Hi, Returning To Hobby

[DianaFaye]

Hello, all. My name is Diana. I am returning to the hobby and used to check out this forum a while ago, and I could think of no better place to turn to for excellent advice

. I've certainly got a lot of catching up to do..
 
Needless to say, I've been out of commission for quite some time, but I recently just upgraded from a 20H to a 40B. I happened to stumble into Petco during the $1 per gal sale and just could not resist. I've wanted to get back in the hobby for a while, but with my small tank and moving around it just didn't seem like the right time. But now I'm super excited to get this new tank going again! No worries, folks, as eager as I am, I'm taking my time to get set up just right!
 
Currently, my next step is to acquire a hood light, decor, and 2nd filter. I have an AquaClear 30, and (correct me if I'm wrong) I *think* that would be ok temporarily as long as I kept a low stock. I would like to get an AquaClear 20 to get a much needed boost in filtration. I also have an AquaClear powerhead, and am debating getting the quick filter or just scraping it altogether. Also considering some kind of bubble wand, but I want to focus on necessities first.
 
Stockwise, I'd love to hear from you guys as to some of your favorite fish that would be acceptable for a 40gal as I do research. Currently I'm considering neon tetras, white skirt tetras, possibly GloFish (I'm really 50/50.. like the color, but could look "too fake"), possibly some emerald cories, and maybe a gourami or two (dwarf?). I'm toying with the idea of chiclids or rams but I don't know enough about them atm to make a decision yet.  I'm totally open to suggestions here so if anyone has any suggestions for some interesting fish, let me know and I'll be happy to do the research.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Hi Diana! Welcome to the forums!
 
Actually, remember to cycle your tank, read up on that at the top of the forums. If you have a small filter and cycle your tank with it when you add a new filter you can take about 1/3 of that media from the old filter and place it into the new filter. Something called "filter floss" is very good for this.
 
Make sure you have 6 of each of the tetras! Im not good at stocking but I do know if you want a really cute (but very messy ) algae eater you could get an albino bristlnose. Or any bristlenose. They are very messy but I cant help to love them! lol

 

[DianaFaye]

When I do get going, I want to do the fishless cycle. Never tried it before but just seems easier in the long run. Also with the tetras, I wanted to have a small school of 10 or so. Better for them and I like to watch them school. 

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Yay! Good for you going with a fishless cycle! Im doing a fish in cycle now and one of my fish has already passed from eitherammonia or stress. Not sure.

A forty gallon should be able to hold the tetras, and maybe a centerpeice fish as a single fish or a pair. i think that woukd be cool.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

 
Good on you for doing a fishless cycle, it is much better for the fish! If you haven't already, have a read of the cycling link in my signature.
 
For your stocking, you could have...

• A school of Tetras, Rummynoses are cute and you could have a school of about 10, depending on your other stock.
• A school of Corys or Kuhli Loaches. Remember with either of these, they need a sand substrate. 
• A centre piece fish, a Dwarf/Honey Gourami could look really good against the other fish (if you like those fish that is ) 

 
I can't wait to see pics of this tank when its all set up! Make sure to do a journal!

 

[DianaFaye]

Still toying with ideas (so hard to pick from all these fish) but I worked out 2 different tank variations so far. May have to rethink things because I wasn't planning on sand substrate, but here's what I have so far: (note, I could completely change my mind before my final decision lol)
 
Tank option 1:
10 neon tetras
6 white or black skirt tetras
4 emerald green corys
6 rummynose tetra
6 harlequin rasboras
 
Tank option 2:

10 neons tetras
6 black skirt tetras
4 emerald green corys
6 rummynose tetras or harlequin rasboras (leaning towards rummy)
1 moonlight gourami

 
So far I'm liking the idea of having the gourami as a centerpiece fish and may want to go in that direction. I am open to changing up the lineup around that, as I've never had rummy or harlequins before and I'm still tempted by the glofish. Mentally I'm having this fixation on balancing out color ratio and everyone balancing out aesthetically as well as harmoniously. I had briefly considered working around a pair of german rams but after doing some more reading up, there's very little margin for error so I changed my mind.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hi and welcome to this great TFF

To be honest don't think you'll find many fans for Glo fish as they have been genetically modified

However there are Glow Tetras which are natural but nowhere near as colourful as the Glo ones.

have fun in working out what stocking you want, i find that part of things very exciting once a decision has been made and going to LFS with a list in hand ;-)

 

[DianaFaye]

Dug up an old notebook to be used as a journal, as suggested. Currently (mostly so I feel like I'm actually working towards something) I'm listing tank dimensions and other accessories, so I will know what everything is in case of replacements, repairs, etc. *Super* overwhelming and exciting picking out fish, and while I have not made a full decision as to how I'm going to stock, I think (when I get to the fish buying step) I'll start with the moonlight gourami, neon tetras, and emerald corys, since they seem to be the ones I favor most right now. Figured it can't hurt to understock and wait for further inspiration. I do still have a lot of other crucial things to gather (donations accepted 

lol jk) so I have plenty of time to figure things out.
 
Side note- does anyone have any experience with DIY tank projects?? My craftiness is minimal at best, but I'm looking for ways to cut down on cost with decor. Found a neat YouTube clip on making silk plants that seemed simple enough, so I'd figure I'd have a go of it. Lord knows if I don't I'll spend more money on decorations than I will on equipment lol. 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Still toying with ideas (so hard to pick from all these fish) but I worked out 2 different tank variations so far. May have to rethink things because I wasn't planning on sand substrate, but here's what I have so far: (note, I could completely change my mind before my final decision lol)
 
Tank option 1:
10 neon tetras
6 white or black skirt tetras
4 emerald green corys
6 rummynose tetra
6 harlequin rasboras
 
Tank option 2:

10 neons tetras
6 black skirt tetras
4 emerald green corys
6 rummynose tetras or harlequin rasboras (leaning towards rummy)
1 moonlight gourami

 
So far I'm liking the idea of having the gourami as a centerpiece fish and may want to go in that direction. I am open to changing up the lineup around that, as I've never had rummy or harlequins before and I'm still tempted by the glofish. Mentally I'm having this fixation on balancing out color ratio and everyone balancing out aesthetically as well as harmoniously. I had briefly considered working around a pair of german rams but after doing some more reading up, there's very little margin for error so I changed my mind.

 
 
A few comments on each stock list....
 
Stock list one:
All Cory species need a school of at least 6. If you want your Emeralds, you will need to have a bigger school.
One big school of fish looks a lot better than several smaller schools. You could have 15 Neons OR Rummys OR Black/White Skirts OR Harlequins. It would look a lot more appealing.
 
Stock list two:
If you do want to keep the Black/White Skirts, be careful with them and the Moonlight Gourami as the Skirts are often nippy and may stress out the Moonlight to the point of death.
The rest of the comments are the same as above.