Brand New 40g - Aquarium Advice

hatchet · 12-21-2003, 09:12 PM

My wife came home with my christmas present today - unwrapped. She said she couldn't hide it because it was too big. Anyway I went down and bought a book on setting up a new tank, fish requirements, # of each for the size, etc.etc.
I'm in the process of cleaning it out and will be ready to get everything setup long before the fish are bought.
So my specific questions are - what are some good "community" stocking schemes for a 19wx18dx20h tank? I've also read in this book about cycling (I know it's not watching fish ride bicycles) but it never really tells me what that is - can anyone expand please? One more question on equipment - do I need an aerator like the old treasure chest? I DO NOT want a treasure chest by the way.. hah.
I appreciate any help as I want to do this right the first time.
Thanks

Fruitbat · 12-21-2003, 09:26 PM

hatchet...

Congratulations on your Christmas present!

As to your first question about stocking the tank....this is all a matter of personal preference and you'll get as many opinions about that as people you ask. My suggestion is to go to your local pet stores and scope out the fish that really appeal to you. Make a list (and try to get the scientific names if the [acronym:94d79c9450="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:94d79c9450] knows them). Then go home....hit the Internet....and do Google searches on the names of the fish that struck your fancy. Find out what their requirements are and what kinds of personalities they have. Don't forget to check out their maximum sizes. If you can't find out information about a particular fish...post here. Chances are that somebody has either kept them before or knows something about them.

Regarding the 'cycling'.....fundamentally it concerns the Nitrogen Cycle. The important part of this cycle for the aquarist is summarized below:

Fish waste/decomposing food/decomposing plants release -----> Ammonia which is then broken down by -----> Nitrosomonas bacteria into -----> Nitrites which are in turn broken down by -----> Nitrobacter bacteria into -----> Nitrates

The reason this is so important is that Ammonia and Nitrites are very toxic to fish. Many of the fish deaths that occur within a week of introducing the fish to the tank are because the Nitrogen cycle was not completed. Nitrates, in low concentrations, are not dangerous to fish and can be easily controlled by water changes or are used up by live plants.

One important piece of equipment you should get before you go out to spend money on fish is a good water test kit. It should include tests for: pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, General Hardness ([acronym:94d79c9450="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:94d79c9450]) and Carbonate Hardness ([acronym:94d79c9450="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:94d79c9450]). You might be able to find one that includes a test for Nitrate too, though you can buy this one separately.

Start out right....with patience....and you'll have a GREAT time with that tank!

Fruitbat · 12-21-2003, 09:28 PM

Oh....and NO....you do NOT need an aerator as long as you have a good filtration system. Personally I avoid the 'Treasure Chest' syndrome like the plague but others do like their decorations.

hatchet · 12-21-2003, 09:32 PM

Great.. I appreciate the info. The test kit I'll get tomorrow. With the purchase my wife got a product called "Cycle" - I saw you posted this in another post. When should that be introduced into the aquarium? Sooner or later.. right before adding fish? Is "Cycle" only to be used if the Ammonia and Nitrates don't zero out?

hatchet · 12-21-2003, 09:34 PM

HAHA.. The Wife bought a Penguin 170 Bio-Wheel Power Filter or was talked into buying it. I think I saw a similar one in Finding Nemo.

Fruitbat · 12-21-2003, 09:41 PM

I've heard that Cycle isn't particularly effective...I've never tried it personally though. I have used Bio-Spira with great success. Basically it adds live bacteria to your aquarium that will make the 'cycling' of your tank MUCH more rapid. Some people will get a couple of 'feeder' goldfish to start their tank out....goldfish produce a LOT of waste for the bacteria to use. Then they add Bio-Spira and sit back for a week or so while the bacteria populations grow. Others use the 'fishless' cycling method and swear by it but I have never tried that so I can't really comment on its effectiveness. Somebody else can probably fill you in on this technique.

grimlock3000 · 12-21-2003, 11:48 PM

" The Wife bought a Penguin 170 Bio-Wheel Power Filter or was talked into buying it."

