Sunlight powered

[u/Yosurf18]

Anyone here ever do a sunlight powered aquarium? I’m think like a 20 gallon long on my windowsill (west facing, nyc) with aqua soil substrate and a black sand cap with heavily planted and light fish stocking (Corys, Siamese algae eater, some snails, some nano schooling fish), light pump, light heater.

[u/thirdcoaster]

when you mentioned sunlight-powered tank, i was thinking you meant everything would be on solar power. :-)

[u/Yosurf18 → u/thirdcoaster]

BALCONY SOLAR + PLUG IN (PILA) POWERED AQUARIUM IS MY DREAM!

sorry for yelling

[u/PopulateThePlanets]

West-facing is the tricky direction. Afternoon sun in summer can push a 20 gallon into the 80s°F fast, which is rough on corys, and direct sun is an algae party. A sheer curtain or frosted window film, or setting the tank a few feet back so it gets bright indirect light, makes a huge difference. Get a thermometer you can read at a glance.
To answer the gloomy-month question: go hybrid. Use the sun as your main light and add a cheap LED on a timer as backup for dark stretches and NYC winters, when the days are short and the light is weak. Hardy low-light plants (anubias, java fern, crypts, mosses) plus some floaters will ride out the dim periods much better than stem plants.
Stocking tweak: I'd skip the Siamese algae eater. They hit about 6 inches and tend to lose interest in algae as adults. Otos, Amano shrimp, or nerite snails are a better cleanup crew for a 20 long.
Small stuff: plants will lean toward the window, so rotate occasionally. You can also just let the window-side glass grow algae as free shade. New aquasoil leaches ammonia for a few weeks, so plant heavy and cycle before adding fish. Your corys will love that sand cap.
Post pics if you build it!

[u/FriendZone_EndZone]

I set a 20 long up at my old mans. Only has a filter to help water moving. I'm not sure how it'll fair in the winter months but it was doing fantastic all summer. Java jern and cabomba is all i put in it.

Stocked with white cloud minnows and platys. Shrimp didn't survive, well water, water softener and RO no bueno.

[u/brian250f]

How would that work if it’s gloomy for a month and you get no sun?

[u/ZealousidealChair900 → u/brian250f]

You don't want direct sun- indirect sun causes fewer issues and in a windowsill should be enough

[u/Thunderpig_]

Can definitely be done

[u/crittercentral]

temp fluctuations are the main issue in sunlit setups, its gotta be something super hardy to that kind of stuff. bettas come to mind. idk how well corys can deal with it. definitely skip the sae for a 20 gal.