night time darkness for fish

Question
my daughter has a single, comet goldfish in a 10 gal. freshwater tank, in her bedroom.  she wants a light on when sleeping at night.  do we need to cover the fish tank with a dark cloth, etc. so the fish has an adequate amount of "down time" in a 24 hour period?

thank you for your reply.

Answer
Hi Andrea,
Thank you for your question. The light shouldn't bother the fish too much. The worst thing you can do to a fish is overfeed it.
Also, fish do not need artificial light if they get natural daylight. No direct sunlight.
Here is my page for easy aquarium care:
http://steamboats.com/aquarium.html
Your daughter should have some downtime, though. A light on might make her feel secure, but it could impede melatonin production.
I'm also a family counselor :-) I encourage you to address her reasons for needing the light on at night and ask her if you can turn it off once she's asleep.
It shouldn't have any consequences if it's just once in a while, but if she sleeps with a light on every night, it could affect her quality of sleep.
Please write back if you want to discuss further (fish or family counseling).
Nori