# Help with 40 Breeder Planted Aquarium Setup



## ElektroPR (Dec 8, 2018)

Hi everyone,

I'm setting up a 40 Breeder Aquarium at the front office of my school. The tank is already up with water. I used a 40 lb of Eco-Complete, a Nicrew ClassicLed Plus (30"-36"), a Penguin 350B (super cheap $20), I added 2 foam blocks of Poret from SwissTropical to the Penguin (the filter has room for extra media). I was planning of using a 3D background but was too expensive so end up using a printed background like a photo. Looks OK. Please see pictures below:




























This are some of the plants I think will be bulletproof. This tank will be maintain by the school office manager so it needs to be bullet proof. I'm even planning to use a timer for the light. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong and to add some other nice beginner plants not included.

*Floating and Other Plants*
Frogbit
Marimo Moss Ball
Java Moss
Susswassertang

*Background and Stem Plants*
Vallisneria "Jungle Val"
Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus
Echinodorus Grisebachii or Echinodorus Amazonicus "Amazon Sword"
Microsorum Pteropus "Java Fern"
Mint Bacopa "Bacopa Caroliniana"
Carolina Fanwort "Cabomba Caroliniana"
Anacharis/Elodea
Ceratophyllum Demersum "Hornwort"
Aponogeton Crispus (Blulb Plant)
Ceratopteris Thalictroides "Water Sprite"

*Midground*
Anubias (any variaty)
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red
Cryptocoryne Lutea

*Foreground and Carpet Plants*
Marsilea hirsuta "Dwarf Four Leaf Clover" 
Echinodorus Tenellus "Dwarf Chain Sword"
Helanthium Tenellum
Sagittaria Subulata "Dwarf Sagittaria"


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

the marsilea hirsuta and helanthium tenellum will more or likely need c02 and root tabs. oh and more or likely the amazon sword may grow to big for the tank. filter if it was me I'd go for a canister. it does look like you are a good start.


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## ElektroPR (Dec 8, 2018)

Fishy.Joe,

Thank you for the info. So Dwarf Sag is the easiest carpet plant? What other carpet plants would you recommend that don't need high lights and CO2? I'm thinking of just using the Dwarf Sag but I would like to have options or use more than one carpet plant. Thanks.


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## ElektroPR (Dec 8, 2018)

Sorry for not updating in a while. On the last meeting (Artifact) I got Crypts, Jungle Val, 2 nice mansanita wood pieces (donated to the school by Michael and Shane from Artifact), 1 anubia, some frobbit (along with some duckweed hard to get rid of it), some buce, Amazon Sword, bacopa, some plant that I don't know the name that is on the right of the Val that is in the back/middle, and a rootless plant that looks like Susswassertang but some members told me it as something else. Well I got all bag on that Sunday and kept it until Tuesday and then I start to feel fever so I new I was going to be absent for a couple of days. I decided to just plant them as fast as possible before my body crashed. I was able to put everything and left the wood floating. I expected it to look horrible due to doing it with no plan or previous aquascaping knowledge/experience, I just toss those plants in before they melted in the bags. Well to my surprise it doesn't look that bad, I mean is not gonna win a competition but it could have gone worse due to the circumstances. Please see picture below tanking around 1-2 months later:










If you look closer to the plant in the middle background, there is son staghorn algae growing. I think that was the Jungle Val, so I just removed it and throw it away. There is another Jungle Val on the most left side background. That one is algae free. I think is because it doesn't get as much light as the one that got infected. Then I trimmed the plants last Friday and now it looks like:










The only fish is a Betta named Snow Flake that was supposed to go on another tank. The other tank didn't cycle in time and he end up in the 40 Breeder, supposedly temporary, however now is too late to remove him because he's has been name by the staff as Snow Flake. I fear that if I remove him, he might have psychological distress plus my co-worker will hate me 

I'm in the plant to buy more fish this after 11-15-19 (payday!!!). Please feel free to give suggestions. I have now idea what to put there. I was thinking 20 neon tetras, maybe 40 chili raspboras (after modifying the filter intake with a sponge filter). The tank currently has a 150W heater keeping temp at 82 degrees. Feel free to give any other suggestions.

I spoke with our principal and she's OK with hosting a meeting on out school next year.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You seem to have discovered something I believe: our aquatic plants look so great, when they are growing well, that almost any aquascape looks good. Your "random" aquascape looks as good as any I have worked hard to design!


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

looks good.


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