40 Gallon Breeder Tank - Journal
- Thread starter riseabovethesun
- Start date
Okay! I haven't been able to do much besides toss ideas around still, school and work have been crazy on my end.
I think I might stick to making a hard-scape tank rather than doing a paludarium, mostly because I would want dart frogs and they are sparse or super expensive here ($80 a piece, eek!) and crabs are cool and all, but eh. A fish tank will just be far easier and I've learned so much from this forum and elsewhere that I'd like to just continue it for now, I love my fishies
So now that I am back in the fish tank zone, I'm going to make a few sketches of what I'd like it to look like (and post those on Friday) and also how I want to do the background. Then maybe on Friday I'll drag the boy with me to some fish stores to eyeball what fish I'd really really like. I figure I could list all the ones I'd like, but my LFS doesn't usually carry them so it's probably better to just list what I find there that I like a bunch. Then ask you guys what you think!
I think I might stick to making a hard-scape tank rather than doing a paludarium, mostly because I would want dart frogs and they are sparse or super expensive here ($80 a piece, eek!) and crabs are cool and all, but eh. A fish tank will just be far easier and I've learned so much from this forum and elsewhere that I'd like to just continue it for now, I love my fishies
So now that I am back in the fish tank zone, I'm going to make a few sketches of what I'd like it to look like (and post those on Friday) and also how I want to do the background. Then maybe on Friday I'll drag the boy with me to some fish stores to eyeball what fish I'd really really like. I figure I could list all the ones I'd like, but my LFS doesn't usually carry them so it's probably better to just list what I find there that I like a bunch. Then ask you guys what you think!
Okay here are the main ideas I have for the moment with my 40 gallon. (Excuse the lack of artistic ability)
Each of those would most likely be done with sand, I'm wanting the white look. Also #2 and #6 are the only ones with driftwood, the others (non colored shapes) would be stones. The #3 is something I saw, kind of like a DIY background but you can build off of the background some kind of structure, it looked really cool. And the green squiggles would be short or tall plants (lol).
And I am thinking of doing the DIY background, I have the stuff but need to figure out which scape design I like to see how I want to make it fit. I'm almost leaning more towards the stone scapes, but we'll see.
I didn't make it to the fish store Friday but am hoping tomorrow will work out.
Each of those would most likely be done with sand, I'm wanting the white look. Also #2 and #6 are the only ones with driftwood, the others (non colored shapes) would be stones. The #3 is something I saw, kind of like a DIY background but you can build off of the background some kind of structure, it looked really cool. And the green squiggles would be short or tall plants (lol).
And I am thinking of doing the DIY background, I have the stuff but need to figure out which scape design I like to see how I want to make it fit. I'm almost leaning more towards the stone scapes, but we'll see.
I didn't make it to the fish store Friday but am hoping tomorrow will work out.
I LOVE java moss, I especially love christmas moss. I think it's a must in every tank, plus shrimp love it and I love shrimp therefore I love moss (haha).
I will post some photos tonight, I've been shaping and working on the DIY background, should get it glued tonight and then cemented tomorrow! I'm very excited.
SO the background will be one of those grey/stone looking DIY backgrounds, hopefully it turns out nice or I will have to resort to more planted scape, not a hard scape.
I will post some photos tonight, I've been shaping and working on the DIY background, should get it glued tonight and then cemented tomorrow! I'm very excited.
SO the background will be one of those grey/stone looking DIY backgrounds, hopefully it turns out nice or I will have to resort to more planted scape, not a hard scape.
The background has been finished, I finally got it on the back of the tank and added water and what not. After about 6 hours the background fell off and floated up, messing things up.
It was a nice background, like way nice, but maybe fate had its way.
I've been looking at just a sand on the bottom (buying more on Thursday), maybe a piece of wood in the center and a clean tank background. Right now I have some temporary pieces of wood in there, until I find the perfect one.
In the past few days I bought a stand for the tank, some substrate, a filter, and a light. Right now I use a Rena Filstar XP1 and I bought a Fluval 305. I'm really not thrilled with the Fluval, it seems like far cheaper plastic than the Rena. I don't like the initial "pumping" to get it started every time its unplugged and I'm not a huge fan of the connector pieces. I know some people are die hard Fluval fans, and anti-Rena, but hey that's just my opinion. I'm not returning it, I'm going to use it, but in the future would probably stick with Rena.
Also I bought a new light, it's brand is "Glo" and is for the T5 HO bulbs, although I'm sure you fit those in other lighting fixtures. Anyway, it is a really nice light strip I'm inbetween on if I like that it can be suspended from the ceiling or be placed about 5" above the surface of the water, rather than resting on the tank. I don't like that it doesn't have fans, that it doesn't have a switch on the actual light fixture, that both bulbs have to be on at the same time, and that it has a funky timer. Other than that it's really great looking and has amazing bulbs in it.
Maybe I'm just being stubborn because I have specific equipment that I've fallen in love with. Either way, I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from purchasing any of that, just personal preferences.
So long story short in the past few days I've spent way too much money. :] Now on to figuring out the inhabitants, I thought about doing a cichlid tank I keep going back and forth, but decided I will very well end up wanting shrimp or some invert in the future and that won't work and I'd like to have some variety although I'm a huge cichlid fan. I'm still contemplating on moving the cardinals over to that tank since they're always hiding, might be nice.
Lastly, tossing between no plants, one plant, or a few plants? I know having plants really is a must in a tank, at least I think so but I'm not sure what might grow well in that tank or what will look good. A moss on the ground, something to cover the surface, one single plant in the center with the driftwood? No idea.
Well I think that's it! :]
It was a nice background, like way nice, but maybe fate had its way.
I've been looking at just a sand on the bottom (buying more on Thursday), maybe a piece of wood in the center and a clean tank background. Right now I have some temporary pieces of wood in there, until I find the perfect one.
In the past few days I bought a stand for the tank, some substrate, a filter, and a light. Right now I use a Rena Filstar XP1 and I bought a Fluval 305. I'm really not thrilled with the Fluval, it seems like far cheaper plastic than the Rena. I don't like the initial "pumping" to get it started every time its unplugged and I'm not a huge fan of the connector pieces. I know some people are die hard Fluval fans, and anti-Rena, but hey that's just my opinion. I'm not returning it, I'm going to use it, but in the future would probably stick with Rena.
Also I bought a new light, it's brand is "Glo" and is for the T5 HO bulbs, although I'm sure you fit those in other lighting fixtures. Anyway, it is a really nice light strip I'm inbetween on if I like that it can be suspended from the ceiling or be placed about 5" above the surface of the water, rather than resting on the tank. I don't like that it doesn't have fans, that it doesn't have a switch on the actual light fixture, that both bulbs have to be on at the same time, and that it has a funky timer. Other than that it's really great looking and has amazing bulbs in it.
Maybe I'm just being stubborn because I have specific equipment that I've fallen in love with. Either way, I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from purchasing any of that, just personal preferences.
So long story short in the past few days I've spent way too much money. :] Now on to figuring out the inhabitants, I thought about doing a cichlid tank I keep going back and forth, but decided I will very well end up wanting shrimp or some invert in the future and that won't work and I'd like to have some variety although I'm a huge cichlid fan. I'm still contemplating on moving the cardinals over to that tank since they're always hiding, might be nice.
Lastly, tossing between no plants, one plant, or a few plants? I know having plants really is a must in a tank, at least I think so but I'm not sure what might grow well in that tank or what will look good. A moss on the ground, something to cover the surface, one single plant in the center with the driftwood? No idea.
Well I think that's it! :]
unfortunate that your background idea didnt work. you should have glued it to the tank wall before you filled with water. of course this makes a permanent background lol, but thats a good way to prevent it from getting messed up by floating up.
I know what fixture that is, and i am a fan of what it looks like on rimless tanks x)
The Glo series T5 bulbs are IMO very good. I have used them before and the 6700K is perfect for a planted tank. plants love it. of course the Glo bulbs can go on any T5 fixture.
A good rule is to go with two species of plants. one for the background, and a shorter one for the foreground. this creates a very simple and eye-pleasing plant scape. then when you do that and you happen to grow bored of it in a few months, you can always add whatever other plants that will work with your scape. but first I would go with two species only.
I know what fixture that is, and i am a fan of what it looks like on rimless tanks x)
The Glo series T5 bulbs are IMO very good. I have used them before and the 6700K is perfect for a planted tank. plants love it. of course the Glo bulbs can go on any T5 fixture.
A good rule is to go with two species of plants. one for the background, and a shorter one for the foreground. this creates a very simple and eye-pleasing plant scape. then when you do that and you happen to grow bored of it in a few months, you can always add whatever other plants that will work with your scape. but first I would go with two species only.
