Sun lit Tank

[FishGirl-Seattle]

I love a sunlit tank! These are some pics of my newest upgrade, a 38 tall replacing a 20 long that has held this coveted spot for years.

[taralm13]

Doesn't the sunlight cause algae? I had a tiny bit of sun hit my tank and it caused cyano. Looks pretty though :)

[Cliff]

Nice looking tank, your plants look like they are love'n that spot.

Do you ever get problems with algea from all that sunlight?

[little hawaii]

Nice tank. What kind of danios are the ones with the orange fins. I've never seen that before, very attractive fish.

[rich311k]

Very nice tank!

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Thanks! Actually, I don't have algae problems - I made a pact with the devil...Lol ! But really, other than some fur around the edges of old leaves I don't have algae problems in my tanks. I fertilize regularly and always keep some fast growers in the tanks - either hygros or duckweed or something else that grows aggressively, and I keep a fair amount of java moss in them (although I need to grow more out for this new tank). The plants are really healthy and if I keep them that way they out compete the algae for nutrients. I get some green on the glass and I clean that every every month or so, but it's not enough you can see just by looking at the glass. And I know this goes against common advice but I don't vacuum my gravel as much as they say you should. I draw off the surface debris but try not to disturb the gravel too much. The plants thrive in the mulm. And yes, I have those tiny white grubs that like to climb the glass at night - they also help keep the substrate in plant friendly form so I leave them be. I also keep a small snail population. Occasionally the snails explode but a few assasin snails take care of that problem. Keep in mind my tanks always look a bit unkempt. I will never have one of those stunning perfect tanks because the fast growers I throw in there are not the best lookers and by design the grow like weeds! And the substrate always looks a bit lived in due to the mulm and moss, but the fish love it and the algae can't compete effectively against the photosynthesizers. I have two ottos in the tank too, so overall the algae stay under the radar.

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Hawaii, the spotted redfinned beauty is a three (maybe 4?) year old male Celestial Pearl Danio. They are great little fish about half the size of a neon. They eat everything, get along with everyone, and are great additions to a community tank. They like to stake out a territory and the males will try to herd the girls into their own territory. They don't squabble though, they are more like a determined herding dog. They look pale in the store but once they settle in and get comfortable they color up well. The girls are a bit duller in color than the boys and smaller. I've kept several for years - ever since they hit the scene several years ago- and just recently added 5 to my school so now I have 8. In the twenty long they stayed close to the bottom but since they have been in the tall tank they are swimming higher in the tank. An interesting change in habit. Just when you think you understand your fish.....lol!

[EmmanuelJB]

Great looking tank!!

[Lady Hobbs]

My question would be how long has it been in the sun? You may not have a problem for awhile then all of a sudden here comes the green water but it sounds like you are keeping a good eye on it. Be careful of how warm it gets, also. Sun reflecting off glass can really warm things up.

My son got a 300 gallon tank that needed to be put together. He leaned it up against the wall, the sun come in the window reflecting off the glass and the glass shattered. Of course he did not have the water in it as you do.

[R2 Ranch]

Looks Great!!! Keep up the good work:19:

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Hi Lady Hobbs! We are spoiled here in the Pacific NW - hardly any sun, but this week it has come out in earnest so I am having to close my blinds now. The sun is too strong and too steady even in the late afternoon (which is when it hits this window) and it was warming the tank above the 2 degrees that I let the temp move. Wow - if the glass shattered I would have a big problem! I didn't even know that sunlight could do that to a tank!! Even more reason to draw the blinds now! There are about 2 to 3 months a year that I have to shut the blinds in the afternoon - it varies when it starts but this year it came really late, we just haven't had any clear sunny weather until now. My heart goes out to you east coasters - man we would just die in that heat! :ssuprised: Thanks for the warning on the tank glass - fore warned is fore armed!

[Aydreean]

sun-lighting looks absolutely incredible. I love the different shadows it gives off. It's a lot different that the normal top-down shadow

[gm72]

Super nice tank!

[Pleco380]

Tank looks great!

[Taurus]

My heart goes out to you east coasters - man we would just die in that heat! :ssuprised:

I did, 3 times last week. But I arose...usually after sundown. (Vampire)

Seattle....oh yeah...you get like 6 sunny days per year? Anyway, the tank is lovely when the sun does shine. I'll bet it look pretty nice without the sun. :ssmile:

[Aminax]

Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing.