# Using sunlight as a source of light



## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

I'm not sure if this thread belongs in here but if it doesn't, please feel free to move it. The situation is that I'm about to get a 60 gallon acrylic tank for free and my mom said, "No more tanks in the house, put it outside". I plan to use this as a growout tank for some of my future betta imbellis but I was wondering if I could use sunlight to grow plants (those med-high light plants). If it's possible to use sunlight, what's the 'wpg' when using it (even though there's no watts...). Thank you in advance


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

lool, "no more tanks in the house." my mom said the same thing when i hit 9 tanks >.< back in the day. 

it is possible to use sunlight as a light source but i have only ever heard of terrible algae problems resulting from it. especially green water algae. for some reason pure sunlight is a trigger for this species. perhaps if you got some freshwater clams off aquabid (they are cheap & very effective) they would control some of your imminent algae outbreaks.

as for your question about the wattage of sunlight useful for plants it changes every second the sun is in the sky, as it rises and falls throughout the day. so it depends at what time you are asking about. however i can tell you that in general direct sunlight is intense enough that you wont have to place your tank in direct light the whole day. if you want to grow very highlight plants you should place the tank in direct sunlight no more then 25% of the day. anymore then this is just purely overkill and will cause bad problems. for lower light plants figure about 10% of the day's light in direct light. 

also a word of caution. your tank might experience larger temperature changes then you would with an indoors tank. the temperature will rise sharply when the sun is hitting it directly. so the temperature will fluctuate more wildly the longer it is in direct light - since as soon as the tank becomes shaded it will cool. keep in mind this is not the case for ponds and that sort of thing since they are in the ground and have the surrounding earth to insulate them and keep the temperature more constant when there is no sun.


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

Thanks for the reply Zapins. I'm not sure how long the tank will be expose to the sun but it won't be more than a few hours since the tank will be place by the side of the house, under the eaves (is that what it's called?). After much search on AB for the clams (no one is currently selling it), I found a seller who's giving away free golden clams so I'll try and get some of those .


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## acbaldwin (Nov 3, 2005)

PlantsAndMe said:


> I found a seller who's giving away free golden clams so I'll try and get some of those .


For the $10 he wants for shipping, he might as well be selling them...


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I had a tank sitting in a front of a window under direct sunlight for most of the day. I had algae on the glass, green water, you name it. I think if you rig something up to block some of the light or like you said stick it under the eaves it would work out. It's free so you're probably going to do it anyway. I would definately start with fast growing stems, and see how those fair. Some sort of cheesecloth or blanket could reduce sunlight, and keep temperatures more stable. 

-John N.


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

I was hoping that the seller would throw in more clams since $10 shipping for 10 clams is ridiculous.


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## neonfish3 (Feb 12, 2004)

Hey plants and me,
Don't let these guys scare you. Algae can be a problem, but not that bad. Use *a lot* of plants, then put in some *more*. I wouldn't even start it if you dont have plants to cover the bottom completly. If you don't have them buy some cheap hornwort, or something you can afford, but get *lots.*

I had an outdoor tank last year. It was fun and easy and looked great.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=7285&highlight=outdoor+tank
I got the inspiration from Trebol-a's tank here-> http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=5018&highlight=sunny
Good luck with your outdoor tank,


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

Thanks for the help and encouragement Neon. Unfortuantely, I can't view Trebol-a photos (link is gone?) and so I couldn't see his tank. However, I did get some good information from the thread:



> Originally Posted by cS
> I agree that sunlight isn't the sole determinant. It merely provides the energy to sustain a bloom, not initiate it. I simply quoted that study because it reinforces the advice we've so often heard: stuff the tank full of plants to prevent algae. Why? No one knows for sure, but it works.
> 
> I thought that it was funny that we've seen plants-filled lakes/rivers bathed in sunlight that are so clear; yet we've never made the connection that the same can be achieved in an aquarium...until you came along. Thomas Barr would probably argue that the reason why your tank is not green is because all that plants are sucking up all the NH4, preventing its build-up, which he believes to be the stimulus for green water under high light.
> ...


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## stcyrwm (Apr 20, 2005)

You might also want to check out the aquabotanic website. Robert's site has a forum called the Natural Tank that is moderated by Diana Walsted (spelling?) which has lots of info on sunlit tanks. She also has a book. There is also another website called something like The Natural Aquarium that has info on sunlit tanks. A google search should pop it up.

Good luck, Bill


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

Diana Walstad. Anyways, who would've though she's the author of the book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium". I've seen this book at my local library (looks brand new, as if no one ever touched it =P) and I've only skimmed through it once. I shall go and get that book the next time I go to the library . Diana has some really good information there on sunlit tanks at the AB forums if anyone is interested in checking it out. I can't find The Natural Aquarium site so I'll just have to check back on that later. Thanks for the help Bill


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## stcyrwm (Apr 20, 2005)

Address for the other website is: http://naturalaquariums.com/.

Bill


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

LOL! I didn't know this was the site. I did went here and just skimmed through it. I shall do a thorough reading of it now, thanks again Bill 

Edit: I also found out Rhonda Wilson collects dolls. That is not intended to be an insult by the way


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## acbaldwin (Nov 3, 2005)

PlantsAndMe said:


> I was hoping that the seller would throw in more clams since $10 shipping for 10 clams is ridiculous.


Oh, another thing to battle GW (if you get that problem). A few bamboo shrimp will do the job, and probably a lot better than the clams. If your water ends up getting crystal clear, though, you better start overfeeding or using fry flakes. That's the problem with mine!


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## Rub (Jul 14, 2005)

PlantsAndMe said:


> Thanks for the help and encouragement Neon. Unfortuantely, I can't view Trebol-a photos (link is gone?) and so I couldn't see his tank.


Ehhh dont worry. Trebol-a has his own web.
Look at this
http://www.trebol-a.com/wp-content/plugins/falbum/falbum-wp.php?album=1831264

Greetings from Spain


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## PlantsAndMe (Apr 3, 2005)

Ooh I've seen those bamboo shrimps everywhere. There's a LFS near my house that sells adult shrimps for $2.00 . I wasn't sure if they could survive outdoor weather. Thanks you Rub for the link. Trebol-a tanks are gorgeous


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