Fish for a 40 gallon

[corey236]

I just got a 3 foot long 40 gallon tank, should I keep in it? I wanted some cool bottom feeders and something that swims in the middle that they wont eat lol.

[andywoolloo]

I have a 40 gal breeder with 5 bristlenose in there. They seem happy.

[MatsP]

This type of question comes up a lot. It is hard to tell other people what they should get, as everyone has their own taste in fish.

To begin with, you may want to decide on one type of fish that you really want to have, and then find fishes that get on with the first type, both in terms of their behaviour towards each other, the requirement of water temperature and other water conditions, and also decorations in the tank (it's not particularly clever to keep a fish that likes plant to hide in with one that likes plants as food, or one that digs and one that likes to hide under the sand/gravel, just to give a few examples).

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Mats

[Richard B]

As Mats indicated, it's all a matter of personal taste & species availability.

For my sins, i'll chip in... why not get a dozen

Synodontis lucipinnis

in a tanganyikan set-up?

They're small, peaceful, gregarious, hardy, easy to feed, breedable, nicely patterned,active in the tank, frequently available - what more could anyone ask.

[sidguppy]

perfect tank for breeding Phyllonemus typus!
one of the most gracile and pretty catfishes, but unfortunately also very shy.

or if you like South american cats, why not go for 1 of the Hoplo species in a small group of 4-5 or so?
they're really docile and don't eat other fish. and they're active by day, wich is a pro.

[Richard B]

perfect tank for breeding Phyllonemus typus!
one of the most gracile and pretty catfishes, but unfortunately also very shy.

or if you like South american cats, why not go for 1 of the Hoplo species in a small group of 4-5 or so?
they're really docile and don't eat other fish. and they're active by day, wich is a pro.

Great suggestions Sid (i knew you'd say Phyllonemus!!! - i think if they were a little more available they'd be one of the most popular cats going)

[corey236]

I'm looking them up now, thanks for all the replies!

[Richard B]

The best i'd say is have a good long browse through cat-e-log & see what you like the look of. Check the max size - a fish that gets to 3 foot long won't live in a 3 foot tank!!!. If there is loads of info & pics, the chances are it isn't too hard to get hold of (not true in every case). Then post questions here - you'll pretty much always get a few opinions & good info based on personal experience

[MatsP]

Check the max size - a fish that gets to 3 foot long won't live in a 3 foot tank!!!

On that note, it's generally considered a good idea to try to keep fish in tank that is AT LEAST 4L x 2L x 2L where L is the length of the fish. So a 40 breeder, being 36" x 18" x 16", will allow you to have fish up to around 8-9" - but it's often better to stay a bit under, so I would personally recommend that you stick to fish that doesn't grow beyond say 6-7" at the most.

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Mats

[corey236]

Thanks for the advice, I didnt know about the 4Lx2Lx2L thing, very helpful.

[andywoolloo]

yeah I agree, that 4Lx2Lx2L is one of the greatest things I have learned here.

[MatsP]

Just bear in mind that it's not a STRICT rule, but rather a case of "start with that formula and extend as needed by the fish". For example very active swimmers need more space. Agressive fish may need more space to tolerate other fish in the tank (and in some cases, twice the size will not be enough - a male Betta splendens grows to about 2-3", but you can not keep two males even in a 5ft tank - one will kill the other, no matter what).

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Mats