Can I Use Sunlight in a Planted Aquarium?
Q. Can I use sunlight on my planted tank? Absolutely. Just remember that you are messing with, well- the sun, the center of our solar system so proceed with caution. Many books and people will tell you that you’ll get an algae problem. They are right. However when there is an algae issue you need to look at why you are getting it. There is such thing as too much light, but plants love it.
Q. So what do I do when I get an algae problem in the tank that you told me to put in sunlight? The answer is simple and fun. Add more plants. Yep. Stuff the tank full of plants. It sounds too good to be true I know, but that’s the best thing you can do. The aquarium plants will compete with the algae and be growing like mad. I recommend using some high growth plants. One of my tanks at work had a slight algae problem I added the newbie favorite Jungle Val. Problem solved. If the algae persists you might have to leave your lights off for a while and only use the sunlight. Water changes help too.