My 40g Living Room Build

Having created build threads for the tanks I've set up since joining Fish Lore, I thought I'd create threads for the tanks set up previously! So, here we go...

After completing the set up of my 55 gallon in the living room at the beginning of the year, I really needed to set up another tank didn't I? So, I pulled the 40 gallon out of storage and got to work on it.

The dimensions of the tank are 36x15x18.

Seeing as though it was going to stand next to the 55g, I wanted a similar look. The back and sides were once again painted black. I also went with the same light coloured gravel substrate on top of an under gravel filter.




Despite seemingly washing the gravel for hours and hours, as soon as I switched the filter on, it was like looking at an aquarium full of cotton wool.




I introduced an internal filter filled with foam and it soon cleared.

I then filled it with some wood and artificial plants, and introduced my first fish. A group of five Zebra Danio.




I seeded the internal filter with media taken from a filter running in my 55g, giving me an instant cycle.

With the temperature set at 23C, I decided on a cooler water 'black and white' theme, introducing fish in the following order.

4 x Panda Corydoras
4 x Otocinclis
3 x Zebra Danio

These were introduced over the period of about two months.

Unfortunately I lost one of the Pandas and one of the Otos only a couple of days after they were introduced in both cases.

However, the biggest fly in the ointment with this tank is my psychotic Electric Blue Ram. If you've read my 55 gallon build thread, you'll know I had to remove him from the 55 gallon because he'd killed his mate, and a Rummy-Nose Tetra, and was gunning for more.

This was the only other tank I could move him to. Before the temperature police get on my back, it's not a permanent solution, and I've increased the temperature in this tank to 25C. I know it's not ideal. I plan on giving him a new home later in the year.

He's still psychotic, chasing the Danios everywhere, but I think they actually enjoy it!

Anyway, now that the tank has been running for over six months, I've made a few improvements.

I've started using live plants tied to rock and wood - Anubias and Java Fern - and am also experimenting with keeping Echinodorus and Cryptocoryne in small pots.

This is how the tank looks at the moment...




I now intend to keep this thread updated with any changes I make to the tank. ️

 

Okay, so I've compiled some s of the tank inhabitants to share with you.

First, one of the eight Zebra Danios that zip around the tank at breakneck speed. I've got an additional three currently in my QT tank that will be joining them soon.




Next up is one of my squad of three Otocinclis.




I've not managed to get a decent picture of any of the Panda Cory's yet, so this one will have to suffice.




And finally, the psychotic Electric Blue Ram that I've named Eric, for no particular reason.




He'll be moving on to a different tank soon, where he'll probably be kept in solitary confinement to curtail his murderous intentions... ️

 

Not the best picture in the world, but I thought I'd share this of my trio of otocinclis dining out on a large slice of cucumber.




I've read that some people have had problems getting their Oto's to eat anything other than algae, but mine love cucumber and even nibble on algae wafers.

What do you feed your guys on?

 

What a beautiful tank. I wish you success. It looks great, I am envious.

 

What a beautiful tank. I wish you success. It looks great, I am envious.

Thank you very much. That's very kind of you to say. I'm just finding my way again after a ten year break from the hobby.

 

Okay, so after sharing an of my three Otocinclis feeding on a slice of cucumber yesterday, I thought I'd post a shot of one of the gang grazing on an algae wafer.




I'm not sure if this is unusual but I've read many times that Oto's will only eat natural algae growing in the aquarium, and wanted to show that it's not always true!

 

Great looking set up. I wish I could get my two Otto's to eat cucumber or zucchini...I've yet to catch them on either n have had em for a few months now...gonna get two more soon ...good luck glad your back in the hobby!!

 

Great looking set up. I wish I could get my two Otto's to eat cucumber or zucchini...I've yet to catch them on either n have had em for a few months now...gonna get two more soon ...good luck glad your back in the hobby!!

Thank you! Mine didn't go for them at first, preferring the algae growing in the tank. However, the troupe soon got rid of 90% of that and eventually started feeding on the bits of cucumber I put in there. Now they ignore the tank algae in preference for the cucumber and algae wafers! Hope you get yours eating veggies soon! ️

 

Thanks so do I although there is never a shortage of a slight film of algae on my glass so as their content with that I'm happy if their happy...I do drop cukes and zucchinI in ..I'm sure they will eventually go for it

 

Thought I'd share a pic of Eric, my Electric Blue Ram. He's been looking particularly pretty recently...




Wish I could find him a large female that he wouldn't be able to bully.

