# Ideas for new 40 gallon tank



## Bbedford (Dec 27, 2010)

Just got. New 40 gallon square tank. Nothing in it. Filled it with cycles water from a change of my 160 tank. I wanna get something different, thinking one species tank. Any ideas before I do what I normally do and just get an assorted tropical? Parrotfish? Africans? Thought?


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I would go with smaller fish as there isnt that much swimming room, maybe tetras or something like that


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Yellow Lab cichlids. African cichlids are great to breed in a tank of that size, especially if you get 6 juvis and raise them up. You could do a mudskipper aquarium, they are brackish though, maybe crabs?


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

you cannot have yellow labidochromis in a tank that is smaller than 50gal and 120cm in length. and this is the case with most (if not all) african mbuna and haps.

what are the dimensions of your tank? I guess you can only go with small fish like guppies etc or at most some goldfish. of course you can always go marine!


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

cycle the filter you are going to use in the old tank. Used water holds very little bacteria.


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

for species only i say go tiger barbs. i love looking at them in the LFS. Just too bad i have a community tank and they dont play friendly. they are attractive and fun to watch i tells ya.


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## Dman (May 1, 2012)

Every try discus? Just ran down stairs n snapped this pic,








I got them all from dragons for 10$ each n a couple from the board for 10$ each


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Vangelis21 said:


> you cannot have yellow labidochromis in a tank that is smaller than 50gal and 120cm in length. and this is the case with most (if not all) african mbuna and haps.
> 
> what are the dimensions of your tank? I guess you can only go with small fish like guppies etc or at most some goldfish. of course you can always go marine!


You are incorrect in your statement. You SHOULDN'T put some species in a smaller tank, however if he's doing a breeding stock of a species only, then it's not uncommon to see.

People use 20gallon longs to spawn african cichlids. Also goldfish are hardly ideal as they have the same basic rules as marine fish. 1in per 2 gallons due to waste output. A goldfish needs 10gallons alone and 10 gallons therein after. 3 goldfish? Hardly appealing...

Cichlids are fine in a 40gallon aquarium, the depth gives them more room than your standard 55gallon (36x18 opposed to 12x48).

I myself have used a 40gallon to breed peacock cichlids very successfully, I've also used it for turtles, african clawed frogs, oscars, bichirs etc.

Just because somebody says you can't doesn't mean you can't.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Ryan.Wilton said:


> You are incorrect in your statement. You SHOULDN'T put some species in a smaller tank, however if he's doing a breeding stock of a species only, then it's not uncommon to see.
> 
> People use 20gallon longs to spawn african cichlids. Also goldfish are hardly ideal as they have the same basic rules as marine fish. 1in per 2 gallons due to waste output. A goldfish needs 10gallons alone and 10 gallons therein after. 3 goldfish? Hardly appealing...
> 
> ...


We have a 40g tank right? So unless this has 1,20cm in length you cannot and should not and must not put yellow labs in it. they need the space and more importantly the length to swim.

Goldfish: if he has a 40g tank he can easily put 3-4 goldfish in there.

Lastly, when someone says you CAN'T he doesn't mean that you are unable to or that you will fail. He means that it is BAD for the health of the fish.

Try to put yellow labs, other mbuna or haps in smaller than necessary tanks and they will change their behaviour, they will not grow the way and as much as they should and they may develop problems.

FIRST we care about the health of the fish and THEN about what we would like to have


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Have you seen a LFS or BA Vangelis? Have you seen somebody's basement who breeds. You can complain all you want but the fact is that people will keep fish in tanks they feel like. Especially if breeding said fish. 

A smaller tank works better for a breeding setup (hints why a 40gallon in commonly known as a 40gallon- breeder tank) as it enables less space for the breeding pairs to run away from each other, whilst at the same time having plenty of footprint for the fish to swim.