That was the issue with the background, we spent about 2 days carving styrofoam gluing it down with the silicone stuff, then did 3 or 4 coats of cement, then glued it to the tank -- letting it sit for 24 hours or more after each gluing or coat of cement. Then added water to it and hooked the filter up, and we left to go find substrate finally and came home and the background pulled off the back. Not sure why, so now I have silicone stuck all over the back, I'm trying to pick off, grr.
At least it will still look super nice and I was so excited to find reef sand for the tank, with a neutral pH so it won't raise it. Gorgeous stuff.
I've seen this fixture a lot for the ADA rimless, but they're always suspended above the tank! I'm sure it looks great. I've also been wanting some T5 bulbs, I hear everyone raving about them and I do love them. I like that they have that LED color but aren't LEDs. Just that nice clean white color. I have a 6700k bulb and an 18,000k bulb, which leads me to my next question of it being possible to have too much light on plants? Whether they are low or high light, is it possible to ever have too much?
I like the two species idea, I guess it will be to decide on which species, any suggestions? My substrate is super thin, I'm not sure how well it will hold up in keeping plants rooted, I hope fine..
At least it will still look super nice and I was so excited to find reef sand for the tank, with a neutral pH so it won't raise it. Gorgeous stuff.
I've seen this fixture a lot for the ADA rimless, but they're always suspended above the tank! I'm sure it looks great. I've also been wanting some T5 bulbs, I hear everyone raving about them and I do love them. I like that they have that LED color but aren't LEDs. Just that nice clean white color. I have a 6700k bulb and an 18,000k bulb, which leads me to my next question of it being possible to have too much light on plants? Whether they are low or high light, is it possible to ever have too much?
I like the two species idea, I guess it will be to decide on which species, any suggestions? My substrate is super thin, I'm not sure how well it will hold up in keeping plants rooted, I hope fine..
1. you should have used super glue gel or something stringer than silicone.
2.Reef sand? mostly composed of calcium, it will raise your GH and make your water harder. possibly affecting your pH and making it rise. this is why actual reef sand is used in higher pH tanks such as african cichlid and SW setups.
3.Too much light? as long as it is not something crazy like 7-10+ wpg, youll be ok. 4wpg and more will require pressurized CO2. at 7+ wpg you will need to dose so heavily with ferts and add so much CO2 in order to maintain balance and keep algae off, that you may go bankrupt lol. so there is an issue of money. tank size relates to all this. 40 gal breeder is a fine choice for a planted tank. this tank as any other tank will be fine at something like 3-4 wpg. 4-5 wpg will be good for high light plants.
4. The two species idea is an iwagumi concept, so take a look at iwagumi tank pics and if you like one in particular you can usually find out which species of plants that tank uses.
2.Reef sand? mostly composed of calcium, it will raise your GH and make your water harder. possibly affecting your pH and making it rise. this is why actual reef sand is used in higher pH tanks such as african cichlid and SW setups.
3.Too much light? as long as it is not something crazy like 7-10+ wpg, youll be ok. 4wpg and more will require pressurized CO2. at 7+ wpg you will need to dose so heavily with ferts and add so much CO2 in order to maintain balance and keep algae off, that you may go bankrupt lol. so there is an issue of money. tank size relates to all this. 40 gal breeder is a fine choice for a planted tank. this tank as any other tank will be fine at something like 3-4 wpg. 4-5 wpg will be good for high light plants.
4. The two species idea is an iwagumi concept, so take a look at iwagumi tank pics and if you like one in particular you can usually find out which species of plants that tank uses.
Last edited:
We were thinking that it must have needed something better, I was just following a video someone had posted on here from another source, it was a DIY background. But it's all good.
Yeah, I've read about the pH increase, I bought pH neutral white reef sand, the notice on this substrate was if you are using it for a reef tank or cichlids that a marine buffer would be needed to maintain proper pH. It also said fine for freshwater, so I'm assuming it should be in the clear! Still worried because it's such fine sand.
I will check some of those photos out. I might try to find some more darker colored plants, I have those aponogeton species in the other tank and they are the nice lime like green, but I think it'd be too light for this tank...not sure.
Thanks for all the feedback Newman!
