# Free Aquarium Lighting



## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Sorry for the title, but I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried solar tubes http://solatube.com/residential.php for lighting an aquarium. I searched the forum but found nothing on this subject. The benefits are intriguing:

No cost to operate, only initial purchase and installation cost which seems to be comparable to a good quality light fixture.

No heat output.

No timer needed.

Plants would get realistic photoperiod that would vary with the seasons.

Realistic lighting that I would think give a dappled appearance much like halides.

I can only think of two downsides:

You would have to cut a hole in your roof and ceiling.

You could not move the tank.

Larger tanks would use multiple solar tubes. What got me thinking about this is the cost of lighting my 150 show that is not set up yet. The initial cost of the lighting is bad enough, but the cost of running 400+ watts of light for 12 hours a day plus the heat they emit scares me. Makes me appreciate my current 25 gallon. Anyway, smaller wattage flourescents could be included in the canopy for night time viewing.

Just wondering, Brian


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## neonfish3 (Feb 12, 2004)

Somewhere here on this site, I did see a tank lit with a solar tube. I have always thought this was a good idea but never tried it. Although I have used a mirror to reflect sun light into one of my tanks. It would depend on the amount of full sun days where you live. Where I live it can be cloudy for a week, that wouldn't be good!
If you do it, make sure to post results


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Well, it won't be any time real soon. I have to remove a fireplace and do some minor construction work to place the tank where I want it, but I figured I would get opinions now since the best time to put them in would be during construction. I am also concerned because I live on a heavily wooded lot and the solar tube(s) would not get direct sunlight, so I also need to research and try to find out how much indirect light I would get. If I do this I will be sure and post a log with plenty of pictures. I might just have to buy one and rig it up temporarily just to see if the light output is sufficient for a planted aquarium. 
Brian


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

You may want to consult with a contractor on this. 
Or you can reach bpimm and ask him his opinion on your future plans for the house. 

Between mirrors on walls or flat white paint to reflect sunlight in a room, 
I would choose the white to reflect light either within my house or out in the garden. 

But if you are planning on tearing your house up, and designing your house around your tank or tanks, I would invest the money in a good consultation with a professional. 

After all, it's not only your aquarium, it's also your house. 

Do you have digital photos or hand drawn sketches of your plans or ideas? 

I have heard of the solar tube. For the most part I thought this was used to bring sunlight into basements. 

I am not sure if the return on your investment would be worth it if you live somewhere where it is cloudy much of the time. 

Good luck with your plans.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

My main concern is the performance of the solar tube and whether anyone else has tried and if it was successful to provide enough light for a planted aquarium. The construction end is a piece of cake. I don't have any pictures yet but the fireplace is fake, it has no chimney, just the firebox. It is inset into the wall with bookcases on both sides and above it. The header is already in place giving a 7' tall opening for the fireplace and bookcases. All I have to do is demo the brick fireplace and remove the wooden bookshelves and I have a 10' wide opening inset in the wall. Perfect place for an aquarium. The solar tube(s) would just drop straight down and into a canopy that went up to the 7' header. I have seen a few of them installed and since we don't have basements in Houston, they are usually used in an interior room with no windows. They seem to put out quite a bit of light. The aquarium is going to go in place of the fireplace regardless, I just don't want to cut holes in the roof if its not going to be enough light to grow plants. 
Brian


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Someone on this site has a thread about this. I think the guy may have been from Tx also but for the life of me I can't remember his name. IIRC, it did not provide sufficient light in the long run. I bet if you do a search for Solar Tubes you can find the thread....


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Here you go:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...9267-heart-darkness-cube-diary-step-step.html


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

That url brings me to an unavailable site.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

I can't get it either. I did search solar tube, skylight, and natural light but couldn't find anything. I know someone out there has already toyed with this idea.
Brian


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Hmm, sorry. I don;t know why that link did not work. Anyway, here it is again. If for some reason this does not work either, the poster is erik Loza (yes that is how the capitalization goes) and the thread is "Heart of Darkness" in the aquascaping forum, first post on 7/29/06.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks dennis, the link is http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...9267-heart-darkness-cube-diary-step-step.html. He does mention that it wasn't bright enough but further in the thread someone comments about bringing it closer to the tank in a soffit (canopy?). I'm guessing the solar tube was probably installed in the ceiling and not down to the tank. I can't get the pictures to come up, I guess the links are expired. erik if you are out there we would love to see the pictures again and any comments you might have. 
Thanks, Brian


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Well, my link doesn't work either. You can read it by searching "heart of darkness".


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Wouldn't it be easier to knock down the entire wall and put in a huge window? 

( I am not a contractor nor anything close to one but for some reason I got the impression that working on or with walls is MUCH easier than messing with roofs with shingles, etc. For expert opinions, I defer to others with experience.)


