fish tank under window

[quiksilver]

how bad is it if i put my fish tank under a window? i never have the blinds open and it will be about 2-3 inchs under the window. i was advised to have it furthist away as possible, but if my blinds are never open how bad could it get?

 

[cbock]

one reason you don't want it near the window is because direct sunlight will stimulate algae growth. so, you'd want no sunlight hitting the tank.

 

[seastaar88]

my recommendation is to get a few algae eating fish, and stay on top of your maitenence. as soon as you see algae, scrape it away. if left untreated, algae will take over. i have my tank under a window and *knock on wood,* i haven't had any algae outbreaks...perhaps the fact that it's a cold water tank helps. it's definitily better if it is not under a window, but if that's the only place you have, then just be sure to keep on top of any algae growth that comes about

 

[Lotus]

Another thing you need to take into account is if the window area is warmer or colder than other areas seasonally, which could cause temp swings in the tank.

 

[Lubbinloaches]

Hey, you live in Alberta like me! I don't know where exactly you are, but it's -30 degrees where I am. So obviously our cold winters will have some affect with the temps around your window. I'd never put my aquarium beside any of my windows. Like lotus said...it could cause temp swings in the tank. Even if it doesn't it will be an unending battle for your heater to fight the chill from the window. So I'd avoid placing it there if at all possible.

How big is your aquarium? Remember...smaller tanks are more likely to be affected by drafts and temperature fluctuations.

 

[quiksilver]

My tank is a 65 gallon and in the summer I have tin foil on my windows so there is no sunlight so I think it would be ok to just keep it there if I get some algae eaters.

 

[Link Fidget]

Just keep in mind that, as others have said here, it's not just about algae growth. If you have temperature fluctuations that could "overwork" your heater causing it to fail, or worse stress your fish possibly causing illness or death.

 

[Aaron]

As I posted here a couple of days ago the temperature swings didn't stress my fish but did stress the glass of my tank with messy results. I did like how the sunlight helped my plants to grow though.

 

[brit_s86]

yeah alberta!!!me too