Are lights really necessary?

[RTCatz]

I was wondering if lights are really necessary for an unplanted 20 gallon tank. I plan on placing the tank in the room so that it gets indirect sunlight. As for the algae problem, I plan on using snails and rubberlip plecos. The only light I want is a full actinic bulb for showing off purposes only I really want the colors to show so the 50/50 bulbs is out of the question. I plan on using the tank for neon dawrf gouramis only btw. Would this plan work? Thnx

 

[ewurm]

I would say you don't need light in your situation if you don't want it.

 

[rottbo]

but you will still ahve an algae problem even with the grazers in there

 

[vanimate]

As long as the fish have some sort of photoperiod, they should be OK.

 

[Princley]

As long as the fish have some sort of photoperiod, they should be OK.

yep

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

Although pleasing to your eye, I am not sure if it will be the best for your fish. As stated above, they need a light cycle. Certainly, this will be given by indirect sunlight. However, I doubt it will be enough light for healthy body functions. For example, it is known that mammals need exposure to light in order to synthesize vitamins (D). This process requires UV, which is minimal in the water body at certain depth. However, I am sure fish have analogous body functions requiring light exposure to maintain homeostasis. On the other hand, adapted fish like Mexican Cave Tetras would be fine. If you do not want light, you could switch to those. For the gouramis, I'd suggest some lighting if the tank is not exposed to direct sunlight. You could have it on a timer and have the tank lit while you're at work... ?!
I furthermore also share the concerns that snails and rubberlips may not be able to contain algae generated by actinic lighting.

HarleyK