# 40 gal breeder - HELP



## skewlboy (Jun 9, 2006)

Ok..... 

So first real shot at aquascapes. Trying to do it right from the start. Going to try Aquasoil but would like to avoid blowing all my money on substrate, i mean i have to get rock, driftwood, plants, fish, shrimp, filter, CO2 setup and well... eat. 

Starting with a nice canvas - like the depth and height of the breeder tank
Have the PC lighting (current 2 x 96 w bulbs - 6700/10,000 bulbs) 

Thinking of ADA aquasoil amazonia type 2 and powersand
Question #1 - how much of both for this tank and what type powersand?
Question #2 - where is the cheapest place to buy this online?
Question #3 - what is the best filter? (using a fluval at this time - it gets aggrivating)
Question #4 - where can i find the marbled aquatic stones i see in the amano scapes?
Question #5 - where can i find driftwood - looking for manzanita - like the twisted branching look.


Any help would be great.


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## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

skewlboy, if you ask Jeff in the Aquarium Design Group in the sponsor's forums, you'll be able to get an answer to your first question.

As for the rest, I think ADG provides aquasoil and powersand at good prices. I personally like the Eheim canister filters for filtration. The stones you might be able to find from a supplier, but I think there's a guy at the PlantedTank that's selling Seiryu stone. You can find driftwood at manzanita.com.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

Hi skewlboy

I can help you some with the math involved. ADA sales those substrate products in liters. One liter = ~ 61 cubic inches.

A 9L bag of Aquasoil is 549 cubic inches and a 3L bag is 183 cubic inches.

Power Sand comes in several sizes:
2L or 122 cubic inches
6L or 366 cubic inches
18L or 1098 cubic inches (you wouldn't need this size)

Your 40 breeder has a 36" x 18" footprint. 1" of subrate is 648 cubic inches (1"x36"x18") or 10.6L.

Let's say that you wanted a substrate depth of 3"; that would be 1944 cubic inches or 31.9L.

You just do the math for each when you decide the substrate height of each.

This link shows how much of each to use for an aquarium with a 36"x18" footprint: http://www.adgshop.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=104-001&Show=TechSpecs

I was looking at some tank setup how-to's last night, and some folks use a mesh screen over the Power Sand.

I hope this helps you.

Left C


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

You can often times find good stone at local rock yards for a fraction of the cost of stone online or in a LFS. For a 40 breeder I would go with either the Rena XP3 or the Eheim 2026 Pro II. Obviously, the Eheim is a tad nicer, but the Rena is nice too. I have both and would buy either one again.


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