sunlight

[schizo_fish]

My tank gets direct sunlight for about 1-2 hours per day, is this bad? what problems might this cause?

 

[canarsie11]

Can lead to excess algae, but if lights are off, i dont think it will be too bad.

Can overheat the tank I beleive........

Do you have real plants?

 

[SirMinion]

Yep, algae & overheating are the main problems. Maybe time to invest in a blind for that window.

Overheating is only really a problem if the tank is small and/or the sunlight is long-term.

 

[K-Holed]

In the north east of england I don't think you'll be getting enough sun in that 1-2 hours for the tanks to overheat, you may get algae problems though. just keep an eye on the situation.

 

[schizo_fish]

thanks for all your replies.
and yes, ive got real plants, just put them in today, well about 15 mins ago.

 

[FishDan]

One or two hours of sunlight are not going to really change anything. If the lights are on anyhow its not like adding a little additional light for such a short time is going to magically cause algea problems. Same for heat. natural light works for nature, it will be fine for your tank for such a short period of time. Your plants may appreciate getting a natural and correct spectrum of light, and the plants will also outcompete any algea anyhow. Don't worry about a thing.

\Dan

 

[canarsie11]

A tank that gets direct sunlight with real plants is a little better off, than those with fake

 

[Logitech]

My tank gets illuminated with natural sunlight, but it's not direct sunlight. It's probably is in direct sunlight for maybe an hour or two but if you're gonna let the sun hit it, turn off the normal lights.