40 gallon help !!!!!!!

[Juventus]

I just cycled a 40 gallon but i want help with what fish to add, i kno i want a school and also a pleco but idk what elsee

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Pleco wise avoid any versions of the common pleco as they will outgrow your tank quickly. Dwarf versions are good and won't outgrow you tank. Butterfly pleco, tiger pleco, snowball, avacado, 3 beacon etc.... If you for sure will only get one and not be tempted to get more a royal pleco can be a good choice as well. Schooling fis wise will depend on the size of school you want. Tetras, dwarf gourami's, guppies you can get a pretty good size school going and the options for colors and features seems almost endless with breeding today. Take some of these names and research them and compatible fish for them and you'll find exactly what your looking for. Good luck!! Hope some of that helped

 

[Juventus]

Thanks alot dude , but yeah i would like maybe 5 fish for a school a pleco the royal seem nice but im not sure what other 2 or 3 kinds if fish go well with them

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

I love plecos. That is what my tank is centered around. Any of the Julie's or Cory catfish do good with them. I've had issues with 2 of the same plecos in the tank but mixing up their breeds I no longer have issues with any of them. Also, make sure you have enough driftwood for them to make a den in. Driftwood is key for plecos and if you don't have some already, make sure to boil or soak it for a couple weeks before putting it in your tank. If not your water will be yellow for q couple weeks. Or buy a piece at your LFS that is already in a tank but careful of disease if you go that route. If no
Schooling wise and only wanting 5 your options are pretty wide. Obviously the tetras are the popular choice among most people. Neon ones are cool, even check out the clear ones and every color inbetween. Guppies are just guppies, also limitless colors and options, somehow both those fish made it into my tank. Thank you girlfriend for that. They have smaller loaches which are super cool but be careful, most of those get huge so stay away from clown loaches and others but they do have some dwarf versions out there that only get a couple inches. Dwarf Gourami are pretty sweet as well. Start with those, see what you like, the look up compatible fish that can live with them and you'll know all you need to know to not regret the purchase after the fact

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

I also have a horseface loach which are really cool if you have sand substrate but I only see the bastard about once a month. Every time I start to think he's dead he'll show his face. It has become a game at my house like where's Waldo.
I have discus in my tank but they are very touchy fish. Not the easiest of fish to keep, they get a decent size, but they are show stoppers for company over. I bought the discus for everyone else to enjoy while I look at my plecos.

 

[Juventus]

I was checking out the royal plecos and and the cardinal tetras but I need something else with me I was thinking maybe 2 Cory cats and what else I'm not sure i got a 40 gallon remember so is not a huge tank

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Over filter your tank and add fish slowly. You be suprised what can fit in a tank. I had a 10g with 5 tetras, 4 guppies, 3 Cory cats, African dwarf frog, 3 japanese algae whrimp and a butterfly pleco. More fish means more filter. My 60g filter pumps 400g per hour and I have 2 plecos about a foot, 3 other plecos, 3 laser beam Cory cats, 3 Julie cats, 4 tetras, 2 guppies, 3 Japanese algae shrimp, African dwarf frog, horseface loach, 2 large discus. I only do a 10-15% water change a week, and my water tests are perfect. Just add fish slowly, and make adjustments along the way. I've taken other steps besides filter to manage the bio load with minimal work on my part but the filter is the biggest part of poop management.

 

[Juventus]

Yeah i have a filter double my tank but i been letting it run for about 2weeks what other steps do i need i mu cycling process

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Waiting!!! I have set up a few tanks for friends and make them wait a month before adding fish. A little on the long side but patience is key in this hobby

 

[Juventus]

I understand i have to weit but what other steps do i need other then letting it run on a filter all day , n more questions - u think a schhol of 4 tetras or guppies is better ? And a royal pleco n a kuhli louch be onay and last a group of 3 cory cAts n an angel fish ? Would all these do in s 40g

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Here's some of my plecos that will fit your tank





Butterfly pleco





Blue Prague pleco





Snowball pleco





Tiger pleco









Royal pleco

 

[Juventus]

Yeah i likke the snowball 1 is cool but u didnt answer any of my other questions lol

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Yeah those are all cool. Just add your 4 tetras all at once, Cory cats can go all at once. A single loach may not be great because they do better in schools so maybe 3 or 4 loaches and eliminate the tetras if need be. Pleco by itself and angel by itself. And all of them about a month apart. Do weekly water tests and you will see with each new addition how they are affecting your water and control their effect before adding more. By the time you add the last of the fish you will have already had your tank under control throughout the whole process and you can get to the point of just enjoying what you have created with you pwc weekly and whatever steps you've learned to control their waste.
Speeding up cycling there isn't much to do. I put my aerator bar at the opposite end of my filter suction and it creates this river current moving towards my filter which seems to speed up the cycling a bit but there's not much else to do

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Lol and sorry. I was sending the pics as you asked the questions

 

[ktomminello]

40g is a good size tank!! Dwarf albino bristle nosed pleco or something similar if you are dead set on a pleco. Your tank is perfect sized for 3 yo yo or 5 dwarf chain loaches, school of 10 micro boras (axelrod, checkerboard, purple harlequin and pork chop are some of my faves), 10 small cardinal neons, 5 diamond tetra, 5 oto cats, 3 longfin serapae minor tetra... Just suggestions.

 

[Mebbid]

40g is actually a really nice sized tank for a fresh system. All of the suggestions that have been laid out are really good ideas for a tank that size. You might even look at adding a pair of German Blue Rams or a group of lyretail killifish.

Fresh n salt guy: Love the plecos, I have 2 BNs and an Orinoco angel in my tank and they are easily my fav fish in the tank.

 

[Rodeo one]

Check out Golden Zebra loach. Love them!

 

[Juventus]

Well i heard that rams dont go well with the angel fish but i will look into that and all these ideas r great i mean i got so much but still an confused about few thinks like which do i start by puttig 1st if ima do 4 tetras / 1 angel/ maybe 2 loaches/ 1 pleco/ n 3 cory cats !!!! And on top of tht all i besn doing in my cycling phase is just leting my filter run 24/7 i mean is there more i should do

 

[Rivercats]

Here are a couple links to read that explains what you need to do for fishless cycling. Just running a filter won't cycle a tank.

Tips and Tricks For Your Fastest Fishless Cycle! - Aquarium Advice

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice

Bristlenose pleco's are also a good option. I have a female long fin albino bristlenose and the one nice thing about the albino bnp's are that they tend to stay out and about during the day. Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Rivercats's Album: 220g inhabitants - Picture.

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

I use the microlift special blend and nite-out for what these articles are telling you to do.