He's going to be moving into my quarantine tank soon (if I can catch him) and will then be moved to his own tank before Christmas hopefully! ️

 

Great tank and amazing photos! Please keep posting

 

Great tank and amazing photos! Please keep posting

Thank you very much! I certainly will!

 

Okay, so I've finally got around to replacing most of the artificial plants with real ones.

Other than the Java Fern, Amazon Sword and Anubias, I've now got tons of Crypts, a few more Marimo Moss balls, and some Hornwort.

Here's how everything looks as of this evening...




As I'm running an under gravel filter in this tank I've individually potted up all of the Crypts. I'm actually pretty pleased that you can't see the pots. I'm hoping they will grow out to fill the back of the tank.

I'm also planning on adding more Hornwort to add a bit more height to the rear.

All in all I'm very happy with how it's looking though. ️

 

Just a quick update to note that I've finally moved the three Zebra Danios that were keeping my QT tank cycled into this tank.

Check out my QT tank thread if you want to see what has replaced them...
My 15 gallon Quarantine Tank Build

️

 

So, in my continuing attempts to replace all of the artificial plants with real ones I've been adding bundles of Elodea recently.

It has grown really rapidly over the few weeks it has been in there. The Zebra Danios seem to love snacking on the leaves too!

I've even been able to take cuttings to move over into other tanks.

Here's what the tank looks like as of this morning...



I'm hoping all of the new growth will help keep my Nitrates in check!

 

Thought I'd do a quick update on my 40 gallon build.

I changed out the Eheim Aquaball based filter for an Eheim Pickup 160. This has a much bigger media capacity, and allows me to squeeze in a NitratEx filter bag to help bring down my Nitrate levels.

Thought I'd post a pic of two of the residents, and probably my favourite Corydoras species, the Pandas...




Don't you just love them?

 

Okay, so here's a quick update.

Firstly, the 40 gallon has a new resident. Meet Goldy, my very unimaginatively named Golden Bristlenose...



I've also added some new plants, mostly Cryptocorynes, which seem to do well in this tank.

However, the Elodea is now all gone after being constantly dined on by the Zebra Danios! Also, the Marimo Moss balls are also being torn apart by the little tykes!

I'll post a full tank shot when I next remember to take a photograph...

 

Love your tank.

I am also a fan of UGFs. and zebra danios to cycle a tank- hardy fish.

 

Love your tank.

I am also a fan of UGFs. and zebra danios to cycle a tank- hardy fish.

Thank you!

Yes, UGF's are very underrated in my opinion. Once you've got one tank cycled, cycling the others is usually a breeze. I tend to run an internal filter with sponge and use that to kick start the cycle in the tank with the UGF.

 

My first 2 tanks have UGFs, just like I ran in the 70s. And I put a UGF in my wife’s 48bf.

My last 4 I went with sponge and small HOBs. All 4 are black sand over organic potting mix. The UGF won’t work. But I have an idea. I’m gonna try a UGF with fine screen material over it, cover with soil, then fine gravel. Plants really like the soil.

 

My first 2 tanks have UGFs, just like I ran in the 70s. And I put a UGF in my wife’s 48bf.

My last 4 I went with sponge and small HOBs. All 4 are black sand over organic potting mix. The UGF won’t work. But I have an idea. I’m gonna try a UGF with fine screen material over it, cover with soil, then fine gravel. Plants really like the soil.

I'm currently running three tanks with UGF's and they're the most stable of the five I currently have setup.

I have live plants in them all, but in the UGF tanks I grow them in small pots. I used to try growing them directly in the substrate but found that the roots eventually made their way beneath the UGF plates and then the plants started to die off.

I like your idea of using a fine screen material. Tag me in your thread if you decide to post about it!

 

Still learning here. How long did it take your plants to start dying with the UGF?

I have a huge melon sword that is 30” high I just cut a couple of leaves off of tonight because they weren’t doing well. But the other 5 swords are fine. It’s gravel with root tabs.

I did think the nutrients in the root tabs might get sucked down by the filter instead of providing nutrients to the plants.

My plants have been in for 3-5 months.

 

Still learning here. How long did it take your plants to start dying with the UGF?

I have a huge melon sword that is 30” high I just cut a couple of leaves off of tonight because they weren’t doing well. But the other 5 swords are fine. It’s gravel with root tabs.

I did think the nutrients in the root tabs might get sucked down by the filter instead of providing nutrients to the plants.

My plants have been in for 3-5 months.

This was quite a few years ago during my first stint of fish keeping, but if I remember correctly, it took just under a year. I guess it depends on how fast growing the plants are.

I've never been able to grow Swords, and usually stick with low light favourites such as Crypts.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if the roots do get beneath the UGF plates, they'll restrict the flow of the filter, and make it less effective.

