Introducing my tank

[utahfish]

And another thing , I’m looking for a good carpet plant for the tank, but how easy is it to clean with the carpet plant In there if it takes over ?

As for mollies i havent had them since i was a kid but if you post that question in one of the other forums there are plenty of posters that would know.
As for carpeting plants ive never had alot of luck but dwarf saggitaria us supposed to be one of the "easier" carpet plants. Carpeting plants are dependent on how much light obe can get to that level of the tank as light at the surface is going to be more intense than it is at the bottom. This us measured in PAR, most low to medium light plants need 30-50 PAR to grow, so if ones plants are getting 50 PAR at the surface bur only 10 at the bottom carpeting plants wont grow. Id suggest going to rotalabutterfly light calculator, you can enter the specs of your light and it will calculate your PAR and other specs.

 

[Retired Viking]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Yup. Fish are opportunity eaters, they will eat in the wild when the opportunity presents itself. The fish food companies say feed twice daily because they want to sell more food. I feed my fish 3 times a week. A couple weeks ago i was gone a week fed them before i left and when i got back and they were fine. Every other day is fine.

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Most of our fish are grazers. They have small stomachs and eat bit's throughout the day. Only some larger fish are gorgers that eat a large amount and then go without food for some time. You or I could go without food for a day or two...or even a couple of weeks, but would we? Would we want to and is it really healthy or a good practice? Sure we would survive, but is it a best practice?
I breed, grow out, and sell Swordtails...well over 200 to date, with that many or more ready for sale soon (not for profit really, but helps pay for food and supplies). I feed my fish small amounts several times a day...both a blend of high quality commercial flake foods plus live foods (micro worms, white worms, daphnia, and mosquito larvae in season).
Here's some info from Goliad Farms, a professional breeder in South Texas.
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As to the algae, not at all uncommon in fairly new planted tanks. Manually remove what you can and reduced lighting should solve the problem 6-7 hours a day. I'd suggest 50% water changes weekly. If you don't see improvement in a week or so, a black out for several days should resolve.
Good Luck and Tank On!

 

[utahfish]

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Most of our fish are grazers. They have small stomachs and eat bit's throughout the day. Only some larger fish are gorgers that eat a large amount and then go without food for some time. You or I could go without food for a day or two...or even a couple of weeks, but would we? Would we want to and is it really healthy or a good practice? Sure we would survive, but is it a best practice?
I breed, grow out, and sell Swordtails...well over 200 to date, with that many or more ready for sale soon (not for profit really, but helps pay for food and supplies). I feed my fish small amounts several times a day...both a blend of high quality commercial flake foods plus live foods (micro worms, white worms, daphnia, and mosquito larvae in season).
Here's some info from Goliad Farms, a professional breeder in South Texas.
------
As to the algae, not at all uncommon in fairly new planted tanks. Manually remove what you can and reduced lighting should solve the problem 6-7 hours a day. I'd suggest 50% water changes weekly. If you don't see improvement in a week or so, a black out for several days should resolve.
Good Luck and Tank On!

If one is breeding fish i agree they need to be fed more, live bearers making babies need more energy and fry need more food as well.
As for whether or not not feeding fish everyday is good for them? In the wild the nutrients created by available and consumed food and the waste it creates are carried out through the flowing water are less of a worry in larger bodies of water. In a glass box of water in my basement any un eaten food increases un wanted nutrients in my glass box, the waste from consumed food creates ammonia which is broken down into nitrates which remain in my glass box until i remove them via water change. I limit my feeding to limit the amount of nitrates phosphates ammonia in my contained glass box as they are harmful to my fish. The harm the waste poses to my fish in a contained box by not constantly being carried out by natural water flow outweighs the harm not feeding my fish twice daily poses. I dont like doing daily water changes so i made an executive decision and so far it works for me and my contained glass box fish. I appreciate the info though and hearing what works for other hobbyist. As for whether i want to eat every day, studies show that fasting once a week is actually very healthy though if i go 3 days without food i get pretty cranky and need a snickers! I wonder what the equivalent of a snickers is for fish???

