Question about lighting & temperature. Need advice

[jamesd28]

I just added a clown fish to my recently cycled tank and had a few questions.

1. I have read different opinions about lighting for a FOWLR tank, and want to know what you all think is the best thing to do. Some have said that a consistent lighting schedule of 8-10 hours/day is needed, and some have said that for fish only, the lighting isn't really necessary and you can turn on the different lights for desired viewing.

2. I live in Oregon and recently it has been in the 80s. Because of space constraints, I was forced to put my tank in the view of my bedroom window. I have shut the blinds completely and also hung a sheet over the window to help block the recent heat. My water temp has been fluctuating between 77-80 degrees. I know the desired temp is 72-78 degrees. I have already been adding the frozen water bottle. Anything else that you guys can recommend to help get a steady temp? I work from 8-5 m-f, so I am nervous about something happening while I am at work.

THANKS!

 

[FTMMWS]

A FOWLR needs no special lighting at all...just use basic strip lighting if you want..no need for t-5's or PC's....No need to have them on at any point really,,just when you want to see the fish would be fine,,,say from 6-10PM...or whenever..
Your temps are fine also....i wouldn't worry till it starts to hover at 85+...if it reaches 81-82 for a few days it will be fine...you don't need to use frozen ice bottles

 

[jamesd28]

A FOWLR needs no special lighting at all...just use basic strip lighting if you want..no need for t-5's or PC's....No need to have them on at any point really,,just when you want to see the fish would be fine,,,say from 6-10PM...or whenever..
Your temps are fine also....i wouldn't worry till it starts to hover at 85+...if it reaches 81-82 for a few days it will be fine...you don't need to use frozen ice bottles

Thanks for the feedback man! I am a newb to the forums, and haven't had a ton of luck with getting replies. There have been a few people that have been pretty helpful though. I left the daylight light on because with my window being completely closed, there is no natural light coming into my room (sucks! haha) and I didn't know if it would be ok to leave the fish in a dark room with no lighting for the whole day...this ok? Thanks again for your help! And sorry if I am asking dumb questions

 

[FTMMWS]

We were all new at some point...no question is a dumb question,,but not asking questions is dumbI'm new to this forum too ,but been in SW for almost 6 years..i'll gladly answer any questions i can

Your fish will be just fine with no lights for hours,,days ,,whatever....plus you will probably not have an algae issue with such a short lighting cycle..
Also,not letting natural sunlight into the tank is a good thing too....that would really speed up the algae growing

 

[jamesd28]

Ok cool. Glad that lack of lighting while I'm at work wont harm the fish. For a small tank (14g BioCube), how often would you recommend feeding the fish? I got a pack of frozen brine shrimp

 

[FTMMWS]

Brine shrimp is not good food..
Maybe get some mysis and krill instead...one clown ,,i would feed every other day ,,very small amounts

 

[jamesd28]

Really? I was told by the lfs that brine shrimp are a good food, especially for getting your fish in the habit of eating

 

[FTMMWS]

If you want them to eat potato chips then yes...sorry ,i'm being silly...
Google feeding brine shrimp to saltwater fish good or bad, and see ....,,but like i said ,,i would stay away from them...
scallops are a great choice too....

 

[jamesd28]

Gotcha. I plan on heading back to the lfs today and getting some Omega One flakes or pellets as well as some frozen mysis or marine cuisine...does that sound like a better feeding plan? I read that for flakes, just a small pinch daily or every other day would be enough. What about for the frozen cubes of mysis/marine cuisine...one cube every other day?