# 40 Gallon Breeder (Advice needed)



## Cobyr (Dec 8, 2014)

Hello everyone, I am relatively new to planted tanks. I have a 5 gallon low tech and a 2.5 gallon low tech. They have been doing well for a good while so i decided its time to go big. I bought a 40 gallon from petco (dollar per gallon sale) And began building my own custom tank stand.
























Now for what im seeking in terms of advice.
I Currently plan to keep cardinal tetras, corycats, shrimp and im id like to add 1 more species in there but i havent decided on what yet, possibly rainbow fish.
In terms of plants i would like the ability to grow any and all plants that i may end up choosing in the future.
My budget is $500 
Here are the categories i would like recommendations on.

*Filter:*
*Co2 Setup:*
*Heater:*
*Lighting:*
*Any other accessories i may need:*

Any and all help is extremely appreciated.


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## me_in_the_box (Dec 24, 2014)

Nice stand!
Here is a bit of info from want I learned on my 40 breeder.
On my 40 Breeder I have 2 ehiem ecco pros rated for 60 gal each. I don't think I need both but I like to have a lot of fish. I would probably switch to a single larger.
I'm happy with my CO2 reg. It was the cheapest I could find for a 5lb CO2 tank. The bubble counter it comes with is pretty crappy though. I pay more attention to my drop checker.
I have a Finnex planted plus and a Current USA Satellite Plus. I don't think either of them alone could run the tank. I would probably just do 1 Finnex to start and see how it goes from there. You can always get a second down the road.
You will need some added flow that you won't be used to in smaller tanks. I like my hydor Koralia
As for heaters I have no real preference. I'll probably get an inline one down the road.

Filter: Eheim Ecco Pro 80gal $123 on amazon (I think I saw the National Geographic version for a little less in store at Petsmart basically just rebranded)
Amazon.com : EHEIM Ecco Pro External Canister Filter with Media for Up to 80-Gallon : Aquarium Filters : Pet Supplies

CO2: Aquatek $90 on
Amazon.com : Premium AQUATEK CO2 Regulator with Integrated COOL TOUCH Solenoid : Aquarium Treatments : Pet Supplies 

Heater: $50ish depending on wattage for a hydor. Multipal options on amazon

Lighting: Finnex Planted Plus $110 
Amazon.com : Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch : Pet Supplies

Accessories: Hydor Koralia 425gph $23 
Amazon.com : Hydor Koralia Nano 425 Aquarium Circulation Pump 425 GPH : Aquarium Water Pumps : Pet Supplies

Total: $396 with wiggle room if you go smaller on the canister filter or don't go with an inline heater.
You still would need to find a CO2 tank but that's easy enough (welding supply stores swap them like propane tanks) and should be less than $100

Other little things like drop checkers and testing supplies add up but you can survive without them for at least a little while.


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## FatherLandDescendant (Jul 24, 2014)

A Current Satellite + Pro, according to currents par chart, could do high light in a 40b, kinda pricy though. If you do go that route get the 4012 model for a 40b. I just installed the 4011 on my 40b and IMHO it's to short on the ends to adequately light the back corners.


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## Cobyr (Dec 8, 2014)

Thanks so much to all the info, does anyone else have any experience with the recommendations given so far?


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## Cobyr (Dec 8, 2014)

FatherLandDescendant said:


> A Current Satellite + Pro, according to currents par chart, could do high light in a 40b, kinda pricy though. If you do go that route get the 4012 model for a 40b. I just installed the 4011 on my 40b and IMHO it's to short on the ends to adequately light the back corners.


with a 4012 model satellite plus pro Do you think it would light the entire tank well?



me_in_the_box said:


> Lighting: Finnex Planted Plus $110
> Amazon.com : Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch : Pet Supplies Amazon.com : Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch : Pet Supplies


Will a single planted+ light the whole tank?


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## Hyzer (Mar 9, 2010)

I will say that my 2217 never gave me adequate flow in my 40b. Right now I have the 2217 and two Korala nanos and think I have just enough flow.


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## Whjdm069 (Dec 14, 2013)

Look into fluval. I run the 306 and it works. I also have a wave maker to push around water. The fluval is on sale at petsmart right now. The Koralia is the way to go. That's the one I have. As for lights you will want 2 if you go with the finnex. I run 1 planted plus and a ray 2 on my 40b. My brother runs 2 planted plus on his 40b. You need to if you want to be in the mid to high light range and to get the light coverage. Hope this helps.


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## Cobyr (Dec 8, 2014)

I actually just purchased the 306 today. I contacted current USA and they assured me that the satellite plus pro would cover the entire tank and that a single light would grow high light plants. I'm not sure what light im going to end up purchasing yet but i really like the customization of the satellite. Once Ive made my purchases I will continue to update this thread with pics and my experience with the products I end up purchasing. I'm thinking about going with one of the green leaf regulators, and im having alot of trouble deciding on a diffusion method. If anyone has any thoughts on that i would love to hear. Thanks again for all the advice


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## FatherLandDescendant (Jul 24, 2014)

Cobyr said:


> with a 4012 model satellite plus pro Do you think it would light the entire tank well?



Yes if you go with the 4012, if your doing low tec you'll want to use the dimmer to lower the intensity of the lighting or you will most likely run into algae issues.


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## Cobyr (Dec 8, 2014)

If anyone is interested Heres what i ended up going with
Filter:Fluval 306
Co2 Setup:Gla Regulator, Fluval ceramic disk diffuser
Heater:Eheim jagar
Lighting:Current USA Plus pro.
Any other accessories i may need:Hydor water pump, Gla Drop checker. 

Here is how the tank turned out


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## Mitashade (Jan 8, 2015)

Beautiful. Especially once the plants fill in around the front, this'll look incredible.


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## Coralbandit (Feb 25, 2013)

Very Nice!
Really dig the "terracing"(word?) multi level(front back)...
Nice!


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## Grumpy1415 (Oct 15, 2013)

Very cool scape. Well done.


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## yondertank (Sep 7, 2009)

I really like where you are going with your hardscape. I look forward to seeing how that develops. Curious to see how the back right holds up over time (as in erosion).


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## The_Perrycox (Mar 19, 2015)

I've been demolishing my brain with analysis paralysis the last few days, trying to decide on a light for my 40b. This thread has made my decision, thank you for the beautiful pictures. Are you still quite happy with the light? It seems to be more than adequate from the photos =)


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