lilswanwillow
09/10/2003, 06:05 AM
as I've mentioned before... I use natural sunlight instead of MH/VHO/ect.ect.ect...
now, I've gotten everything that I've put in my 29 to take off so far on that, but it only gets about an hours worth in the afternoon (the way the tank is set up... in the summer, it gets about 4 hours worth, now its about an hour)
my rics are doing good, anthelia is multiplying like no tomorrow, and this is just off of indirect sunlight...
now, I was thinking (run screaming!!!) since we live up here, the sunlight won't be quite AS strong as down south, right? sooo, if I put the 55 I'll have as of next weekend in a window, I may beable to have low-light clams, and sps in there... or I can set up a mirror so that it gets stronger light, and have anything I damn well please.
but then, I look at my tank, and compare it to tanks that are about the same age and ARE using MH, and it looks about the same (with the coralline covering EVERYTHING, and the amount of life thats supported, and the brown mat was growing under MH and didn't get affected ONCE (the polyps came out within a half hour in my tank) and that was oh, about 3 inches from the water line under MH...
cheap way to find lighting? maybe... the problem is, I don't know exactly how MUCH lighting is really getting into my tank... I know that going through a window and the tank glass dilutes it, but is it diluting the light so much that it won't be bright enough?
dunno...
now, I've gotten everything that I've put in my 29 to take off so far on that, but it only gets about an hours worth in the afternoon (the way the tank is set up... in the summer, it gets about 4 hours worth, now its about an hour)
my rics are doing good, anthelia is multiplying like no tomorrow, and this is just off of indirect sunlight...
now, I was thinking (run screaming!!!) since we live up here, the sunlight won't be quite AS strong as down south, right? sooo, if I put the 55 I'll have as of next weekend in a window, I may beable to have low-light clams, and sps in there... or I can set up a mirror so that it gets stronger light, and have anything I damn well please.
but then, I look at my tank, and compare it to tanks that are about the same age and ARE using MH, and it looks about the same (with the coralline covering EVERYTHING, and the amount of life thats supported, and the brown mat was growing under MH and didn't get affected ONCE (the polyps came out within a half hour in my tank) and that was oh, about 3 inches from the water line under MH...
cheap way to find lighting? maybe... the problem is, I don't know exactly how MUCH lighting is really getting into my tank... I know that going through a window and the tank glass dilutes it, but is it diluting the light so much that it won't be bright enough?
dunno...