40 breeder setup

[starsman20]

Since one of these showed up in my car somehow during the dollar gallon sale i figured I'd document the build.

1st step assembled stand
1st question: my other tanks are mostly on stands i picked up at wallys and put a piece of phenolic over. Since this one is supposed to be exactly the right size should I do that again? And if so should/can I make it a few inches wider on either side to have a little shelf? 2nd pic shows tbe phenolic under a 20 long.

[Andy's Fish Den]

You sure could get a piece of plywood that is a little largers and put on the stand then set the tank on that and have a little shelf. 

[starsman20]

I think I will cut the phenolic at least 12 - 18 inches wide.  I am thinking I will put some potted plants on it.  I can get the phenolic free, it is 1" thick, and at least 100X stiffer/stronger than plywood.  Same stuff they make bowling alleys out of.  We use it for cnc router table tops.

Has anyone over sized their lighting to light plants outside of the aquarium?  say put a 48" light over a 36" tank? 

[starsman20]

Here is the phenolic on top. I am going tp plant out of water planters on the wings.
Ordered a 36" fluval light and a couple of sponge filters today from the coop.

[starsman20]

I've moved stuff around and have it the location I want. Its been leveled and is ready for a water test. I've put a lily on one of the wings with a grow light as a test. If it works both sides will get 2 pots of plants. Still have no idea on what fish are going to be stocked. Also added a small stand in front of it, right side of photo, to move darth bettas tank to so he won't be in the corner anymore.

[starsman20]

Leak test
Lily bloom.

[starsman20]

As I decide fish I think this one needs to be full tap water. Mixing RO in this volume will be difficult. I did another base test. Ph 8.3. Kh 10. Gh 8. That us a little less gh and kh than i have measured before. Ph is consistant but i will measure again after it sits for a day. I think swordtails will be ok. Other suggestions for stocking?

[SWilson]

I have similarly high PH and hard tap water, I have endlers livebearers and they do well (too well - I'm now overstocked lol). I have also been able to keep the neocaridina dwarf shrimp - though I try to source from similar water, and the first time I tried keeping them, it was a total loss - I think my tank was too new or I messed up the drip acclimation process.  Second time has done better.  Never tried crystal shrimp.  We also keep dwarf african frogs and mystery, japanese trap door, and ramshorn snails.  

We're lucky to have access to a couple LFS's with similar water parameters.  I learned from the legendary co-owner of Ocean Aquarium in San Francisco that pH changes are a "silent killer" of fish, so if you're sourcing from places with different parameters, it's important to slowly drip acclimate and not put the fish in the tank until the pH in their acclimation cup is the same as the pH in the tank.  

I think some african cichlids do well/require in high ph water as well (though I've never kept them so I defer to people with real experience).  That size could be a cool set up for colony breeding multies.  I think those are awesome.  Here's another recent thread on them: 

Anyway, have lots of fun!  I'm currently experiencing not-buyers remorse from not snagging one of those during the $ per gallon sale, and now keep shopping online for them but haven't found a good deal.  

 

[starsman20]

I like planted tanks do I was discounting cyclids but maybe I should reconsider

[starsman20]

Added eco complete substrate. A piece of wood and some dragon stone. Wood will get some plants on it. Moved 1 sponge filter over, added 2 50w heaters controlled by an inkbird. Dropped in some valisneri and a crypt that came from the batch of 5. Fluval 107 hooked up and tested nut not running yet. Ran out or ro water. Per lfs instructions I did not rinse the eco complete do I hope it doesn't stay cloudy too long. Still have not decided stocking.

[starsman20]

Painted background with black plasti dip Added a glass top. The wood has given the water a teaish tint. Hopefully it will water change out. Water test has ammonia Nitrite and nitrate so its on the way. Adding 20 drops ammonia per day for fishless cycle. Still haven't decided fish yet. Thinking of putting an anubias in the crook of the wood.

[starsman20]

Water test this morning. Cycle is progressing. Added a few more plants.

[starsman20]

I've wasted the morning looking for fish.  

This could be the plan

6-8 black skirt tetra
6-8 cherry barbs
1 pearl gourami
1 bristelnose pleco
1 male swordtail
2 to 3 female swordtail
6 to 8 corys of some sort

Maybe a betta.

Too many?  Thoughts on the mix?

 

 

[anewbie]

Not really an expert on barbs but i would double check if the cherry would nip the gourmi or betta. I forget - some of the barbs are very peaceful and some are famous at nipping.

-

[CorydorasEthan]

1 hour ago, starsman20 said:

I've wasted the morning looking for fish.  

This could be the plan

6-8 black skirt tetra
6-8 cherry barbs
1 pearl gourami
1 bristelnose pleco
1 male swordtail
2 to 3 female swordtail
6 to 8 corys of some sort

Maybe a betta.

Too many?  Thoughts on the mix?

 

 

Great stocking plan, with only a few concerns on my part:

• Make sure the pearl gourami is very peaceful. In my experience, gouramis (like the dwarf and pearls) are peaceful, but will be pretty aggressive/territorial during feeding. They often will swim to the bottom of the tank and eat the sinking wafers (after eating the flakes provided) and nip the cories and other bottom dwellers away from their own food. Keep in mind that I have only had males, and gouramis all have different personalities, so this may just be unique to my experience.
• Bristlenose plecos can be quite food aggressive as well, but other than that, they are great algae eaters.
• Fin nipping: Cherry barbs are actually one of the more peaceful barbs. They are one of the few that do not fin nip. I heard black skirt tetras might though, but I have seen them kept with bettas and gouramis just fine.
• Just an opinion: a group of small schooling fish to contrast with the medium ones (cherry barbs) and the large ones (black skirt tetras) would look great. Something like neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, or similar fish would probably work out fine.
• One more thing (I'm just curious): what kind of Corydoras do you plan on?

