Direct Sunlight Resulting in > 1100 PAR!!!

[Miami Reef]

Here you go....put it in a nice pot for you....LOL

Or if plants aren't you thing. . . a nice piece of modern art?

Can you tell me what software you used to do this? I need to edit a banana in a reef tank. Thanks!

 

[BryanM]

I just discovered that for many hours a day, much of my tank is getting > 400 PAR, and some spots it's over > 1100! I need some help with ideas for how to solve this mess.

Here's the story: I have my 60G cube near a few large windows, and as the sun has been moving its position in the sky throughout the year, it's been getting more and more direct sun. I've also been having issues with SPS, mushrooms, and zoas all showing signs of way too much light. I took a bunch of PAR measurements (when there was no direct sun) and found that the SPS was getting around 290 PAR and the softies were in the 75-100 PAR zone, both of which are within good ranges. HOWEVER, when the tank is getting bathed in direct sun, I am getting wayyyyyyy too much light. Here's what the tank looks like (past peak sun).

To the left of that window, there are more even larger windows. None of these windows have shades of any sort. Currently, it gets blasted by sun through the window in the picture for several hours. Even spots on the other side of the rocks are getting blasted just from internal reflections. It's bonkers!

Help me work through ideas to solve this! Some ideas:

• Put up shades on all the windows and manage those throughout the day
  • The most obvious option but not acceptable to my other half (it messes up our view, and I get it)
  • I'm looking at putting shades just on that one window that's in the picture, but it may come through more windows over time. I need to check carefully
• Move the tank
  • There aren't really any good options for where it could go, but I'm looking
• Put up a folding room divider to block the sun during peak times
  • What a pain in the butt to manage, and also kind of an eyesore
• Hang something off the side of the tank to block the light

Any other ideas? I can't believe I've been letting this happen for so long!

If there’s no good place to move the tank then you need shades.

Since those aren’t other half approved I hope you can find a new place for the tank!

 

[MoshJosh]

Can you tell me what software you used to do this? I need to edit a banana in a reef tank. Thanks!

MS Paint. . . No joke

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Doing the black poster board thing on one side for the time being! Attached it with a couple of small strips of velcro so I can remove it easily. You can't see it from the rest of the room, only when you go up to the tank, but what a pain this will be to put up and take down daily. This is not a long term solution...

That may raise the temp of your tank when the sun hits it... Maybe do a white toward the sun and black toward the tank.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Also just a thought. You can go to HD or Amazon and get some removable frost diffusion for the windows. It will diffuse the light and reduce the par substantially. I just took this shot so its the end of the day, but you get the idea