How to Regulate Lighting in an Aquarium Containing Algae

Allowing algae to grow in a fish tank aquarium can be beneficial to a habitat. Algae provide nutrients in the water that many fish will eat. This will help to mimic the natural environment and your fish will be less prone to disease and grow larger. However, growing beneficial algae requires that the tank lighting be kept at acceptable levels, or else the algae will be crusty or brown and will not flow like green hair in the tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Electric timer
  • LED moonlight bulbs
  • Metal halide bulbs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Connect your lighting system to a timer. According to AquariumPros.com, it's important to control the amount of light that your tank receives. Tanks should have one period of daytime and one period of nighttime every 24 hours. A timer will allow you to control this cycle without being at home to turn the light on or off. The amount of time the lights are on should mimic the amount of time you have daylight in your area.

    • 2

      Close the shades or blinds in the room where the tank is located. This should be done if your tank's light cycle will require the tank lights to be off when it's daylight outside. This is common for people who work night shifts and want to be able to enjoy their tanks before they go to sleep during the day. If your tank is light throughout the night then the room should be dark throughout the day when the tank lights are off. This will help to control the photo period or amount of time the tank remains on.

    • 3

      Install a moonlight bulb to your aquarium hood. According to FishLore.com, certain algae like Coraline Algae will benefit from the natural light of the moon. Your tank's light hood can be equipped with bulbs that mimic moonlight. Not only does this allow you to view nocturnal fish at night it allows you to extend the photo period by providing light throughout the night. You can install LED (light emitting diode) lights to the hood and connect them to a separate timer so they come on as the day lights go out.

    • 4

      Install metal halide lights into the aquarium hood. According to AquaticCommunity.com algae grows best in warmer waters. Metal halide light radiates large amounts of heat due to their construction. This heat will act like the sun and warm the water just like the sun would do in nature. The moving water in the tank will push the warm water down and provide algae with varying degrees of water temperatures.