TOO MANY WINDOWS!!!

[Dtackett]

so my new house is amazing... issue is there are so many windows that not a single corner in the house goes without direct sunlight at some point throughout the day. another issue is I enjoy the natural light in my house, but the biggest issue is there is no safe place to put my tanks! so what are my options? Looking at UV, painting 3 sides of the tank with only the front glass being clear which in a couple places would prevent most of the natural light from entering the tank, and pretty much any other suggestions that allows the best of both worlds. tons of natural light in my house and a nice reef tank without algae blooms

 

[Ezaudio2]

Window treatments

 

[Dtackett]

Window treatments

care to expand...

 

[TheEngineer]

UV window film would eliminate the UV coming in. Or put some shades up.

 

[Joshky]

Can also get blackout curtains

 

[reburn]

Window film will be a no no if it's a new house. While people will argue it's not bad for your Windows the window manufactures will disagree and void your warranty if a seal on your windows leaks.

Your options are pretty much solar screens, or blinds.
Solar screens can be had in a number of darkness percentages like tint.

 

[Paul B]

Unfortunately no matter what you besides bricking up the windows will help with that. If you have ever seen a tank in a store window they always get covered in algae. Blocking the UV rays won't help because algae don't care if there is no UV in their light. All you will be able to do is as you said, put some dark foil or paper on the sides of the tank. You may still have a problem because the algae spores that you can't see and are floating around in your tank may turn the water green at times. But hey. Enjoy the daylight coming through the windows and let the fish worry about the algae. My house doesn't have enough light coming in because I have a neighbor right near the south side of my house which blocks my sun and he won't move his house.

 

[Triggreef]

My tank gets a good amount of afternoon sun on the right side. Even with the direct sun light, I get very little par on a par meter that is actually from the sun when compared to the par readings while the sun is blocked. I think people put a little too much blame on natural sunlight. Now if you like to keep your lights on while its dark outside like a tank in a store window would, then you might have some issues since your tank would get light 18 hrs a day or however long. If your normal light schedule is the same time as outside, I wouldn't worry much.

And if you use tangs, trochus snails, and a boat load of emerald crabs (Like 1 to every 4 gal) then you'd have nothing to worry about either way.

 

[joshkirkland83]

My tank gets a good amount of afternoon sun on the right side. Even with the direct sun light, I get very little par on a par meter that is actually from the sun when compared to the par readings while the sun is blocked. I think people put a little too much blame on natural sunlight. Now if you like to keep your lights on while its dark outside like a tank in a store window would, then you might have some issues since your tank would get light 18 hrs a day or however long. If your normal light schedule is the same time as outside, I wouldn't worry much.

And if you use tangs, trochus snails, and a boat load of emerald crabs (Like 1 to every 4 gal) then you'd have nothing to worry about either way.

I use cheap black paper blinds. I put them behind my nice blinds,you can only see them from the outside in the backyard.

 

[Terry4505]

I am 100% in the "more natural light is better" camp. How much natural light do the reefs get? I think algae is a byproduct of nutrients, not light. I just put my new 180 peninsula between about 5 windows with no regrets:

 

[mfinn]

My 240 is next to a 6' sliding glass door that allows a ton of natural sunlight in.
I've had one tank or another there for 24 years. I've always been pretty proactive with algae. Always have plenty of snails, hermit crabs, and of course fish that like to eat algae.
And above all else, I try and control nutrients added to the tank.
I do have to use my magnet cleaner every 2-3 days on the front glass, but to me it's all part of taking care of the tank.

 

[Paul B]

You have a nice very light home. Here in New York we don't get any light. The taxes are to high.

 

[Harry_Y]

Light Blocking Drapes

I use them in my office so I can read my screens

 

[markak]

My thinking is if you keep your nutrients and phosphates under control you should have no problems. The right side of my tank is next to a set of patio doors. There is no difference in the right and left side of my tank, as in algae growth.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

I think algae is a byproduct of nutrients, not light.

This.

If you have a decent light fixture, odds are your spectrum is just as capable of growing algae as the sun. Algae is a nutrient issue, not a light issue.

 

[Dtackett]

it appears many of you missed the point. I like the natural light and im not blocking it out of my house so blackout curtains and blinds are not an option. neither is tint.

however I agree algae is more of a nutrient problem than a light problem but our lights do not replicate a natural spectrum. algae thrives under natural light better than under our lights. and par doesn't mean much to algae.

I may just have to go heavy on the cuc like trigg said. add a UV to help with the spores. paint 3 sides and run a canopy to prevent more light from getting in. other than that I guess my mag float will get a workout lol

as for natural light on a natural reef, my tank is not the size of the ocean. its rarely a good idea to compare anything In your box of water to the ocean as the ocean has had millions of years to establish itself and balance itself. the only person here who's tank can compare to the ocean is Paul B. and im pretty sure he did the rockscape on the barrier reef before he approved it for god to add water...

 

[ss95003]

First off if you really want to block the light and not look like crap ie foil. They make privacy blinds that look like normal 1" blinds. They just are strung up different and do not allow light to come through. However if you keep solid parameters some sunlight is not going to be an issue.

 

[CastAway]

I think people put a little too much blame on natural sunlight.

+1
Granted, there's no real comparison between our boxes full of water and the natural reef when it comes to direct sunlight, but....

This time of year, in the later afternoon, I get a band of direct sunlight that crosses my tank from end-to-end over a short period. There always seems to be indirect sunlight in the room where my tank is. I like it.

 

[Triggreef]

I'm about to post a video as soon as I get a chance. You'll see what 1.5 po4 and 10ppm or so of no3 look like with a bunch of natural sun and a good clean up crew. Comprised of emeralds, trochus and conchs. I'll be sure to link it back to this thread.

 

[Triggreef]