Amphiprion ocellaris (hosting GTA) 2 cromies and one dragon jake the jedi sexy shrimp, and brown bob

12-29-2006, 09:55 PM	#21 (permalink)
The1poolman Tunicate Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 22 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks I have been to an outdoor aquarium in Oahu, I believe the name was the Oahu ocean aquarium. The entire place is all outdoors, no lights, all sunlight. If you are on or close to the equator, the sun is plenty strong enough. For all the rest of us we will stick to technology. BTY the place was absolutely beautiful. Ed

12-29-2006, 11:03 PM	#22 (permalink)
PhilOlsen Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Glendale Hts. Illinois (Chicago transplant to humor my wife) Posts: 646 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks No way i could have one in Chicago, unless it was a penguin tank, but.... I have been doing some reading about the UV light that comes only from natural sunlight and we are not able to reproduce in our indoor tanks safely as of yet and it made perfect sense, the corals are subjected to a fair amount of UV in nature.

01-06-2007, 06:02 PM	#23 (permalink)
ussubs Tunicate Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 7 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks I've had good luck with an indoor reef aquarium near a large Southwest facing glass door. The tank gets about 4 hours of natural sunlight a day that compliments its usual dose of relatively intense artificial light. I live in Northern Idaho and so temperatures are not much of an issue in Winter, being that the tank is indoors and in summer the room is kept at 68 degrees. The tank maintains a 75 degree temp all year around. The inverts really react positively to the intense natural light. I keep nutrient levels low and so algae is not a problem.

02-13-2008, 11:05 AM	#24 (permalink)
DrBCool Fire Coral Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks Ok I gotta jump in here . :-) I am fixing to set up a 54 gallon corner bow front and have been researching Sola-Tube as my primary lighting source . I currently run a 2X65 watt pc lighting fixture over my 36 gallon bow and plan on keeping it around to add some night vewing blue atinics to the tank . I know you can grow corals with sucess in a green house in Ohio as I buy some of my corals from one . They don't seem to have much of an issue with algae in their systems . I like the idea of saving money on electricity , never having to change a bulb , And in that the color of my bulb will always stay the same where as a MH loses its ummmph after awhile . If the sun loses it's ummmph we are all in trouble .. lol Glad to see there are others out there looking at a green alternative to lighting their reefs :-) Actually I was looking into taking my reef off grid , but darn that is expensive to do . You would think by now in an age where we can fly to the moon they would have figured out an economical way to use the sun for energy . Just to run a 130Watt light fixture would cost me over 6 grand to do with solar and batteries :-( So the solar-tube is my only option for a green reef . No I am not talking algae...lol I will be sure to take some pictures of my install as it will be unique in it's self . I have to run the sola-tube out an existing window on the southwest side of the house . RENTAL House .. Will also take pictures of coral growth and such .

02-13-2008, 05:13 PM	#25 (permalink)
SubRosa Serpent Star Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 226 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks The biggest problem I would forsee with a naturally lit tank is the difficulty in controlling the photoperiod.Days are just too long in the summer this far north( or south) as opposed to tropical and subtropical areas like Hawaii.Algae would be a bear when the tank is lit for 15 or 16 hours a day.Now for a refugium it would be great.I have a similar plan in mind for growing mangroves hydroponically in natural sunlight. __________________ An aquarium is like a seesaw.On one side is your time and patience.On the other is your money.

02-13-2008, 05:17 PM	#26 (permalink)
mps9506 They misunderestimated me Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Charlotte and Wilmington, NC Posts: 6,862 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks Sunshades! I like your idea subrosa. If I ever get a sunroom I'm stealing that idea. __________________ Mike "The Bandwith Bandit" Help Build Reefpedia Premium Membership Available! Support Reef Sanctuary Sponsors

02-13-2008, 05:48 PM	#27 (permalink)
SubRosa Serpent Star Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 226 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks You can't steal what someone already gave you! __________________ An aquarium is like a seesaw.On one side is your time and patience.On the other is your money.

02-13-2008, 09:09 PM	#28 (permalink)
DrBCool Fire Coral Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks I will keep you posted on how it goes . If nothing else the way I am looking at this is : Experimentation :-) If it doesn't work out for the reef I will use it to make a grow area for my house plants :-) Only have 1 south facing window in this silly house . I am hoping that it makes everything grow . I don't mind some algae , there is algae in a natural reef . You can't be natural without some algae . :-) I just hope my corals explode in growth . I want to make some money back if I can . lol I am in contact with sun pipe now to get measurements and they are goinna help me with the layout and such . :-)

02-19-2008, 09:58 AM	#29 (permalink)
Opsanus tau Tubeworm Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Keys Posts: 37 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks Hello all!, It's been awhile,I must "chime in here" and warn of "sloa-tubes" "yellowing" over a short period of time,(two years), ....my friend in AZ has had to replace his with a different brand,(I'm not sure what brand).The yellow was projected down into his tank. I am using a 21"tube by "Sun-Dome"( of Florida). It is amazing!(they guarantee it will not yellow)...and it only took me a half a day to install myself. I have a PAR meter with a 100' cable and have been able to take readings in the feild,.. and then use the SAME EXACT LIGHT METER in my tanks! Most of the corals in the sun-lit tank are from the same nursery at 36'. The corals in the tank (at mid day) recive as much as 5X the light they did in the wild.-Opsanus tau

02-19-2008, 12:18 PM	#30 (permalink)
DrBCool Fire Coral Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Natural Sunlight tanks Opsanus Tau , Hey thanks for the heads up on the yellowing problem of Sola-Tube . Sun-Dome was the other brand I was looking at for the experiement . I have only found 3 companies making the solar tubes and the third is Velux Wow .. that is a lot of light . So do you have a tank lit with the solar tube ? and if so do you control how much light is coming in and how long they stay open etc.. Right now I am using a mirror to reflect light into my 36 gallon tank . My Anemone , leather , kenya tree and rics all seem to love the extra light . :-)

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