Power of the sun

[shookbrad]

Has anyone set up a reef tank using the sun for the primary light?
I am wondering if a reef tank was set up with one of those new sky lights that reflect like 95% of the sun into the room right above the tank into the hood with reflectors all around the hood to help keep the sun in the tank would work and maby add a few PC actenic lights and moon lights.

Anyone have any thoughts or ever try this.

[bigdscobra]

I think most people dont use it because of the yellow color to the tank.. If you add the actinics it may help but you would probably need more than PCs maybe VHOs.

[Ram_Puppy]

how about a 24 page reefcentral topic? ;)

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=56125

[LoneStar]

I've seen a few large tanks on Reef Central where they use just sunlight. They seem to have success at it. Most are in a greenhouse or sunroom inside a home to help control the temperature.

[TexasTodd]

Yup, stuff will freaking grow out of your tank!

If I ever get to build a house it will have a way to get light to my tank.

Todd

[fishypets]

I wonder if you could channel light through fiber optic cables or something similar?

[Flobex]

that wouldcost an insane amount of money to do. it'd be cheaper to build an addition on your house :P lol jk. but close :P

[Flobex]

HOLY CARP!!!! i think the guy that started that thread lives in my old house when i lived in AZ!!!!!!! that is insane :P a flat roofed house in mesa... our house was flatroofed, and in mesa... it could be... lol. i wanted to see pics, maybe get a glimpse of the house, but he like dissapeared.

[brewercm]

I wonder if you could channel light through fiber optic cables or something similar?

There was a thread a while back either on here or RC that they had a link to a product especially for this type of setup. It used highly reflective tubing coming from the roof with special collectors and down the tubes into reflectors into the room. I believe they had two different sizes on this, wouldn't work for me since I'm in a two story though I didn't think.

Anybody remember this thread?

[brewercm]

Duhh, that was the link up there about the thread. Here's the site with the product.

http://www.solatube.com.au/

[Ram_Puppy]

:roll

it's ok, you just had a senior moment, we all get them! :)

[Jenn]

My tank gets direct sun in the morning. I have only had it like this for about 2 weeks, but my toadstool really seems to like it. I have also thought about getting one of those sunrooms added on to the house and putting the tanks in there, but would supplement with actinics. I also would have to consider how much "good" rays are filtered out.

[shookbrad]

After reading the 24 page post and most comments I think I am going to look into adding some kind of sky light in my new house for the tank. In the long run it looks like using the sun is better for the corals and cheaper since I wouldn't have to replace bulbs and pay out the wazoo for electricity to run the lights. When I get to that point in like 3 months(March) I will open a new thread with the same name with pics of the setup and keep progress posted.

[Jenn]

That will be awesome!

[blueboy]

those solartubes are pretty easy to install, if your a little crafty. and cost less than a MH set-up, not to mention the electricity savings, and not having to replace bulbs!

[captexas]

I caught the end of a Window to the Sea show on PBS/KLRN last night and saw the part on the Waikiki (sp?) Aquarium and it was really interesting. They use real corals in their tanks which are all pretty much outdoors and use natural sunlight. They have some great looking tanks and a huge propagation area where they provide much of the corals used in other public aquariums. Of course it helps that they have beautiful weather year round!

If you are going to do the solartubes on your home, do some good planning ahead of time. Certain sides of your house get more direct light and are in the sun longer than other parts of a house. You don't want to put your tank on the shady side of your house! :shades

[Ram_Puppy]

Hmmm.. I think I see someone hosting a 'remote' maast meeting in the near future!

[blueboy]

my dream tank would involve solartubes, a big fishroom, and a geo-thermal loop chiller. the only power would be pumps, and actinics. hmmm.......maybe i can justify this in electric savings?

[Ram_Puppy]

geo-thermal loop chiller

I am actually suprised that someone else has thought of this.

A while back when I was dreaming about my lotto tank (you know, the one you get when win 40 mil in the lotto you don't play?)

I was gonig to go a step further than solatubes and just have a massive skylight ala greenhouse style in the center of the house, and the tank was going to have a thermal sump (geo-thermal cooling) as well. great minds think alike...

I'll let you know how it works soon as I get off my skeptical butt and go buy some lotto tickets.

[blueboy]

ya gotta be in it to win it!!

[Ram_Puppy]

well, if I win, you suppose I could get all the members of maast over to my house to scrub down 20K lbs of live rock? lol:) jk.