That is not enough filtraiton for a 40g tank. You might want to look at upgrading before you open it, just a warning...

hatchet · 12-22-2003, 12:22 AM

Like I said my wife bought this whole setup. Looking at the box I would've probably made the same mistake.. says it's good for 50g. Oh well - Maybe I'll just buy another one or would that be too much?

Allivymar · 12-22-2003, 01:33 AM

Just to clarify some of the great info you got from Fruitbat:

You want a filter which will move between 6-10 times the tank amount every hour. So a 40g tank will need filtration which moves between 240-400g per hour. You could add another filter to the one you have to achieve that, or return it and use just one; up to you. If you get a [acronym:816930e273="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:816930e273] (hang on back) filter, like the Penguins, the agitation they cause at the surface supercedes the need for aeration. What puts oxygen in the water is not air bubbles that rise thru the water; its the surface agitation they cause.

Cycle is a waste of time. I'd return it and see if the [acronym:816930e273="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:816930e273] carries Bio-Spira as Fruit said. Theres a nice explanation of the cycle here: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

BrianNY · 12-22-2003, 09:04 AM

Hi Hatchet, welcome to the board

I always prefer to have 2 filters in my tanks. Reason: I alternate filter cleanings every other week. In this way I've always got some of the beneficial nitrifying bacteria working for me. Also, you can never really over filter a tank.
[acronym:19cb124917="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:19cb124917]

12-21-2003, 09:12 PM	#1
hatchet Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 20	Brand New 40g My wife came home with my christmas present today - unwrapped. She said she couldn't hide it because it was too big. Anyway I went down and bought a book on setting up a new tank, fish requirements, # of each for the size, etc.etc. I'm in the process of cleaning it out and will be ready to get everything setup long before the fish are bought. So my specific questions are - what are some good "community" stocking schemes for a 19wx18dx20h tank? I've also read in this book about cycling (I know it's not watching fish ride bicycles) but it never really tells me what that is - can anyone expand please? One more question on equipment - do I need an aerator like the old treasure chest? I DO NOT want a treasure chest by the way.. hah. I appreciate any help as I want to do this right the first time. Thanks

12-21-2003, 11:48 PM	#7
grimlock3000 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: maine Posts: 1,971 Images: 1	" The Wife bought a Penguin 170 Bio-Wheel Power Filter or was talked into buying it." That is not enough filtraiton for a 40g tank. You might want to look at upgrading before you open it, just a warning... __________________ 26 freshwater 2x Sunburst Platys (2M, 2F) // 3x Neon Tetras (?) // 2x Cherry Barbs (1M, 1F) // 2x YoYo Loaches (?) // 1x Bushy Nose Pleco (M) // 1x Clown Pleco (?) // 15H marine -30# Live Rock -Mixed Snails (Nassarius // Cerith // Astrea // Black Turbo // Mexican Turbo) -8x Blue Leg Hermit Crabs // 1x Banded Serpent Star // 1x Cleaner Shrimp -1x Royal Gramma // 1x Percula Clownfish -2x Mushroom Leather // Metallic Green Star Polyps // Pulsing Xenia // Striped Xenia // Blue Mushroom -Remora + Maxi-Jet 1200 // 2x Maxi-Jet 600 // Maxi-Jet 400 // Visi-Therm Deluxe 50 // Current USA Orbit 2x 40w [acronym:f2db8017b4="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f2db8017b4]

12-22-2003, 01:33 AM	#9
Allivymar Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2003 Location: NY Posts: 4,355 Images: 15	Just to clarify some of the great info you got from Fruitbat: You want a filter which will move between 6-10 times the tank amount every hour. So a 40g tank will need filtration which moves between 240-400g per hour. You could add another filter to the one you have to achieve that, or return it and use just one; up to you. If you get a [acronym:816930e273="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:816930e273] (hang on back) filter, like the Penguins, the agitation they cause at the surface supercedes the need for aeration. What puts oxygen in the water is not air bubbles that rise thru the water; its the surface agitation they cause. Cycle is a waste of time. I'd return it and see if the [acronym:816930e273="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:816930e273] carries Bio-Spira as Fruit said. Theres a nice explanation of the cycle here: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html __________________ aka Cycling Guru and the Ich Slayer glares at Terry and QTOFFER Card carrying member of FTAS & GCAS.

