Tank by a window?

There's a couple of people here that do and their tanks look awesome.

I get evening sun on my tanks and they look great.  We are going to put in a sun room and I will move my tanks in there when that happens.

I have a young tank in a bay window and only have PC lighting but right now I have a green algea bloom in my water that is darker than velvet green  and reproduces faster than rotofers.   Someone at the LPS said once the light comes through the window it is missing its UV and not really helpful.

I've found sunlight helpful in FW before so I'm assuming when I get over these newbie blues it will be OK again.  Anyway - that is one experience.  (New tanks can give you fits in a window or not). 

We were in Hawaii a few years back and the light they used at the Waikiki
aquarium was sunlight! It was kinda funky, 'cause you would go inside to
look at the tanks that were outside!

I do see heat being an issue in Utah, though. It is important to keep a
tank's temperature stable, so a daily rise and fall of temp might be
detrimental? If it is a large enough tank it might not change as
dramatically, but large tanks are hard to cool if they get hot...

So, Mother fishface, you got an algae bloom? I myself think that is one
of the best ways to encourage live rock to explode with sponge, tiny
zooplankton and bacteria! In any closed system, the organisms inside
will grow according to their nutrient levels, right? So, you have the
beginnning (?) of a food chain growing wonderfully. Eventually, the next
link will take over, and then the next and so on to incredibly happy
dolphins!!

How big is this tank?

I would look around the LFS in your area and get a few tiny pieces of live
rock to feed? This would be a time to act a bit weird (and pushy) and ask
the retailer to keep the piece submerged while he/she is bagging it, so
you can get differing species of sponge and microscopic creatures!

I collected live rock, a tiny piece here and there every few weeks, to try to
increase biodiversity. I now have an incredible array of really weird stuff!

Id say there are many pluses and many minuses to this. Mine is in a bay window and does get morning and afternoon light. My corals LOVE it... I hate it because it will grow more algea then just using MH alone.  It iwll also heat your tank faster then the fans can cool it down. I was having a 10 degree swing.. You will have more to clean BUT you will get a wonferful shimmer that not even halides can give and yes, natural has to be better. My corals were never looking better. The color even improved...

Now that being said, I have covered every window and mine are getting MH alone and they will like it.

I am the queen of over feeding..... Thus no natural light at my house...

I seem to have stolen the thread but I must say I'm gratful because I'm getting frustrated with the green.  So, Suzy your words are encouraging. 

In part, I do have a pretty big bio load because I have SO much rock in the tank that there is low water volume.  It is a 30 gal and I have the world's largest and very cool clown, and anemonie, 3 baby chromis along with very 10 or so small blue legged hermits, and two turbo snails.  There is a clam and a feather duster and macro algea too - as filter feeders.  I have mechanical filtration (blue floss carbon thing, carbon bags and a protein skimmer.  I use RO water and sometimes filtered tap.

I'm feeding the fish every other day to every 3rd day.  I have been adding rotofers daily in hopes that they would do something about the green (but they likely end up in the filter, come to think about it).  I just put a fan on the tank to control what has been high day time temps and I've been doing weekly water changes.

I've been sitting tight on the algea bloom but now am concerned because this morning the anemonie went inside the rock work - maybe cooling the tank will help it feel better.  I also can't see into the tank but 1" so I don't know what's going on with the corals, fish, and anemonie anymore. 

I'm also putting the finishing touches on a stand for a 90 gal in the living room and am going to pick up a 120 for a sump (Ok, OK, the 90 is drilled and the 120 isn't - it's going in the basement).  This has been a slow project and I'm not sure when it will be set up and then there is cycle time.  (I imagine there will be some inertia to my husband cutting a hole in the living room floor. )

I like the idea of an explosion of zooplankton and sponges things - I have sand contributions from about 6 tanks and live things from more than that.  Thanks all for the imput!

Edited by Angel

Angel wrote: In part, I do have a pretty big bio load because I have SO much rock in the tank that there is low water volume.

I don't know that I would consider the rock as part of the bio-load, it will actually help lessen the bio-load.

Angel wrote: 10 or so small blue legged hermits, and two turbo snails.  There is a clam and a feather duster and macro algea too - as filter feeders.

These also (except the perhpas the clam) I wouldn't consider a load on the tank.

Angel wrote:  I use RO water and sometimes filtered tap.

When you say filtered, what do you mean?  Is it on an RO filter?  Tap water contains such a high level of silicates and phosphates they could be contributing to your problems.

Angel wrote: I've been doing weekly water changes.

Angel wrote: I also can't see into the tank but 1" so I don't know what's going on with the corals, fish, and anemonie anymore.

I would stop the weekly water changes (until you can get an RO unit for your tap water) and disable the lighting completly or at least down to a couple hours a day for a week or so.  Ensure you temp is around 76-78.  You should see an improvement in the algae bloom, how long has this tank been setup, and how old is your live rock?

Don't worry, you didn't steal my thread.  I learn alot from reading ya'lls comments.  I think I'm gonna let the light shine in on my tank afterall.  Since I am in need of some algae.  I don't have much color in my tank at all, but I'm getting some new lighting and hopefully between that and the window, I will get some growth.  Thanks everybody.

My luck I'd end up with the "less desirable"!