I hope this helps, and good luck!

[FrozenFins]

I wouldnt do a betta, the gourami and male swordtail will nip their fins off. I also wouldnt do any female swordtails, that seems like too much of an agressive tank for female swordtails.

Personally I would do either the male swordtail or the gourami.

[starsman20]

1 hour ago, CorydorasEthan said:

Great stocking plan, with only a few concerns on my part:

• Make sure the pearl gourami is very peaceful. In my experience, gouramis (like the dwarf and pearls) are peaceful, but will be pretty aggressive/territorial during feeding. They often will swim to the bottom of the tank and eat the sinking wafers (after eating the flakes provided) and nip the cories and other bottom dwellers away from their own food. Keep in mind that I have only had males, and gouramis all have different personalities, so this may just be unique to my experience.
• Bristlenose plecos can be quite food aggressive as well, but other than that, they are great algae eaters.
• Fin nipping: Cherry barbs are actually one of the more peaceful barbs. They are one of the few that do not fin nip. I heard black skirt tetras might though, but I have seen them kept with bettas and gouramis just fine.
• Just an opinion: a group of small schooling fish to contrast with the medium ones (cherry barbs) and the large ones (black skirt tetras) would look great. Something like neon tetras, harlequin rasboras, or similar fish would probably work out fine.
• One more thing (I'm just curious): what kind of Corydoras do you plan on?

I hope this helps, and good luck!

I have neons and harlequin rasboras in other tanks so I don't want to duplicate.   I could drop the gourami ok.  I wouldn't do another dwarf.  Had one die of DGD and it was not fun.  If I did the betta it would have been a female. I am more inclined to keep the swordtails (both M and F) and try to breed them than keep some of the other ones. 

Maybe swordtails, the bristlenose pleco, , and of course the corys.  I have Julli (trilineas) and Bronze in other tanks so not those.  Maybe panda or albino aS the substrate is black and that might look cool.    It's eco complete now but I have a delivery of the black sand to put on top waiting at home right now.   I probably could put in another live bearer as well like platys or mollies instead of the cherry barbs. 

 

 

[CorydorasEthan]

3 minutes ago, starsman20 said:

I have neons and harlequin rasboras in other tanks so I don't want to duplicate.   I could drop the gourami ok.  I wouldn't do another dwarf.  Had one die of DGD and it was not fun.  If I did the betta it would have been a female. I am more inclined to keep the swordtails (both M and F) and try to breed them than keep some of the other ones. 

Maybe swordtails, the bristlenose pleco, , and of course the corys.  I have Julli (trilineas) and Bronze in other tanks so not those.  Maybe panda or albino aS the substrate is black and that might look cool.    It's eco complete now but I have a delivery of the black sand to put on top waiting at home right now.   I probably could put in another live bearer as well like platys or mollies instead of the cherry barbs. 

 

 

For the schooling fish then maybe different tetras would work? Things that come to mind are glowlight, lemon, pristella (x-ray), rosy, bleeding heart, and black neon tetras.

For the cories, I agree albino and panda cories would both pop on a black substrate. Other species that would work well include the habrosus cories, pygmy cories, skunk cories, and pretty much anything else that is a tan or white rather than a gray. I found the peppered cories are sometimes pretty hard to see on the black substrate. I would figure the same goes for sterbai cories.

Finally, you could certainly do both the cherry barbs and the platies/mollies. Be careful as the male swordtails though, as they might get aggressive towards the other livebearers.

[starsman20]

Added 1 bag of flourite black sand on top of the eco complete. Probably need 1 more.

[starsman20]

Tried to get a photo but they are too small. First signs of life. A few small bladder snails and a bunch of white things that I think are copepods.

[starsman20]

Went to the lfs to get fish. They only had 1 on my entire list. Albino bristlenose pleco. Here it is in qt.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I ended up getting my fish online from The Wet Spot in Portland. prices and selection were reasonable and fast shipping. I’ve also done business with aquahuna and was pleased with the results. That flat rate for shipping is awesome. Love going to the LFS as they are on same city water but not always possible.  I got cherry barbs and black phantom tetras. Agree with @CorydorasEthanyou'll have no issues with the cherry barbs once you source them.  Beautiful pleco!

[starsman20]

Update time

Probably against my better judgement I've added fish with just a few days in qt. They all came from the same place and All seem to be good. The bristlenose pleco is munching away on all the surfaces. I have added 5 swordtails. Asked for 1 male and 4 female. Turns out there was a tiny sword on one of the ones we thought was female. It didn't take 2 hours for the males to start fighting so now my 36bf has a male swordtail as well. There were black fin tetras in the same tank and those were on my list so I picked up 8 of them. I moved a few mystery snails over as well.

2 of the unknown bulbs are duds i think. The third turns out to be what looks like an onion. I will probably just pitch it.

I have a "Windelov" Java Fern to add from my coop delivery yesterday.  There was some montecarlo in the shipment as well but that is going in the shrimp tank I am setting up for my office.  The four little sword looking plants came from the 36bf. I don't remember what they were called but it shot off a runner with 6 little plants so I put them in the new tank. The dwarf hairgrass came from the lfs. I am hoping it will fill in the front right corner.  i also moved one of the crypts out of the planter. The only fish I will add will be 10 to 12 corys in about a month because, after all, is it really a community tank without cories?

I am really happy with the way this is coming together.  I really like the look of the black sand and the black background plus it was a lot easier than printing the background like I have done before.