Natural light effectiveness?

[Pittenger5]

I'm just getting started building my 29gal, my first saltwater tank. I'm going to have it on a shelf next to a NW facing window that does have UV inhibiting screens on it. If possible Id like to use as little power as possible, so how effective would the natural sunlight be for corals and fish. Can I get by using lights only minimally, or best to just run them all the time.

 

[cgthebeast]

It won't be very effective for corals at all. Fish in the other really don't live off light to survive so they wod be fine

 

[mr_X]

A 29 gallon isn't going to take much power to light, so I wouldn't worry much about the electric bill, unless of course you use something inefficient. A decent LED unit will work fine and not speed up the meter much.

 

[PB_Smith]

The only way natural sunlight is used effectively in home tanks is with the installation of light pipes that gather, concentrate and direct the light to a specific spot.


Indirect sunlight from a window isn't enough for corals to thrive, but algae will love it.

Direct sunlight can work, but you have to install a chiller to protect against the tank getting too hot and it may limit the type of corals you can keep.

 

[Reefer James]

Hope you like algae