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Well when you have a fake fireplace they can be placed anywhere. Mine happens to be on an inside wall in the middle of the house. The other reasoning behind the solar tube is that they gather light from above and focus it downward through a diffuser. If you put the tank in front of a window I would think like houseplants the aquatic plants would grow toward the light which would be the back of the aquarium, but with the overhead solar tube they would grow normally. I did send erik an email and asked if he would repost the pictures on this thread and give us any new thoughts on this. Jimbo, since these things are nothing more than a round tube, they install through the roof just like if you were to put a new water heater vent, plumbing vent, or a whirly bird vent in your existing roof. Just cut the hole and they come with the flashing, no structural work needed.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

I envy you. If I could come visit and 'help' you with the work installing this on or through your roof so I could learn how to do it myself, I would. Sounds like a lot of fun actually. 

I have a 2 story house but the drop from the driveways on both sides of my house make it look and feel like a 3 story sheer drop. My roof was almost new when I bought the house, so I hope I don't need work done on my roof for a long, long time.

If you have a digital camera when you try this project, please post photos. I would love to see them. 

Again, it sounds like a lot of fun. :smile:


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

I agree with Jimbo, please keep the digital camera handy for this venture. I'd like to see the progress of it. 

My thoughts are, the bigger the tube, the more light, the more light the better off you are. BUT, i think you may have to suppliment it. Because light will only hit it half the day, and during the winter photoperiods are short, as well as weak. So a few T8's or T5's over the tank may be of an aid.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Don't hold your breath but I promise if I do this there will be plenty of pictures. I'm still in the thinking stage on this one which is why I started asking questions now. I emailed erik who is the only one known to have done this and asked to repost pictures, but nothing yet. I am still intrigued by this idea and haven't given up on it yet. In my situation it would be so easy to do when I put the tank in place. Will keep you posted....
Brian


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Awesome! There are no pics in that site anymore, just boxes with x's now. That's too bad, I really wanted to see how it would have looked


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

What about contacting the supplier of the solar tubes to get some information as well. They could also be a vital source while doing your planning.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Don't forget to mention that you are 'sharing' or 'advertising' your project with your friends. 

Salewomen and salesmen love to hear customers talk about good referrals. 

That is what makes a good buisness grow. 

With the internet, it is always interesting to follow people's 'links' and see what they are doing.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Yeah I was thinking about that Jimbo. If I could make this work I bet sales of solar tubes would go up. It would definitely be worth it for them to send me a couple of trial tubes. Muirner, the link in my original post gives the performance of the tubes. The big 21" tube is said to be the equivelant of .6 of a 400watt high bay metal halide. I read this as 240 watts of light output. By using 3 tubes in my less than optimal conditions (trees), I'm thinking I can light this tank adequately. This is what has kept me from just jumping on this project though, is the uncertainty. Anyway, I did take your advice and I went ahead and emailed Solatube and told them what I was researching and I asked them if they had any info on their product being used for lighting aquariums and I also asked if they had performance info for my situation where there was no direct sun. Since this is Saturday I hope to hear something back by Monday or Tuesday. Stay tuned, I'll post their response when I get it. 
Brian


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Now you have me thinking of lighting my tanks in the basement more by placing the tanks closer to the windows. Because of my working hours, I never realized how bright the sunlight is off of the neighbor's house and into the basement!

It is so easy to completely focus on the bulbs and forget about natural sunlight. I am so glad the days are getting BRIGHTER and longer!


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

All of the posts I have been reading on lighting warn against placing the tank near a window, I believe it was because you would get algae growth. But the way I look at it, it is free light. I have my son's 10 gallon sitting near a window and it gets morning sun. Not sure if it does any good or not, but it does look awesome when the sun is hitting it. I would think if you reset the timer to compensate for the amount of sunlight you would save a little on the electric bill, and possibly keep algae down to a minimum. I still have not gotten a reply from Solatube. If I don't hear anything my tomorrow, I will either try email again or call their 1-800 #.
Brian


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

They say this because the smaller the tank the more the temperature will fluxuate, and this can be stressful. Morning sun only is ok, and i'm sure it's doing good for the tank so i wouldnt worry.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Just an update. I have still not received a reply from Solatube so I resubmitted my questions to them. Will post if I hear something. 
Brian


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## SJM (Jun 8, 2007)

There are several threads on reefcentral.com about using Solatubes. All seem to be happy with the results. There's a guy here locally (St. Louis) that's using them to good effect. He also has MH bulbs so he can look at the tank at night when he's at home. An unintened effect of the combo has light shooting back UP the skylight at night. On a foggy night, it looks like someone's trying to call Batman.


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## ponyrandy (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks, SJM. I will have to go over there and browse. I did get a reply from Solatube, and it was basically that they had no info that I was looking for. I have officially decided to can the idea for my tank due to the depth of the tank (29"), and the heavily wooded lot that I live on. If it were not for the trees, I would definitely go forward with this. I still think it is a fabulous idea for someone whose house is not shaded, or just to light a non-planted tank. I am still going to look at this on reefcentral, the idea still intrigues me. The halide/solatube would be cool at my house, at night it would underlight the tree canopy. I am officially passing the torch to someone to try this. Any takers?


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> An unintened effect of the combo has light shooting back UP the skylight at night. On a foggy night, it looks like someone's trying to call Batman.


 ound: I love that! I haven't laughed so hard all day. Thank you!


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

ponyrandy, I would ask Bpimm if he has ever tried this or if he knows someone that has. He may. :smile:


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