Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #41

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #41
From: Paul Bucciaglia <paul-b at biosci_cbs.umn.edu>
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 13:42:05 -0600 (CST)
In-Reply-To: <199510302039.PAA32009 at looney_actwin.com>

On Mon, 30 Oct 1995 Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com wrote:

> 
> into the fish tank?  
> 
> My other thought was regarding lighting.  We spend hundreds of dollars
> buying lights that simulate sunlight.  What is so bad about putting a fish
> tank in front of an open window with direct sunlight?  
> 
> Patrick
> 

This is another 'law' you can break with a few precautions.  The biggest 
proble with windows is too much sunlight.  In the summer this can cause 
you're tank temp to skyrocket.  If you're tank is 'unbalanced' (please 
don't revisit this thread ;-) ie, too many macronutrients, limiting 
concentrations of micronuttrients or CO2, you'll get an algae bloom.

So how do you control sunlight?  Pick the right window.  I have my tanks 
in a room with a south western exposure.  Outside is a deciduous tree.  So 
in the summer, the room is shaded,and also the sun is higher on the 
horizon.  About this time of year here in MN, the leaves drop and the sun 
is lower in the sky.  My tanks get 3-5 hours/day of direct sunglight.  
Plant grwoth rate picks up noticbly.  I do get a slight increase in algae 
on the glass which gets direct sunlight; easily scraped during water changes.

Will this work for everyone?  Probably not, and that's why the books say 
'no direct sunlight' as this control is not easy to accomplish.  Perhaps 
some curtains for shade in the summer?  Safest bet is away from a window, 
but in the right proportions and if temps. don't get too high, sunlight 
is beneficial to planted aquaria.

OK kids, flame away ;-)

Paul Bucciaglia