Livebearers: step-by-step setup

7 steps from choosing the spot to adding the first fish.

1. Choose the tank

   A bigger tank is easier to keep stable. 60–100 L for a beginner. Custom glass: up to 30 cm high 5 mm, 40–45 cm 6 mm, 50–60 cm 8–10 mm. Aquarium silicone only, cure 48 h and leak-test two days.

2. Equipment (sized from the litres)

   A filter turning the water 4–6 times an hour, a heater of about 1 W per litre, LED light 6–8 h on a timer, air pump and stone, thermometer, dechlorinator, and a bucket and siphon for the tank only. See the equipment calculator below.

3. Harder water

   Livebearers like pH 7–8 and high GH; a little crushed coral helps soft water. Mollies like a pinch of salt (1 g/L).

4. Cycle the tank (the key step)

   Fill with dechlorinated water, run filter and heater, add an ammonia source (a pinch of food daily or 2 ppm ammonia) plus bottled bacteria. Test every two days: ammonia rises, then nitrite, then nitrate. Ready when ammonia and nitrite read zero three times in a row and nitrate shows (2–6 weeks). Log the tests and Zajel shows the stage.

5. Male to female ratio

   One male per 2–3 females. A female drops fry every 21–30 days and stores sperm for several broods.

6. Saving the fry

   Dense plants (java moss, hornwort), a breeding box or a fry tank on a sponge filter. Feed baby brine shrimp and powder 4–5 times a day. Log every drop.

7. Maintenance routine

   Feed once or twice a day what is eaten in 2–3 min, one fast day a week. Change 20–30% weekly with matched, treated water. Rinse filter sponges in old tank water, never tap water. Test weekly. Zajel reminds you.