Tori, please don't use a live fish for cycling! Get a piece of shrimp from the fresh seafood counter at your local grocery store, put it in a nylon bag (pantyhose) and throw it in the tank. The rotting shrimp will provide all the ammonia your tank needs to get the cycle going.
As for the lights. In the early stages you may want a shorter photoperiod to avoid the growth of hair algae and cyanbacteria. The photoperiod of your tank is at your descretion. I look at it this way. In a 24 hour period there is 8 hours of bright light, 8 hours of darkness and 8 hours of the times inbetween (dusk and dawn). The bright light period could be MH and actinics together. The dusk and dawn period could be actinics only and the darkness period could be LED moonlights. A timer will give you more autonomy.
