Various Equipment Questions for a 40 Gallon Breeder

Hello everyone!

I'm looking to gain some information on equipment for a 40 gallon breeder. I have a 10 gallon tank right now so this will be a big jump for me and I want to iron out as many things as possible before I dive into it. As for scaping, I feel confident in my little experience with pool filter sand, driftwood and hopefully some cool stones to create that effectively. I have also settled on using two AquaClear 50's for filtration as I feel a bit more confident with HOB filters and like the idea of a more equal flow across the tank.

My main questions fall on heating, lids and lights. I see people going different directions when it comes to wattage of heaters and whether or not they use a single heater or two. From my understanding, I need 200 W for a tank of this size? I'm also not very knowledgeable in brands so I see a million different heaters and don't fully know what I should be looking for design wise.

I've realized that lids are very expensive. Messing around with a 10 gallon tank, I've realized that lids with built in lights are very annoying cost wise and terrible for adjusting with plants and algae. I want to make a clear lid so I can have an adjustable light above it for easier control with the plants. It seems that hardware stores can cut a pane of glass to fit those dimensions? Is this still cost effective?

Lighting is a very big grey area for me. I only have the 10 gallon kit with a fixed LED to the lid. It has worked well with moss, swords and anubias but the main issue has stemmed from not being able to move the LEDs to control algae growth. This is fine but now I have no idea what to look for when buying a light for this 40 gallon. Amazon has so many options and I don't know what to look for regarding wattage and PAR. I know I want to stick with plants like swords, java ferns, anubias nana/petite and more moss. What sort of lighting should I be looking for with these types of plants?

Thank you for reading to this point! I just want to get all these things in order before setting out on this adventure. As long as this goes well, I'm sure I'll be back with a lot of stocking options.

 

Hi there!

So, I mostly have smaller tanks, so I can't really help with the wattage of the heater nor how many you should have. As far as brands go, I really like the Ehiem and fluval brand. Ehiem is my personal favorite because it is reliable, affordable, and adjustable. Others will have more options though. It might be advisable for a tank that large to also get something like an InkBird, that way you can regulate the heat closely and can avoid your tank overheating if your heater happens to fail. Try to avoid preset heaters; often they do not reach the correct temperature and seem to fail more often than the adjustable ones.

I use custom cut plastic and acrylic for lids on all of my tank. They work well and are much more affordable than aquarium lids. You may find that plastic or acrylic could be cheaper than having a glass lid; plus eliminates the chance of it shattering by mistake.

All of the plants you listed do well in low to moderate light, aside from the swords which IME does well in moderate to high light. I would get an adjustable light if you can, they are a thousand times more useful than a light with only one setting. I have the NITCREW lights which I really enjoy, but I often see many others recommending the Finnex light as well.

 

Hi there!

So, I mostly have smaller tanks, so I can't really help with the wattage of the heater nor how many you should have. As far as brands go, I really like the Ehiem and fluval brand. Ehiem is my personal favorite because it is reliable, affordable, and adjustable. Others will have more options though. It might be advisable for a tank that large to also get something like an InkBird, that way you can regulate the heat closely and can avoid your tank overheating if your heater happens to fail. Try to avoid preset heaters; often they do not reach the correct temperature and seem to fail more often than the adjustable ones.

I use custom cut plastic and acrylic for lids on all of my tank. They work well and are much more affordable than aquarium lids. You may find that plastic or acrylic could be cheaper than having a glass lid; plus eliminates the chance of it shattering by mistake.

All of the plants you listed do well in low to moderate light, aside from the swords which IME does well in moderate to high light. I would get an adjustable light if you can, they are a thousand times more useful than a light with only one setting. I have the NITCREW lights which I really enjoy, but I often see many others recommending the Finnex light as well.

Okay awesome!

I've already had my run in with preset heaters. Unfortunately on such a small tank like a 10 gallon its hard to find adjustable ones but I have a cheap one from Amazon that is working great now. I'll definitely look into Ehiem and Fluval for heaters.

I have seen the NICREW lights on Amazon but just wasn't sure of the specifics on it. Glad to see that its adjustable so I'll probably go with that. The funny thing is that my tank is 36 1/8 long and the options on Amazon give you 28" to 36" and 36" to 48". So I guess I have to spend the extra 10 bucks to get the longer one haha.


I appreciate the help. It definitely gives me some brands to look at.

 

I had this exact problem with a fluval plant 3.0 light, my tank size was on the cusp ! It’s more expensive than the Nicrew ( one I was looking at too ) and I’ve had algae issues with it being so much stronger but that was my fault , not the lights ! Once I adjusted it , I’ve had some amazing stem growth.

I will say acrylic lids can bow in the middle so you’re better off with glass , unless someone gives you a better option.

The fluval E200 heater has good reviews for heaters. A 200w is good for up to 65G so for a 40G is fine. Any less and you ‘could’ be under powered.

 

I will say acrylic lids can bow in the middle so you’re better off with glass , unless someone gives you a better option.

Totally forgot to mention that, thanks for bringing it up! They do bow for sure. I usually just flip it upside so it will "correct" itself, but it is annoying to deal with.

 

you need 25 watts of heater per 10 gallons. on a 40 you need 100W, you can pit 1x 100W in the center of the tank, go with a 200W in the same place, you can do 2x50W one for each side and have redundancy if a heater fails, or do two 100W and it will run less to achieve the goal, it's really all about your budget and what you need, but I would suggest one that is fully submersible, and adjustable and follow the directions to set them slowly and bring it to the temp you want, don't rush it., that's where all the complaints about cooked fish come from. My tanks at room temp never get below 77F and I never saw a use for a heater, that is until I decided to breed and realized having control over the temp can speed up or slow things down, I get it totally now and have a heater on everything even if I don't use it, I like the ability to use it and bring it into the mix or be able to take it out when I want to.


for a lid I like the Aqueon versatop. likely costs around $35-$45 easy to clean (algae will build up on it with the light shining through whether you go acrylic, glass or plastic, but you can scrape glass. I think it's worth the investment and seats nicely, you'd need a 36"x18" if it's a standard 40g breeder.
I think my two covers for the 72g bowfront were close to $100 for the pair, BUT i've had them, pretty much trouble free, since the 1990s. they could probably use some CLR for white stains built up over the years. you won't break them if glass, its solid, they do the job quite well.


A light should reach the span of 36", and be full spectrum, ideally adjustable lumen control also.

Plant Type	Lumens Per Gallon (LPG)
Low Light Plants	10-20
Medium Light Plants	20-40
High Light Plants	more than 40

on the low side for low light plants, you'd want 400 lumens, on the high side for high use plants 1600 lumens or higher for harder plants and big light consumers. even so there is a distance and depth thing at play. the further from the light toward the bottom of the tank or corners/sides, the weaker it gets. You may want 2000 lumens to compensate for depth and corners...

You can do the heater a few ways even 4x 25W. you could cut corners on the cover. but if you intend to scape and maybe plant, do not be cheap on a light and instead get one that will provide enough light and be adjustable so you can do what you want, and will cover the whole tank. it's probably the most important purchase if you want to do plants well. and honestly if you have a good cover, the light will last years and years if it's not getting moisture in it. so yeah, the cover being decent is a good thing also. the light is an investment.

people like HOB filters, I'm personally not a fan. but I get it. that's fine. I think you are going the right route if you are comfortable with HOBs, with the two Aquaclear 50s. even as they slow as they get dirty it should still do the job until you get to it, and you have redundancy.

 

you need 25 watts of heater per 10 gallons. on a 40 you need 100W, you can pit 1x 100W in the center of the tank, go with a 200W in the same place, you can do 2x50W one for each side and have redundancy if a heater fails, or do two 100W and it will run less to achieve the goal, it's really all about your budget and what you need, but I would suggest one that is fully submersible, and adjustable and follow the directions to set them slowly and bring it to the temp you want, don't rush it., that's where all the complaints about cooked fish come from. My tanks at room temp never get below 77F and I never saw a use for a heater, that is until I decided to breed and realized having control over the temp can speed up or slow things down, I get it totally now and have a heater on everything even if I don't use it, I like the ability to use it and bring it into the mix or be able to take it out when I want to.


for a lid I like the Aqueon versatop. likely costs around $35-$45 easy to clean (algae will build up on it with the light shining through whether you go acrylic, glass or plastic, but you can scrape glass. I think it's worth the investment and seats nicely, you'd need a 36"x18" if it's a standard 40g breeder.
I think my two covers for the 72g bowfront were close to $100 for the pair, BUT i've had them, pretty much trouble free, since the 1990s. they could probably use some CLR for white stains built up over the years. you won't break them if glass, its solid, they do the job quite well.


A light should reach the span of 36", and be full spectrum, ideally adjustable lumen control also.

Plant Type	Lumens Per Gallon (LPG)
Low Light Plants	10-20
Medium Light Plants	20-40
High Light Plants	more than 40

on the low side for low light plants, you'd want 400 lumens, on the high side for high use plants 1600 lumens or higher for harder plants and big light consumers. even so there is a distance and depth thing at play. the further from the light toward the bottom of the tank or corners/sides, the weaker it gets. You may want 2000 lumens to compensate for depth and corners...

You can do the heater a few ways even 4x 25W. you could cut corners on the cover. but if you intend to scape and maybe plant, do not be cheap on a light and instead get one that will provide enough light and be adjustable so you can do what you want, and will cover the whole tank. it's probably the most important purchase if you want to do plants well. and honestly if you have a good cover, the light will last years and years if it's not getting moisture in it. so yeah, the cover being decent is a good thing also. the light is an investment.

people like HOB filters, I'm personally not a fan. but I get it. that's fine. I think you are going the right route if you are comfortable with HOBs, with the two Aquaclear 50s. even as they slow as they get dirty it should still do the job until you get to it, and you have redundancy.

Thank you for a lot of information! I did just find those Aqueon Versa tops so I'll probably just go with that instead of trying to DIY anything.

As for heaters, I found a decent adjustable 125W heater that I think will be good enough to keep the tank at a stable temperature. The indoor temperature doesn't fluctuate much anyways.