I wouldn't worry too much about the root tabs as the nutrients will remain in the water column and be used by the plants.

 

I will try the “dirty” tank with screen over the UGF soon and post about it.

Thinking the screen will keep roots from getting into the filter too.

 

I will try the “dirty” tank with screen over the UGF soon and post about it.

Thinking the screen will keep roots from getting into the filter too.

Great! I'm looking forward to seeing how you set it up. Yes, if the screen material is fine enough it should keep the roots out of the filter.

 

Thought I'd do a quick update on this tank as it's been a while.

Plants are still growing nicely, fish are doing really well and mostly getting on with each other, parameters are all under control.

Vacuuming gravel twice a month in conjunction with changing the NitratEx bag in the internal filter once every three months seems to keep nitrate levels below 20ppm.

Eric the Electric Blue Ram is still King of the tank and can be a bit of a bully, especially when the Cory's intrude on his territory. However, he is handsome, and the Cory's are tough little guys, so I forgive him...



I keep forgetting to take a full tank shot but will update thread when I finally get around to taking one!

 

Okay, so I finally got around to taking a full tank shot! Didn't realise how many stubborn brown algae patches were on the front glass until I zoomed in on the photo! Will need to get my razor blade out during the next water change!



The Cryptocorynes and Anubias are doing very well, but every time I try and introduce a taller plant, such as Elodea, the Zebra Danios nibble on it and it snaps into pieces!

I may end up adding a couple of artificial plants just to get a bit more height into the scape.

Otherwise fish are doing fine, although as you can see, Eric the Electric Blue Ram is still chasing the Cory's about.

 

Love the tank. Very beautiful!

 

Love the tank. Very beautiful!

Thank you very much!

 

Nothing much happening in this tank at the moment, but its been a while since I posted an update...

Tank has been up and running for over 18 months now and fish and plants are mostly doing well.

I think I've lost an Oto but have never found a body, so I may not have! I haven't seen more than three of the four together in quite a while though.

Recent additions to the plant life include a Crinum bulb that is growing particularly well.

I've been considering adding to my group of Panda Cory's, but as the tank is nicely balanced at the moment probably won't...



So, I think I'm quite content with this setup for the time being!

 

Eek! I had an air pump failure at the weekend which was worrying.

I had been using a Hailea 600lph adjustable 4-port pump to power the four uplift tubes of my under gravel filter.

Luckily I had a spare Eheim 200 adjustable 2-port pump to keep the UGF ticking over until today when I complimented it with a new Eheim 400.

Thankfully the residents haven't suffered although I've been performing daily water changes just in case I lost some of my nitrifying bacteria.

The best thing is that the two Eheim pumps are considerably quieter than the single Hailea one!

I have a similar pump powering the UGF in my 55 gallon and am now considering replacing it with another two Eheim pumps which will make my living room almost silent!

 

After the excitement that the failed air pump caused at the end of last year, this tank has been ticking over really nicely.

I thought I'd just keep this thread up to date with a pic of some of the inhabitants...



Goldy, the Golden Bristlenose is getting larger, and I'm pretty sure it's a female as there are no obvious bristles on the nose.

She, and one of my Oto's absolutely love their cucumber!

The Zebra Danios, Panda Cory's and the terror that is Eric the Electric Blue Ram are all doing well too...

 

Whoops, I meant to add a shot of the whole tank in my previous post but forgot, so here it is...



I've trimmed back all of the greenery recently and have added a second Crinum calamistratum bulb, which is probably my favourite aquatic plant at the moment!

Other than that this tank ticks over really nicely with weekly water changes and monthly gravel vacuums...

 

Love it!!

 

Love it!!

Thank you very much!

 

With my Zebra Danios getting a bit long in the tooth now I decided to add some new young blood to their numbers.

An additional 3 have been added to the tank and are already sparring with the original Danio crew!

 

Nice tank and Eric is handsome .

 

Nice tank and Eric is handsome .

Thank you! He is but he's also a bit of a terror!

 

Gosh, I only trimmed the plants back a month ago and they're shooting away again...



Must be doing something right!

 

Okay, so I thought it was time for some fishy pics!

First up is the tank boss, Eric, the Electric Blue Ram...



Next up is one of the Zebra Danios, the speed merchants of the tank, with their racing stripes...



Next, an Otocinclus, grazing on an algae wafer...



Finally, there's Goldy, my female Golden Bristlenose, excavating a cave beneath a log...



The only other inhabitants are a couple of Panda Cory's that I never seem to be able to get a decent picture of!