Freshwater Fish for 40 gallon tank

[FishLover166]

I'm looking to get fish, and a 40 gallon freshwater tank. I'm thinking of getting:
-4 guppies
-10 dwarf neon rainbows
-4 pearl gourami
-2 dwarf petricola
-4 black or neon tetras
-5 panda corys
I really love colorful fish, and I would like suggestions and if anyone thinks this is good.

 

[mcordelia]

Do you know what your water parameters are for water that comes out of your tap / do you have plans to alter your water hardness to specific levels?

From the looks of your list, guppies and rainbows thrive in hard water, but most tetras and many cories prefer softer water, so you may be running into a situation where you won't be able to generate water parameters that best suit all the fish on your list.

another thing to consider is that many of the species you listed do better in larger groups, especially tetras and cories should be kept in groups of 6 or bigger.

With a 40gal tank you have a good amount of space to play with, so once you figure out your water parameters we can figure out a good set of fish to go with that, that are more likely to thrive instead of just survive If you don't have a water hardness test kit, your water supply company should have the information posted on their website or in their "annual water quality report"

 

[FishLover166]

I can take out the tetras, and I don't have chlorine bc i don't have tap its from a well.

 

[mcordelia]

You should be able to take a sample of your tap water to a local pet store and ask them to test for the hardness (ask specifically for KH and GH, and ask them to give you the numbers instead of just saying its "fine"). Without the hardness, it is really difficult to tell what fish will do best in your water. In general, most well water is considered "soft", but there are certain regions in north america where well water comes out as "liquid rock", so it's impossible for me to be able to tell without more information what kind of fish are best suited for your setup.

 

[FishLover166]

I can buy a declorinator if that's what you mean.

 

[FishLover166]

But all I'm asking is do those fish do well together and is there enough room

 

[mcordelia]

If your well water doesn't have chlorine then you do not need dechlorinator.

Fish that come from similar water parameters is a minimum requirement for fish to do well together. As an aquarist, you are often more successful if those water parameters additionally match your tap water, since it is less effort for you to make the water "fit" your fish.

I am trying to help you decide what fish to keep, but in order for anyone here on the forum to be able to do so, it will be useful if you are able to get your water tested for things like hardness and ph so that we can help you determine what the best fish for your water are.

You can also wait for someone who is more experienced than I am to come along and comment on this thread, but I am trying to save the experienced people some effort in asking you for your water parameters, since they will need that information as well.

 

[Retired Viking]

I have both soft water and hard water tanks. I use RO water to soften my hard water for my tetras and cory. Fish kept in the wrong level of water hardness do not live as long as they do in the correct level. I would avoid neon tetras until your tank is more stable (6 months or so) they tend to be more sensitive to changes in water chemistry.

 

[ClownLurch]

I can buy a declorinator if that's what you mean.

No a dechlorinator is different to water testing kits.

Water is hard or soft depending on its magnesium and calcium count in parts per million (ppm). Mine over here is very hard at 340ppm which means only fish breeds that have evolved in hard water areas over millions(?) of years will thrive in it.
Putting hard water or soft water fish in the same tank means some of em are not living a long and fruitful life.....the quicker they die the quicker you have to spend more money replacing them.

A local pet store should be able to test your water and give you the ppm from a sample.

 

[ClownLurch]

But all I'm asking is do those fish do well together
and is there enough room

if you give us the tank dimensions we can at least start from that point.

 

[FishLover166]

Dimensions: 48x12x16 (LxWxH)
I'm going to get a water testing kit, is that what you mean?

 

[mcordelia]

the typical dimensions for 40gal tanks sold in the US are:

40 gallon Breeder	36″ x 18″ x 16″	458 lbs
40 gallon Long	48″ x 12″ x 16″	455 lbs

so the tank is approximately 90-120cm long x 45-30cm wide

 

[mcordelia]

yes. if you buy the API master test kit, you will additionally have to buy the API KH/GH test kit, since it is not bundled together. Those are the most commonly used test kits in the hobby.

also sorry for the double post on measurements, you literally posted the same minute I did!

 

[Essjay]

What everyone is talking about is hardness, also called GH - the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water. Rivers and lakes can have a lot of calcium & magnesium, and this is hard water. others have only a small amount of calcium & magnesium, and this is soft water. Fish can come from either hard or soft water and their bodies have evolved to cope with that type.
Fish from hard water have evolved so they excrete most of the minerals they take in from the water. if they are kept in soft water they continue to excrete the minerals but there aren't enough in soft water to replace them so they suffer calcium deficiency and get sick more easily.
Fish from soft water have evolved to hang on to the few minerals in soft water. If they are kept in hard water, they still hang onto minerals - too many of them and they get calcium deposits in their kidneys.

We should aim to keep fish which come from water similar to our tap water. Since hardness doesn't change in a fish tank unless you deliberately do something to change it, you don't need to buy a GH (hardness) tester. As mcordelia suggested, take sample of your tap water to an LFS and ask them to test it for GH - and make sure they give you a number.
Do you have your well water tested to make sure it's OK to drink? That report might contain your hardness.


Of the fish in your list:
-4 guppies - hard water
-10 dwarf neon rainbows - soft to hard
-4 pearl gourami - soft ( and 1 male, 3 female)
-2 dwarf petricola - hard (and a group of at least 4)
-4 black or neon tetras - soft (and you need at least 6 with more being better)
-5 panda corys - soft



You will need a test kits which tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. They are necessary for cycling the tank before you get fish.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[mcordelia]

@essjay question for you - are there instances where hardness does change? My city water report lists hardness as a pretty wide range, and I am assuming that is probably due to seasonal variation from rains/farm runoff? Our water unfortunately comes from a river, so maybe that is more prone to fluctuations than for example a well like OP has?

in the bigger picture (unrelated to OP's question here), are there any special considerations for fish that need to be taken if the tap water fluctuates in hardness? would that be a situation where I should be checking it periodically with a GH kit? Would it limit fish species that I should look into (aka, should I focus on fish species that are designated "hardy" vs "sensitive" if the water has seasonal variation)?