I have stupid questions.

[Greenpillow]

#1 If we buy really expensive lights to mimic natural sun light why would we not put the tank next to a window. They say its to reduce the algae growth. but wouldn't your lights do the same?

#2 If you buy tank cleaners to eat algae lol wouldn't it be a good idea to have lots of it growing in the tank so they dont starve?

Im sorry if these are stupid questions and there must be really valid points.

[mr_X]

1.
Not enough light comes through the window to feed your photosynthetic creatures. The lights you put over your tank don't mimic the natural sun, they simply put out light to feed corals so they can achieve photosynthesis, like the sun. Some folks do use supplemental sunlight with no algae issues. Nuisance algae is a nutrient issue.

2. yes. the recommended amounts of snails and crabs and such for tanks are ridiculously exaggerated. they say you should replenish your "cleanup crew" every so often....why? Because they prematurely die off, either from starvation or predation.

[ccCapt]

Sunlight is fine...if you can direct it down so it shines in from the top, not the sides. There are people who light their tank with sunlight using solar tubes which are mounted on the roof of the house.

If you have lots of algae, you have lots of nutrients in the tank. A high nutrient level is not good for growing corals. That being said, all tanks have algae and the hard part is controlling it by controlling the amount of nutrients in the tank. If you want a tank full of corals, the idea is to have a low nutrient level and no need for algae eating snails, etc.

[Josh1158]

I've never thought of sky lights, thats a sweet idea.

[Greenpillow]

I see thanks for the info. ^_^

[Gti_Leo]

if you go snorlaing or diving into a reef you will notice the color of the water isn't the color of the water in a tank with natural sunlight. the deeper water is the more red and greens are filtered out and only left with blue, which is a reason why the deeper the water the bluer it looks. alot of the time over our tanks we try to mimic the typee of light that gets to the corals.

it is also said that red and green waves in the light spectrum are prone to algae growth if to much nutrients in the water are present, also why micro algaes in a refugium grow more and faster under a low kelvin lamp then under a higher one