# 40 Gallon 1st timer setup



## jsmiller1986 (Oct 7, 2010)

Hello All! Came across this site and I want to thank everyone for such great information you all have here.

I just got home with this tank. Got it on Craigslist for $75.00. It's just the 40 gallon tank and stand, nothing else. Wondering if this was a good deal and if I was better off getting a kit from my local Petsmart??
I am totally new to aquariums but I want to set this up. I realize I'm going to need a filter and hood and lights. Where should I begin? I have a Petsmart down the road... I plan on going there later (after I clean this tank up). I plan on making this one a freshwater.

Any suggestions on exact products I should buy? Also any ideas on the costs?
Thanks!


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Assuming it holds water, you got a pretty decent deal on it. The first thing you want to do before you spend a single penny is fill the tank (preferably outside) and check for any leaks. Be very thorough when looking; make sure the entire outside of the tank is dried off after filling, and leave it for at least a few hours, checking back occasionally to see if there are any leaks.

If you find that it doesn't leak, then congratulations! You're ready to start your first tank. Regardless of the fish you wish to keep in it, every freshwater aquarium is made up of a few simple (but still critical) parts:
*The filter*. This is especially important. Not only does it filter out small particulate matter from the water column (like uneaten food, fish waste, etc.), some also have biological filtration built in, which is a very nice feature.
*The heater*. Again, quite an important piece of equipment. The heater is not so much a tool for keeping the water warm (it is, but that's not the sole function) as it is a tool for keeping the water temperature constant. Fluctuating water temperatures can stress fish out, and stressed fish have tanked immune systems, which can lead to sickness and conversely death.
The brand you buy is ultimately dependent on your budget and the availability in your area, but suffice to say that the more you spend on equipment, generally the better your experience will be. Crap in, crap out as they say. In lieu of going to your local Petsmart, maybe consider buying some of your gear online? Prices are competitive, and the selection is much nicer. No driving, either! I'd suggest Foster and Smith Aquatics. They've served me really well for the last few years, and they have a great selection.

*Filters*:

If you're looking for simplicity, the Whisper EX filters fit the bill. Their construction is good for the price, and they consist of a single filter cartridge with carbon in the middle. Their downfall is the lack of customization when it comes to your filter media. Also keep in mind that the filter cartridge will need to be changed often (every week to two weeks) if you wish to keep the carbon inside it active.

If you're looking for something a little more swanky, and with biological filtration, then the AquaClear power filters will do nicely. Their biggest advantage is the ability to swap out the filter media for different things (zeolite, peat, bio-balls, etc.). They're also quite powerful and filter very well. Prices aren't that much more than the Whispers as well, but if you're not looking to customize your filtration experience, they may not be worth it to you. Also consider the Penguin Bio-Wheel filters. They offer the simplicity of a cartridge filter design, but with a biological filter in the wheel itself. You never change it, and it very rarely needs cleaning, but it makes a big impact on the biological filtration capacity of your filter and your aquarium, and that's never a bad thing at all.

If you wish to go all out and get the cream of the crop, then go with a canister filter, like the Fluval 05-series, Marineland, or Eheim Pro filters. These offer you the maximum of filtration customization, the best filtration capacity and potential, and extended cleaning periods. They're slightly more work to clean, but this is offset by the extended periods between cleaning. They're also more expensive than a power filter, but you get what you pay for in most circumstances. For anything larger than a 30g aquarium, I always recommend a canister filter. If you have money to burn, you can always go with the Fluval G-Series filter. Talk about the Ferrari of aquarium filters!

*Heaters*:

You can spend $15 on a cheap heater at Walmart, but I guarantee it will fail on you at some point in the next year or so. Not only that, but a cheap heater will often fail in the on position, and you'll come home to fish stew. Not good. I've always been a huge fan of the Marineland Stealth heaters, not only for the fact that they blend into a black background _really_ well, but for their shatter-proof construction and automatic shutoff. Breaking a heater is not fun, even more so if your hands are in the aquarium. Breaking one because you left an active heater out of the water is even worse. This brand is nice because it will automatically shut itself off if it detects that it's out of water.

No matter which brand of heater you go with, you should also buy a thermometer of some sort. While most of the good heater brands are quite accurate, almost none have an exact temperature readout on them, and knowing what your precise aquarium temperature is is very handy knowledge. I'd recommend at the very least one of the glass thermometers, or even a digital one with a nice readout. The stick on tank thermometers work alright for a while, but eventually they become more and more inaccurate. Not worth the price of admission, in my opinion.

*Lighting*:

Lighting is less of an important piece of your aquarium, unless you plan on keeping live plants, in which case you will more than likely need to buy better lighting than the standard fluorescent tubes. If there are no live plants in the aquarium, remember: the light is more for you, less for the fish. Assuming a good amount of ambient light in the room from windows, etc., your aquarium does not need the light on all day/night long. This will only cause algae issues, and is stressful for the fish.

I didn't expect this post to be so long, but there you have it. There's more to learn and know about keeping an aquarium, but that's the equipment basics for you in a nutshell. Hope it helps!

*edit* What fish are you looking at keeping in this aquarium?


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## jsmiller1986 (Oct 7, 2010)

Scuff,
Thanks for the very detailed post. I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to write that up. With regards to the filter I will order the Penguin Bio-Wheel 350 and the Marineland Stealth 200W. I did want to keep live plants in the tank. Is a hood necessary or will I just need lights? Also, what kind of lights do you suggets??
I would like a small eel and some Cichilds. Are there any other fish types I can add to this?
Thanks again!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I would add live plants right from the start.

but that's just my .02


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Agreed, live plants will do nothing but help during the cycling process, so that's definitely the time to add them. Being such a tall tank, you'll need another light over it to keep anything above and beyond Java Fern and Java Moss. The Nova Extreme SLR T5-HO fixtures are really nice for the money; you can either use the stock bulbs, or swap them out for these. That'll let you keep most beginning to intermediate stuff, although if you really want to get serious with plants, you'll have to get some more equipment and that's really out of the scope of this thread, I think.

In regards to your fish, keep in mind that even 'small eels' will all generally get too large for your aquarium. They also really need a good amount of soft, small-particle substrate to burrow in. 'Small cichlids' could mean just about anything; can you clarify for us which species you were considering?

And in regards to the heater, I should have mentioned this in my original post, but it's never a bad idea to have two smaller heaters doing the work of one larger one, reasons being that:

A) You get better heating coverage over the entire aquarium.
B) If one happens to fail (it's rare, but it does happen) you have a backup already in the tank.

If you haven't ordered already, I'd suggest at the very least two 100w heaters, preferably two 150w, set at opposite ends of the tank.

What are your tank dimensions, btw?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Maybe not a bad idea on the heaters. Order them online. Petsmart will kill you on price.

FWIW, I have two 125g tanks and use only one 400w heater in each. Winter is coming, so we'll see how that works.


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Well I'm not saying that using one heater is bad. The 10g sitting next to my computer right now only has one heater in it. Think of it more of as insurance.


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