Who Gives A Fish Forums

Been thinking about switching my tank to natural daylight instead of the LED setup I've got. Anyone tried this? Worried about algae blooms but love the idea of saving on electricity.

Natural light can be tricky. You'll need to monitor the intensity and duration closely. Too much direct sunlight can overheat the tank and cause algae issues. What's your tank size and placement like?

I've used natural light for my betta tank near a north-facing window. It's been great, but I had to add a UV filter to control algae. My fish seems more active, colors are popping too.

How many hours of sunlight does your tank get? I'm curious because my room gets a lot of light in the afternoon, but I'm scared it'll mess with the water temp.

dice wrote: ↑Wed Jun 18, 2025 3:51 pm I've used natural light for my betta tank near a north-facing window. It's been great, but I had to add a UV filter to control algae. My fish seems more active, colors are popping too.

That's interesting. What kind of UV filter did you use? I've been considering this but worried about cost.

My tank's by the window but it's kinda sketchy. Water gets too warm sometimes. Gonna stick with my LED for now.

Thanks for the input, everyone. My tank's a 10-gallon, sits about 3 feet from a south-facing window. I'll probably start with partial daylight and see how it goes.

South-facing is intense. You might wanna diffuse the light with a sheer curtain or something. Also, keep an eye on the temp swings, especially in summer.

Yep, I use a cheap inline UV filter from Amazon. Works fine, just gotta replace the bulb every 6 months. Worth it for the natural vibe though.

fluxora wrote: ↑Wed Jun 18, 2025 9:32 pm South-facing is intense. You might wanna diffuse the light with a sheer curtain or something. Also, keep an eye on the temp swings, especially in summer.

Good point. I'll try the curtain trick. My thermometer's been all over the place lately.