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12-21-2003, 09:26 PM	#2
Fruitbat Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Garland,Texas Posts: 1,818 Images: 30	hatchet... Congratulations on your Christmas present! As to your first question about stocking the tank....this is all a matter of personal preference and you'll get as many opinions about that as people you ask. My suggestion is to go to your local pet stores and scope out the fish that really appeal to you. Make a list (and try to get the scientific names if the [acronym:94d79c9450="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:94d79c9450] knows them). Then go home....hit the Internet....and do Google searches on the names of the fish that struck your fancy. Find out what their requirements are and what kinds of personalities they have. Don't forget to check out their maximum sizes. If you can't find out information about a particular fish...post here. Chances are that somebody has either kept them before or knows something about them. Regarding the 'cycling'.....fundamentally it concerns the Nitrogen Cycle. The important part of this cycle for the aquarist is summarized below: Fish waste/decomposing food/decomposing plants release -----> Ammonia which is then broken down by -----> Nitrosomonas bacteria into -----> Nitrites which are in turn broken down by -----> Nitrobacter bacteria into -----> Nitrates The reason this is so important is that Ammonia and Nitrites are very toxic to fish. Many of the fish deaths that occur within a week of introducing the fish to the tank are because the Nitrogen cycle was not completed. Nitrates, in low concentrations, are not dangerous to fish and can be easily controlled by water changes or are used up by live plants. One important piece of equipment you should get before you go out to spend money on fish is a good water test kit. It should include tests for: pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, General Hardness ([acronym:94d79c9450="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:94d79c9450]) and Carbonate Hardness ([acronym:94d79c9450="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:94d79c9450]). You might be able to find one that includes a test for Nitrate too, though you can buy this one separately. Start out right....with patience....and you'll have a GREAT time with that tank!

12-21-2003, 09:28 PM	#3
Fruitbat Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Garland,Texas Posts: 1,818 Images: 30	Oh....and NO....you do NOT need an aerator as long as you have a good filtration system. Personally I avoid the 'Treasure Chest' syndrome like the plague but others do like their decorations.

12-21-2003, 09:32 PM	#4
hatchet Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 20	Great.. I appreciate the info. The test kit I'll get tomorrow. With the purchase my wife got a product called "Cycle" - I saw you posted this in another post. When should that be introduced into the aquarium? Sooner or later.. right before adding fish? Is "Cycle" only to be used if the Ammonia and Nitrates don't zero out?

12-21-2003, 09:34 PM	#5
hatchet Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 20	HAHA.. The Wife bought a Penguin 170 Bio-Wheel Power Filter or was talked into buying it. I think I saw a similar one in Finding Nemo.

12-21-2003, 09:41 PM	#6
Fruitbat Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Garland,Texas Posts: 1,818 Images: 30	I've heard that Cycle isn't particularly effective...I've never tried it personally though. I have used Bio-Spira with great success. Basically it adds live bacteria to your aquarium that will make the 'cycling' of your tank MUCH more rapid. Some people will get a couple of 'feeder' goldfish to start their tank out....goldfish produce a LOT of waste for the bacteria to use. Then they add Bio-Spira and sit back for a week or so while the bacteria populations grow. Others use the 'fishless' cycling method and swear by it but I have never tried that so I can't really comment on its effectiveness. Somebody else can probably fill you in on this technique.

12-22-2003, 12:22 AM	#8
hatchet Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 20	Like I said my wife bought this whole setup. Looking at the box I would've probably made the same mistake.. says it's good for 50g. Oh well - Maybe I'll just buy another one or would that be too much?

12-22-2003, 09:04 AM	#10
BrianNY Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 4,259 Images: 18	Hi Hatchet, welcome to the board I always prefer to have 2 filters in my tanks. Reason: I alternate filter cleanings every other week. In this way I've always got some of the beneficial nitrifying bacteria working for me. Also, you can never really over filter a tank. [acronym:19cb124917="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:19cb124917]