When choosing the perfect location for your aquarium, you may assume that putting it next to a window is a great idea. After all, natural sunlight is good for your tank and everything in it, right? Although your tank can benefit from a minimal amount of natural light, aquarium tank placement near a window in your house will only cause more trouble than it is worth for its minor benefits.
Temperature
If you put your tank under direct sunlight, you might find it hard to maintain the suitable table tank temperature since the water will warm up during the day as the sun starts heating the water.
Glass is a poor isolator so the aquarium water will adapt to the room’s temperature. If the room temperature increases because of the sun so will the aquarium. This can pose a problem, but the effect is way bigger when the sunlight hits the aquarium directly. Direct sunlight can pose another problem that is even harder to deal with. Algae growth…
Algae
One more concern you may have to face is excessive growth of algae. Similar to plants, algae need sunlight for them to grow and thrive. When more sunlight is available, the faster the algae can and will grow. If you place your aquarium next to a window, you will struggle in keeping up with a thick green slime that can start forming on the decorations and walls of your tank.
Algae comes in many different forms, and they often are better in using the available nitrates, phosphates and other fertilizers that the aquarium plants that there might be in your aquarium. It is crucial to be able to control the amount of light our fish tank gets in order to keep our algae under control.
Now that you know the risks associated with placing your tank next to window, how do you choose the best spot for your aquarium? Consider the following factors to find the perfect location for your precious tank.
Visibility
Since you will take your time cultivating and caring for a thriving and beautiful aquarium, it only makes sense to put it in a place where it can be seen and admired. Your tank should serve as the center of attention of the room where you will
It should also be something that will draw attention when there are house guests, and believe me, guests love it and are extremely intrigued. Having said this, it would not be a good idea to put your aquarium in the entryway of your home or in a high traffic area where it can get knocked over or bumped into.
You have to strike the perfect balance between safety and visibility. Choose a location where your tank can be easily seen and admired without it getting in the way or being in danger of someone running into it.
Convenience
One more factor to consider when deciding on your tank’s location is convenience. Aside from being able to access your aquarium to feed your fish, there should be adequate space around it for you to do all your routine maintenance tasks with ease.
When first considering where to place your aquarium, you might assume that the empty cranny or nook you have wanted to fill is the best spot. Even though your tank may look its best in that location, you will soon realize the mistake on that first time you try to change the water but you cannot maneuver around the tank’s sides. The ideal location for an aquarium is in an area with sufficient space on both of its sides. This will give you some room for moving. There should be enough space as well to accommodate your aquarium cabinet or tank stand.
To conclude
So, if you want to place your aquarium make sure to stay away from windows. If direct sunlight hits your aquarium you will experience problems with fluctuating temperatures and an algae bloom that is extremely hard to control.
Further things to take into account when placing your aquarium are locations where a lot of people have to pass on a regular basis. Think of pathways or corners. At these places people risk bumping into the aquarium on a daily basis, and you do not want the glass shattering and causing a flood in your living room (or any room for that matter).
I hope that this article was helpful to you! Let me know what your thought process was when placing your tank.
