Tank In Direct Sunlight

[Amunet]

We don't have any tanks in direct sunlight right now, I'm just curious to know how well it would do w/ plants.
We're going to be moving some time this year, and I thought it would be nice to have a planted tank in front of a window that gets alot of sun or in a sunroom. It would be the only light it gets.

Just wondering if anyone has a setup like that and how it's working out? Pictures would be great as well *winkwink* hehe

I have a picture in my head on how it would look.. lots of aquatic plants, with nonaquatic growing at the top and just plants cascading down the sides of the tank looking all nice and lovely heh.


So yeah, any info on how yours is working out, how you manage to keep it clean (of algae), how the plants are doing, etc etc etc would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Revision17]

I'd imagine it'd work out well so long as you can keep up with CO2 and fertilizers, after all, sunlight is what plants exist to use. Just treat the sun as being really high on the WPG scale.

There's actually a somewhat conservative methodology which calls for a little sunlight, it's called "El Natural". If you want to run a low maintenance, low growth tank, it might be worth looking into.

 

[garuf]

If it's anything like my tank, you get algae, lots and lots of algae.

 

[Luketendo]

My tanks are in sunlight for maybe an hour a day if lucky and not too direct. I do get quite a bit of algae, even with algae busting plants.

 

[Amunet]

So from you 2's posts, it would be a bit impossible to keep it algae free.
Hmm... I think I'd still like to try it though.

 

[garuf]

Tom Barr would love that last statement.
I wouldn't do it, I know how depressing it is having an algae tank.

 

[Amunet]

Oh our 28gallon is algae heaven unfortunatly :\ So I know how frustrating it is to have a tank of algae lol.
I'll probably just stick with a regular ole house plant in the end and just enjoy the pretty picture of the tank I have in my head lol

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Oh our 28gallon is algae heaven unfortunatly :\ So I know how frustrating it is to have a tank of algae lol.
I'll probably just stick with a regular ole house plant in the end and just enjoy the pretty picture of the tank I have in my head lol

This is my four foot. It's quite low, so so only the top three inches get the sunlight, although it does slant down at an angle. I can control how much light comes in by raising or lowering lace curtains. No algae problems so far.

 

[Waterloo Kid]

My tank gets direct sunlight for about an hour a day at certain times of the year. When it does the plants go nuts. Almost instant pearling and, over the course of the few weeks the sun hits the tank directly the plants at one end of the tank double in size. Even with 180 watts of T5 and T8 lighting any patch of sunlight makes the rest of the tank look unlit. It's truely amazing just how bright sunlight is!

Have you though of using heavily tinted film on the side of the tank that gets the light directly, or even blocking the light completely on that side? That way you could have your tank where you want it.

WK

 

[fozziebear]

i think if you had co2, ferts and enough plant mass a sunlight only tank could work, ive read on other forums about people in warmer parts of the world making outdoor tropical tanks with plants, but i think you would definately need co2 and to dose EI otherwise it would just become one big algae bloom.

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Yup, even slow growing plants would grow relatively quickly.

If you are going to have fish in there too then make sure they are happy being blasted by sunlight all day.

WK

 

[Amunet]

Lol.. I love the kitty in the picture Eclectic.
And that is a nice looking tank.

I dunno.. I still haven't made up my mind if it's something I want to try.
I think if we can get a pressurized CO2 system, then I'd give it a go.
We'll see though. We aren't moving for another few months and even then we'd have to get settled in for a while before I even had a chance to do this

Thanks everyone for all of the info and comments though!


What sort of plants do you guys/gals think would work best in something like this? Also as Waterloo pointed out.. what fish do you think would be ok in the tank? I'd want to leave it an open top so obviously no fish that are very good jumpers

 

[cheesy feet]

I have a 2fter in direct sunlight for 6 hrs a day, and only recievebrown algae on the glass which the bn's clean off, or me manually.I only occassionally dose ferts and the mosses are growing like grass, crypts are doing great too...I think I might buy some non aquatics....Bamboo/draecana's maybe?

 

[aaronnorth]

If you had high co2 levels like at 40ppm then you should get little algae because high co2 can block enzyme production in algae cells. but you must watch your fish, it is ossible though, i have seen 1, it might of been on PFK - 'your tanks' section

 

[tigermoth2]

My old 48" tank used to get the sun for about an hour or so per day during the summer the first time it was ever set up. Didn't have any particular problems with it. I did like the appearance of the fish under sunlight - I remember that the colours really seemed to stand out and that the fish really caught the light.
The tank was near a window which was very handy for getting rid of water during water changes!
After I moved house twice more the tank never caught the sun again and was never near a window.
Bob W