Yeah, I've read about the pH increase, I bought pH neutral white reef sand, the notice on this substrate was if you are using it for a reef tank or cichlids that a marine buffer would be needed to maintain proper pH. It also said fine for freshwater, so I'm assuming it should be in the clear! Still worried because it's such fine sand.
I will check some of those photos out. I might try to find some more darker colored plants, I have those aponogeton species in the other tank and they are the nice lime like green, but I think it'd be too light for this tank...not sure.
Thanks for all the feedback Newman!
Getting the last batch of substrate today!! WOO! I'm SO excited, WAY WAY WAY excited!!
This tank is looking absolutely gorgeous and all it has is like half an inch of sand substrate and two tiny pieces of driftwood and random guppies swimming around.
I'm actually happy that it looks okay without a background, actually looks amazing without a background, the water just cleared up so now I'll have to re-wait for it to clear up after putting in the rest of the substrate to get some pictures. Does anyone have any good suggestions on how to scrap silicone off of the inside of a tank, I have a little spot and it just isn't coming up, I don't want to like razor it or use these scratchy pads...because I don't want them to mess the glass up....any ideas?
Then it's onto the fish choices. I think I'm decided against putting my cardinals in that tank. They still hide and frustrate me but they are so use to the soft RO water and just that tank in general that I'd hate to move a sensitive fish to a brand new place that is TOTALLY different. So we will see what I can find...
This tank is looking absolutely gorgeous and all it has is like half an inch of sand substrate and two tiny pieces of driftwood and random guppies swimming around.
I'm actually happy that it looks okay without a background, actually looks amazing without a background, the water just cleared up so now I'll have to re-wait for it to clear up after putting in the rest of the substrate to get some pictures. Does anyone have any good suggestions on how to scrap silicone off of the inside of a tank, I have a little spot and it just isn't coming up, I don't want to like razor it or use these scratchy pads...because I don't want them to mess the glass up....any ideas?
Then it's onto the fish choices. I think I'm decided against putting my cardinals in that tank. They still hide and frustrate me
but they are so use to the soft RO water and just that tank in general that I'd hate to move a sensitive fish to a brand new place that is TOTALLY different. So we will see what I can find...So we are in business with this tank! Hopefully the 36 gallon makes a comeback.
I have a slight issue, that's halfway frustrating halfway nice. I went to get some Silver Tip Tetras today and asked for 10, it wasn't until I put them in the tank that I realized she had given me 17. Which is awesome for 7 bucks, but not so awesome for my stocking capacity. Although I'm always a bit "over stocked" because that's just how I go, it kind of ruins the groove.
So I have my schools:
Rummy Nose Tetra: 13
Von Rios: 14
Silver Tip Tetra: 17
Black Neon Tetra: 7
Yoyo Loach: 1
Poropanchax normani: 3 (they sold me four yesterday but one that had dopsy, so I returned that one today while getting the Silver Tips)
And my filtration according to AqAd is 92% with the stocking at 85%, excluding the Poropanchax normani because it doesn't list those on there...but it's easy to assume the capacity of 3 killifish.
So a hair overstocked, but a very nice tank so far Oh, one last thing! If you have a light setup that comes with a timer that has outlets so the timer isn't hogging the power socket, just know that when you turn the light out for the night and have other things plugged into the timer, it will shut those off. Woke up to my heater off and tank at 75F from 78F
I have a slight issue, that's halfway frustrating halfway nice. I went to get some Silver Tip Tetras today and asked for 10, it wasn't until I put them in the tank that I realized she had given me 17. Which is awesome for 7 bucks, but not so awesome for my stocking capacity. Although I'm always a bit "over stocked" because that's just how I go, it kind of ruins the groove.
So I have my schools:
Rummy Nose Tetra: 13
Von Rios: 14
Silver Tip Tetra: 17
Black Neon Tetra: 7
Yoyo Loach: 1
Poropanchax normani: 3 (they sold me four yesterday but one that had dopsy, so I returned that one today while getting the Silver Tips)
And my filtration according to AqAd is 92% with the stocking at 85%, excluding the Poropanchax normani because it doesn't list those on there...but it's easy to assume the capacity of 3 killifish.
So a hair overstocked, but a very nice tank so far
Oh, one last thing! If you have a light setup that comes with a timer that has outlets so the timer isn't hogging the power socket, just know that when you turn the light out for the night and have other things plugged into the timer, it will shut those off. Woke up to my heater off and tank at 75F from 78F