 

[AbbeysDad]

If one is breeding fish i agree they need to be fed more, live bearers making babies need more energy and fry need more food as well.
As for whether or not not feeding fish everyday is good for them? In the wild the nutrients created by available and consumed food and the waste it creates are carried out through the flowing water are less of a worry in larger bodies of water. In a glass box of water in my basement any un eaten food increases un wanted nutrients in my glass box, the waste from consumed food creates ammonia which is broken down into nitrates which remain in my glass box until i remove them via water change. I limit my feeding to limit the amount of nitrates phosphates ammonia in my contained glass box as they are harmful to my fish. The harm the waste poses to my fish in a contained box by not constantly being carried out by natural water flow outweighs the harm not feeding my fish twice daily poses. I dont like doing daily water changes so i made an executive decision and so far it works for me and my contained glass box fish. I appreciate the info though and hearing what works for other hobbyist. As for whether i want to eat every day, studies show that fasting once a week is actually very healthy though if i go 3 days without food i get pretty cranky and need a snickers! I wonder what the equivalent of a snickers is for fish???

High quality commercial and live cultured foods produce little waste. High quality foods contain less grain/grain starch as binder/FILLER (that pass through as excess waste). Proper frequent feeding in smaller amounts ensures that there is never any uneaten food - most food never makes it even half way down in the tank!
Besides, "the solution to pollution is dilution". The appropriate "frequency/volume of partial water changes along with fast growing plants and proper tank/filter maintenance ensures high water quality without underfeeding fish. I have come to learn that many/most hobbyists, when honest, will admit that the frequency/volume of partial water changes they perform falls short of what is required to maintain high water quality.

 

[Kamdavid]

I do 35 percent water changes once a week. I could go to doing 50 percent once a week if that is suggested. When I feed, its usually a small pinch, which doesn't make it to the bottom of the tank. They attack it. We are trying to get our mollies to breed, but like I mentioned I don't see our male trying at all. HAHA

 

[utahfish]

High quality commercial and live cultured foods produce little waste. High quality foods contain less grain/grain starch as binder/FILLER (that pass through as excess waste). Proper frequent feeding in smaller amounts ensures that there is never any uneaten food - most food never makes it even half way down in the tank!
Besides, "the solution to pollution is dilution". The appropriate "frequency/volume of partial water changes along with fast growing plants and proper tank/filter maintenance ensures high water quality without underfeeding fish. I have come to learn that many/most hobbyists, when honest, will admit that the frequency/volume of partial water changes they perform falls short of what is required to maintain high water quality.

True id agree that alot of hobbyist especially casual ones dont keep up on their water changes which to me is all the reason to decrease feeding. I find that feeding a few times a week not daily keeps my fish and tank healthy and makes my life easier. Even with high quality foods which i use they create waste which in a contained box build up without the removal of them through water changes. I err on the side of caution which for me is decreased feeding but for others may be daily feeding.A contributing cause of algae is excess nutrients whuch can be supplied through food. A reasonable solution to those excess nutrients is to decrease them through decreased feeding while also keeping in mind the well being of the fish. As stated dilution is the other solution which is accomplished through water changed. Personally i find decreasing feeding to be easier than increased water changes. Thats what works for me and i think can and has worked for others but if that method doesnt work for someones particular set up i hope they find what does. This has been a healthy discussion i appreciate your info and experience based knowledge thank you!

 

[utahfish]

I do 35 percent water changes once a week. I could go to doing 50 percent once a week if that is suggested. When I feed, its usually a small pinch, which doesn't make it to the bottom of the tank. They attack it. We are trying to get our mollies to breed, but like I mentioned I don't see our male trying at all. HAHA

I know nothing about breeding bu. Id ask in the live bearer forum, lots of posters there including abbeysdad whose posted in here that would know about breeding.

 

[Kamdavid]

I do appreciate all the information as well. I will try many things, and we shall see what works. As for now, ill up my water change to 50 percent once a week, adjust my lights, and watch my feeding procedure. I cleaned the tank yesterday, scrubbed the walls down.. The only thing currently with algae is the piece of driftwood... I have my lights set to turn on at 10 am off at 6 pm..

 

[Kamdavid]

I know nothing about breeding bu. Id ask in the live bearer forum, lots of posters there including abbeysdad whose posted in here that would know about breeding.

yes I posted a conversation in the live bearers forum!