40 gallons are recommended over you standard 55gallons which are 4ft long but only 12" deep. I understand your concern for the fish, however the width of the 40gallon is much better and more recommended than that of the 55, which would suit your standards.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Ryan.Wilton said:


> Have you seen a LFS or BA Vangelis? Have you seen somebody's basement who breeds. You can complain all you want but the fact is that people will keep fish in tanks they feel like. Especially if breeding said fish.
> 
> A smaller tank works better for a breeding setup (hints why a 40gallon in commonly known as a 40gallon- breeder tank) as it enables less space for the breeding pairs to run away from each other, whilst at the same time having plenty of footprint for the fish to swim.
> 
> 40 gallons are recommended over you standard 55gallons which are 4ft long but only 12" deep. I understand your concern for the fish, however the width of the 40gallon is much better and more recommended than that of the 55, which would suit your standards.


1) I don't complain. i am stating some facts
2) I never spoke about breeding (not that it changes anything)
3) When we deal with mbuna and haps we don't care about width or height, but only about length.
4) I personally care about the fish's health. Now if you or anyone else doesn't and prefers to keep any fish he likes in any kind of environment, I cannot do anything about it.

I don't even understand why we are arguing. I say A, all fora and books in the world say A, you say B. It is a matter of opinion.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Vangelis21 said:


> 1) I don't complain. i am stating some facts
> 2) I never spoke about breeding (not that it changes anything)
> 3) When we deal with mbuna and haps we don't care about width or height, but only about length.
> 4) I personally care about the fish's health. Now if you or anyone else doesn't and prefers to keep any fish he likes in any kind of environment, I cannot do anything about it.
> ...


1) You started the complaining.
2) the OP stated breeding as an idea (hints why I said breeding the whole fing time)
3)This is not true. Width of an aquarium is more important the the overall length of an aquarium. a 48'X12" aquarium gives you a blueprint of 576 sq. inches, a 36x18 aquarium gives you 648 sq.inches. More room and therefore a better ability to control territorial disputes.
4)I agree, a matter of opinion is all that is stated. However when you offer a condescending view on a persons suggestions, you've asked for said person to condescend your views


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Ryan.Wilton said:


> 1) You started the complaining.
> 2) the OP stated breeding as an idea (hints why I said breeding the whole fing time)
> 3)This is not true. Width of an aquarium is more important the the overall length of an aquarium. a 48'X12" aquarium gives you a blueprint of 576 sq. inches, a 36x18 aquarium gives you 648 sq.inches. More room and therefore a better ability to control territorial disputes.
> 4)I agree, a matter of opinion is all that is stated. However when you offer a condescending view on a persons suggestions, you've asked for said person to condescend your views


1) complain means to express dissatisfaction about a situation. I just corrected something that someone said!
2) where exactly do you see that???
3) nope, you need LENGTH, because fish swim in LENGTH, so they need to swim, therefore they need LENGTH. ALSO many mbuna and haps are aggressive so they need to have their territories so more space left and right, therefore LENGTH
4) well, i was trying to be polite. The well being of fish and their health is not a matter of opinion. yellow labs need at least 55g and 1,20 meters of length. this is an non debatable fact


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Vangelis21 said:


> 1) complain means to express dissatisfaction about a situation. I just corrected something that someone said!
> 2) where exactly do you see that???
> 3) nope, you need LENGTH, because fish swim in LENGTH, so they need to swim, therefore they need LENGTH. ALSO many mbuna and haps are aggressive so they need to have their territories so more space left and right, therefore LENGTH
> 4) well, i was trying to be polite. The well being of fish and their health is not a matter of opinion. yellow labs need at least 55g and 1,20 meters of length. this is an non debatable fact


1 and only... the hell with argueing I complemented your tanks leave me alone  second I saw he wanted a species tank... I could only assume that'd be for breeding reasons as... well it's bound to happen in a species tank lol. Now stop jumping on the post and I will too... Both of us are being childish.

Just for fun... Yellow labs needing the length could be debated to an extreme... Neither of us are fish, nor freshwater biologists or icktologists. So realistically neither of us can verify this data. A book is great, but I have books at home that recommend a wide tank for African Cichlids. A narrow one for Danios and schooling fish and something in between for everything else.... A book is just a blog with a price tag


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

all depends in individual fish, larger fast swimming fish need more length imo. Less active fish can be in shorter tanks. We all have our own opinion. I wil be using 10 gallon tanks and16 x 23 inch 25 gallon tanks for breeding and grow out, but these are mostly small fish.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

The whole thing with Van and I there was....


We were having a Pis*ing contest


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