Fairly New To Hobby.

[aussie1]

When i first started with my 140ltr tank 2yrs ago i became rather frustrated as my fish kept dying. I have now restocked with 6 female normal mollies, a pair of golden gouramis, 2 silver shark, 2 male swordtail & 3 bristlenose. I have done three water changes since re stocking and have used tank water. The fish seem so healthy and i have just found 3 fry, but don't know who the mother is and i gather she was already pregnant as i don't have any male mollies. I have put the 3 babies in a net holding tank on the side. Do i need to change water and also, how many hours should the light be on for. I hear of so many different suggestions. At the moment I have it on for 10hrs/
hope some one can help.

 

[rowdyburns21]

10 hours sounds pretty good 2 me for lighting, but every tank is different (planted or non planted).

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

In regards to the light:
- If you have live plants in your tank I would recommend leaving the lights on for 8-12 hours a day depending on the types of plants and strength of the light.
- If you don't have live plants, and the tank is in a room with decent ambient lighting you really don't need to turn the lights on very much at all. In this sort of situation the lights are simply there to make observation of the fish easier.
Too little light in combination with other factors (such as phosphate levels in your tap water) can be a contributing factor in brown algae, but too much light will almost assuredly lead to green algae which depending on type may be more or less irritating to clean.

As for water changes:
- For a fully cycled tank the suggested minimum is 25% a week.
- If the tank has not finished cycling you should do water changes as often as needed to keep Ammonia and Nitrite levels below .25 ppm. This can mean doing multiple water changes per day.
How much and how often water changes are performed is often a matter of personal preference and other factors such as quality of tap water, tank inhabitants, etc. Since my tank has a fairly high bio-load, and the tank water is very similiar in pH and other parameters to the tap I usually do a 40-50% change once per week. Some people prefer multiple smaller water changes during the week, while others only once every two weeks...but as a beginner it is easiest to stick with the weekly 25%.

 

[aussie1]

In regards to the light:
- If you have live plants in your tank I would recommend leaving the lights on for 8-12 hours a day depending on the types of plants and strength of the light.
- If you don't have live plants, and the tank is in a room with decent ambient lighting you really don't need to turn the lights on very much at all. In this sort of situation the lights are simply there to make observation of the fish easier.
Too little light in combination with other factors (such as phosphate levels in your tap water) can be a contributing factor in brown algae, but too much light will almost assuredly lead to green algae which depending on type may be more or less irritating to clean.

As for water changes:
- For a fully cycled tank the suggested minimum is 25% a week.
- If the tank has not finished cycling you should do water changes as often as needed to keep Ammonia and Nitrite levels below .25 ppm. This can mean doing multiple water changes per day.
How much and how often water changes are performed is often a matter of personal preference and other factors such as quality of tap water, tank inhabitants, etc. Since my tank has a fairly high bio-load, and the tank water is very similiar in pH and other parameters to the tap I usually do a 40-50% change once per week. Some people prefer multiple smaller water changes during the week, while others only once every two weeks...but as a beginner it is easiest to stick with the weekly 25%.

Thank you for that, I only have 2 live plants, the rest are artificial. When I asked about water change I was referring to the fact that I have 3 babies in a net on side of tank.
thanks again

 

[kittycat12]

i think a good once a week water change works

 

[afishdude]

is this tank cycled?
whats your stats?
ammonia
nitrIte
nitrAte
ph