This is the light that I'm looking at right now:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SC4DYN1/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

It has 1600 lumens and is adjustable with brightness and color spectrum. I don't know much about lighting as I wish I did but this all sounds like good aspects of a light for such a big aquarium. The 36" to 48" should be good enough to stretch the length of the aquarium too.

 

This is the light that I'm looking at right now:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SC4DYN1/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

It has 1600 lumens and is adjustable with brightness and color spectrum. I don't know much about lighting as I wish I did but this all sounds like good aspects of a light for such a big aquarium. The 36" to 48" should be good enough to stretch the length of the aquarium too.

I have all of the same plants as you and the light did very well at growing them. One thing to note though; the highest setting eventually burned my java ferns and anubias. Granted, my tank is a lot shallower than a 40 gal, but it's something to consider. I usually have it on the low setting for the day, then towards the night I turn it on the higher settings for my swords and val. Switching between them has allowed everything to grow nicely; even my slower growing plants have a lot of new growth.

 

I have all of the same plants as you and the light did very well at growing them. One thing to note though; the highest setting eventually burned my java ferns and anubias. Granted, my tank is a lot shallower than a 40 gal, but it's something to consider. I usually have it on the low setting for the day, then towards the night I turn it on the higher settings for my swords and val. Switching between them has allowed everything to grow nicely; even my slower growing plants have a lot of new of new growth.

Good to know! I'm not entirely sure if I'll put any swords in this tank. I'm pretty confident and content with java ferns and anubias to start at least. I'm sure I'll have to adjust the settings a lot before I find a good combination of plant growth and algae. It's nice to at least know that the options are there if need to be.

It's a big jump for me to go from a 10 gallon to a 40 gallon so I want it to be as straightforward as possible at first.

 

Good to know! I'm not entirely sure if I'll put any swords in this tank. I'm pretty confident and content with java ferns and anubias to start at least. I'm sure I'll have to adjust the settings a lot before I find a good combination of plant growth and algae. It's nice to at least know that the options are there if need to be.

It's a big jump for me to go from a 10 gallon to a 40 gallon so I want it to be as straightforward as possible at first.

I'm not sure what your thoughts are on this, but I personally really enjoyed having java ferns and anubias as starter plants for a few reasons. The first one is the most obvious; they're very hardy and can tolerate a lot of conditions. The second reason is due to aqua scaping. If you're anything like me, aqua scaping can be hard because it's difficult to be happy with how the tank looks. With plants like java ferns and anubais that don't need to be rooted down, you can mess around with the tanks scape as many times as you want until you find something that really suits you; and you don't have to go through the hassle of tearing out established plants each time. Bucephalandra, pearlweed, and hornwort are other starter plants I really like.

It's a big jump but it's certainly an exciting one!

 

Thank you for a lot of information! I did just find those Aqueon Versa tops so I'll probably just go with that instead of trying to DIY anything.

As for heaters, I found a decent adjustable 125W heater that I think will be good enough to keep the tank at a stable temperature. The indoor temperature doesn't fluctuate much anyways.

This is the light that I'm looking at right now:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SC4DYN1/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

It has 1600 lumens and is adjustable with brightness and color spectrum. I don't know much about lighting as I wish I did but this all sounds like good aspects of a light for such a big aquarium. The 36" to 48" should be good enough to stretch the length of the aquarium too.

That light looks good and at least has a single timer setting so you could set it to turn off ( I leave the light on sometimes and fall asleep) so it's a good feature to have.

I have a current usa full spectrum LED size for a 20g Long. Not sure which size I got but 20g long is like 30". the light does what I want it to do and simple control but maybe too simple and features I don't want or need like cloud passing in front of the sun or thunderstorm settings. I'm happy with the light it's bright, it does the job and it has good color rendering, and its low wattage. I'm not sure about it on a deeper tank though and I'm not growing plants. I think I got it for $40 like 2-3 years ago on an Amazon sale.

With a deeper tank I think I'd want more lumens and higher wattage overall and have the ability to turn it down which it does, but I don't think it would reach deep enough if I stuck it on my 72g.

I found this on Amazon, same manufacturer, it's $20 more but has more adjustability and more customizable, a much better controller and RGB+W leds. I think the best part is that it's got the timer settings and a remote control so you don't have to go to the tank to do everything with the light.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...wQFnoECAQQBQ&usg=AOvVaw06n8C6CyCqold15JlWfsBl

 

I'm not sure what your thoughts are on this, but I personally really enjoyed having java ferns and anubias as starter plants for a few reasons. The first one is the most obvious; they're very hardy and can tolerate a lot of conditions. The second reason is due to aqua scaping. If you're anything like me, aqua scaping can be hard because it's difficult to be happy with how the tank looks. With plants like java ferns and anubais that don't need to be rooted down, you can mess around with the tanks scape as many times as you want until you find something that really suits you; and you don't have to go through the hassle of tearing out established plants each time. Bucephalandra, pearlweed, and hornwort are other starter plants I really like.

It's a big jump but it's certainly an exciting one!

I'll definitely look into those plants as well. I feel like people are really good at filling in a scape with just plants like java ferns and anubias. That's what I want to get without it becoming a hassle to maintain.