New guy

Hey all! I've been running freshwater tanks for years but I'm looking into a salt-water setup. The problem is that the only place I can fit the tank would partially be in front of a window. I know how bad direct sunlight is to my freshwater setup. Is it just as catastrophic to a salt-water setup?

 

hello and welcome to 3reef!!!!
Yes, you guessed it! Putting your tank in front of a window will pose various problems to your tank and life within your tank... temperature spikes and algae blooms are your two biggest problems. If I were you, I would either wait on the tank or try rearranging furniture to be able to have an ideal place to have your tank.
You may want to read up on saltwater setups ie. lighting, filters, water perameters+testing etc. not to mention-coral, invert and fish compatability and requirements to live successfully in your tank and possibly breed.
Here at 3reef, we can all help you to be successful and enjoy your living ecosystem for years to come!!!!!
enjoy!!!!you made a good move switching over to salt

 

Generally like Coral Reefer said, it can be bad news, but it really depends on the window and how much sunlight it gets. The end of my tank is near a window but it only gets hit directly for a very short period of the day. If you have a shade you can draw during the peak periods, this will help too.

Good luck with your new tank and thanks for joining 3reef.

 

Welcome, welcome, welcome JEM! Enjoy the salt water addiction!

 

Thanks guys! Yeah, I'll see if I can find another spot, but if not, I'd rather deal with partial sun than no tank at all. I still have to decide what size tank it will be. The stand I have is 62" by 19" so I'll have to see what fits.

 

I agree with Matt on this one. It really depends on the window and how much light hits there. I have my 30g reef right in front of my bedroom window, luckily, I get no sun light there, only in morning hours, 6-8. I get lots of air through there, so it helps cool my tank a bit. Dont let the sun keep you from putting it there, you can put a window blind or roll down blind on there. If it's a good spot, make it happen!

 

Actually, I decided to put it into the living room and will have to displace the TV. Looks like I'll have to hang a plasma over the fireplace or maybe a projection. Oh darn. :

It'll be a while before I actually get too involved in the salt-water setup. I want to get a back-up generator for the house first. I'll keep lurking around here in the meantime to try to learn a thing or two though. Thanks for the help. ;D

 

Do you lose power often where ur at? Is it going to be a whole house back-up?

 

I'm not exactly out in the sticks, but it's a rural area. I'm not going to mess around, I'm just going to get a whole house back-up generator. Hopefully by fall I'll have it installed.

 

Wow, if your power will be a problem, dont forget to look into check valves for your filtration! They will come in handy, trust me!