# Natural light question



## richardtf (Jun 15, 2013)

My planted tank is facing a window with blinds, is it okay to let the natural light to shine in my tank?

a little nit of tank info:

Its a 75gal tank, i use dry ferts(EI dosing) no C02 only seachem excel, as for for light i use 48" T8 (6500 & 10000)

in case its okay, i run my light for 6hrs a day(6p-12mn) do i need to reduce it?

thanks


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

No CO2, no natural light! Unless you try to grow algae. The amount of light will increase your CO2 demand too high (most of the time even for CO2 injected tanks).


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## micheljq (Mar 25, 2013)

Hhi,
My tank is closer to the window than yours, but not getting direct sunlight and it is free of algae.

6 hours a day of lighting from the T8s, I consider it is the minimum. Do not reduce, you may want to slowwwwlllyy augment the lighting duration once the tank is established.

Michel.


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## GeraldStringham (May 16, 2013)

Have to agree with what everyone else said natural light is just to unpredictable. Often you end up growing a lot of algae wherever the natural light hits the glass.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

If you find a way to forget EI and keep the water pristinely clean at all times you can do anything you want with it. Put it outside under the scorching sun if you want. The plants will have to feed from the substrate then. Question is do you want to change anything in your tank. 

As you see - if you setup things in a certain way you have freedom. If you setup things in such a way that every factor is a question mark you will not have freedom.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

What direction does the window face?


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## richardtf (Jun 15, 2013)

BruceF said:


> What direction does the window face?


The window facing my tank is South

Placement of the window is nort


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I don’t know where you are but I always find the south window to be great in the summer but to be a problem in the winter. All of a sudden round about October or November the tanks is getting direct sunlight and the change causes problems. I really do think the problem is the change in light and not the light itself. Meaning that, if it were constant for an hour a day I don’t think it would be a problem but the fact that suddenly there is direct sunlight where before there was much less or none creates a whole other set of problems. So at the least you need to monitor it. 

I have some aquariums that get direct light at times. It is very beautiful to watch the sunlight in the tank.


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