# Only sunlight tank



## plantblr (Feb 27, 2007)

Hello all 
After a very long gap to my aquarium hobby i'am planning to set up a small, completely natural(no lighting,filtration,fertilizers) tank near the east facing window which would get direct sunlight for approx 2 hours. The only artificial equipment I plan to use is a magnetic glass cleaner as i'am pretty sure i'll have lot of algae.

Can the experts out here suggest some plants for my kind of set up.


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## qwe123 (Jun 15, 2011)

The tanks like that which I've done incorporated lots of easy stem plants (Hydrocotyle, Hygrophila, Bacopa, Ludwigia) with a lot of emersed growth. I'd also make sure to use either floaters (frogbit, Salvinia, etc) and/or a good riparium-type plant (Pothos, Syngonium, Spathiphyllum) to be able to absorb a lot of those nutrients that will make algae go crazy with the sun.

I also like to always try to get as wide a variety as I can just to see what works best for me or not, then cut back from there if needed.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Agree with qwe. Do get as large a tank as you can. Larger tanks are inherently more stable than small ones, especially if you aren't using any equipment. If you do run into problems, the first piece of equipment to try would be a simple powerhead just to circulate the water.

In my experience, the magnetic glass cleaners only work on soft algae. Pretty soon a hard algae will grow on the glass that the magnets won't get. Get some single edge razor blades and a good handle for them--they work every time.


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## Eutexian (Mar 29, 2015)

theres a fellow here in england.. in london with a no tech set up. its in a south/west facing window and he has no problem with algae. sunlight from midday to sunset. In the above photo he has an air stone.. which he later removed.

in summer he places a background to mitigate overheating

size is 24x8x8 inch

substrate - partial MTS with a gravel cap. nothing else added. his water is exceptionally hard.

water is topped up with water changes every 3 months.

Flora:
sagittaria subulata 
hygrophila siemensis
ludwigia repens
egeria densa
crinum calamistratum 
hygrophila polysperma
crypt walkeri 
A stem of rotala macrandra (holding on)
touch of marsilea 
Water lettuce
duckweed

fauna:
Red ramshorn snails
Vlack ramshorn snails
Flatshell snails
Bladder snails
MTS
Golden cloud minnows
Planeria
A colony of red rili shrimp

most recently:


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## qwe123 (Jun 15, 2011)

That's a beautiful setup! I think it's a good example of what you want in that type of tank, lots of plants!


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## Douglas Ingram (Apr 1, 2010)

I've been running this tank since September, no filter and sunlight only. To call it a tank would be too grand, its a plastic storage bin that I put into service as a holding tank for extra plants.

Mostly Sagittaria Subulata and there are some Green Swordtails in there. It is sitting underneath a larger tank, staying out of the way, and is doing much better than I had expected. The tank above is sunlight only, but it has some mechanical filtration, it houses a bunch of Amazon Swordplants and a colony of Jewel Cichlids.


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## aquariumhobbyist (Mar 27, 2015)

One other issue with sunlight tanks is overheating, especially during the summer. What would be a suitable size for a tank under sunlight?

edit: that avoids large fluctuations in temperature detrimental to fish health


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## Vishu1708 (Apr 16, 2015)

Heating is not a problem if there is no flow in the aquarium.
Last year I had a 20 gallon concrete pot(pond) outside in summers. I live in India. The temp was around 45 C. In the pot, at top, water was around 40-43 C while 5 cm below surface, water was around 23 C.


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## aquariumhobbyist (Mar 27, 2015)

Vishu1708 said:


> Heating is not a problem if there is no flow in the aquarium.
> Last year I had a 20 gallon concrete pot(pond) outside in summers. I live in India. The temp was around 45 C. In the pot, at top, water was around 40-43 C while 5 cm below surface, water was around 23 C.


I think that is also related to depth of the tank and not just flow. What was the overall depth of the tank?


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## Vishu1708 (Apr 16, 2015)

Around 16 inches, but like I said, water is hot only at top 2-3inches.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Sun light rarely if ever causes overheating problem for indoor tanks. By the time the sun light goes through the window glass for a relatively brief portion of the day, the intensity is reduced. And interior temperatures are moderate, keeping the tank temperature more stable.

I have noticed the same thermocline Vishu describes in my small outdoor ponds during the summer. Here in Texas, air temperatures of 100F/38C are common. Fish retreat to the cool lower level during the day.


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## aquariumhobbyist (Mar 27, 2015)

Michael said:


> Sun light rarely if ever causes overheating problem for indoor tanks. By the time the sun light goes through the window glass for a relatively brief portion of the day, the intensity is reduced. And interior temperatures are moderate, keeping the tank temperature more stable.
> 
> I have noticed the same thermocline Vishu describes in my small outdoor ponds during the summer. Here in Texas, air temperatures of 100F/38C are common. Fish retreat to the cool lower level during the day.


I was referring to the phenomenon in outdoor tanks; certainly heating would not be as much a problem in indoor tanks getting sunlight, but outdoor tanks would have differing temperature levels in the tank even if there is current in the tank. This is what I was trying to say...


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## Vishu1708 (Apr 16, 2015)

the person is in India.
believe me, it will become hot. all moss will melt and fish will become uncomfortable.


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## Moarnica (Dec 12, 2017)

Eutexian said:


> theres a fellow here in england.. in london with a no tech set up. its in a south/west facing window and he has no problem with algae. sunlight from midday to sunset. In the above photo he has an air stone.. which he later removed.
> 
> in summer he places a background to mitigate overheating
> 
> ...


I really like your tank. I'm from NZ and wanting to do something similar so following your journey. Thanks for sharing


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## zolteeC (Dec 26, 2017)

Quite an old thread... ... but great looking tank above!

I've also had a sunlight NPT tank with no equipment. It was outdoors. It worked very well and algae was not an issue. Unfortunately winter is relatively cold here (water freezing), so I cannot overwinter it.










I did not put in any fish because I was worried that rapid temperature changes would cause issues. There was RCS shrimp in it though, they reproduced.


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## Moarnica (Dec 12, 2017)

zolteeC said:


> Quite an old thread... ... but great looking tank above!
> 
> I've also had a sunlight NPT tank with no equipment. It was outdoors. It worked very well and algae was not an issue. Unfortunately winter is relatively cold here (water freezing), so I cannot overwinter it.
> 
> ...


Another beautiful tank.Could you please take some closeups next time 

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk


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