Setting up a 40 gallon aquarium....?

Question

We bought a 40 gallon tank and Im wanting to know what all I will need to set it up. (I know basic things, we have a 55 gallon and a 10 gallon with various turtles in them...) Im really just looking for a list of things.. it will be freshwater.

Answer 1

The normal stuff. Heater, good filtration including biological through a sponge filter or wheel on something like a Penguin filter. For a forty you might want to consider two different sources. Know the type of water you have so you can have the proper chemicals to deal with your own water conditions (hard, chlorinated, etc.).

A good source for information is wetwebmedia.com They have both salt and freshwater sections with tons of questions and information.

Answer 2

For a 40 gallon tank i would suggest a canister filter for a 75-120 gallon aquarium. Or a Fluval 305, Eheim 2224, or Eheim ,2215, 2217, a Rena Xp3 or Xp4, or a Cascade 1000, 1200, or a Marineland Magnum 350 Pro system(on sale at http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3595&N=2004+22777 ) and i would suggest a Aqua Clear 50 for added filtration. For a heater i would suggest a Marineland Visi therm Stealth 200watt most accurate heater out there. If you want live plants you would want a compact florescent light. if you just wanted plastic plants i just go with a florescent light. if you want plants you will need 2-4 watts per gallon. you will need gravel about 40 pounds. A net. Decor. Some Stress Coat, some Amquel or Prime to declorinate the water. stress coat reduces stress and replaces fish slime. A test kit. And a quality fish food, tetra, hikari, hbh. A glass top. good luck

Just so you know i have a 900 gallon tanks so i know what im talking about.

Answer 3

The first thing I would suggest is a decent aquarium book. It will review the basics with you and should take you to the next level of equipment and fish selection. Plus, it's a good reference for later as questions come to mind. Until you can get one, try googling basic aquarium set up, aquarium maintenance and aquarium keeping. Those will give you some good ideas before you hit the pet shop and get swamped with stuff you don't understand or need. it's really too much to put in a quick answers post, but the info you need is all over the web and even better, found at your local book store or pet shop that sells books.

Best of luck to you!

MM

Answer 4

My suggestions are only for the fish types:: a couple of kissing fish, an angel fish, a couple of albino catfish, two or three coolly loaches and one pacostomas. And a few neon's. The catfish are busy cleaners. The coolly loaches clean corners and are snake like and can get into hard areas to clean. And the pacostomas are a sucking fish that attaches to the glass of the tank and is awesome to watch because they look prehistoric. Have fun.