[Sena Hansler]

well. My girls will ahve room to grow :roll: My 29 has a huge crack, had to do an emergency move and put them into a 10 gallon crammed with almost everything from the 29. I lost my fish in there. :lol: I am getting 4 new gals today, fresh shipment as of today, bigger, colorful, awesome! (Or I could get ONE DT but...25.00 for an unknown DT? nah). They'll need to move to the 40 day after I set it up because I worry for them in the 10.... 4 gals in the 10, 2 are dominance set, and Zebra already went senile once and put Tina in the other 10 gallon hospital tank :|

1. So.... filter media... should I just swish some about from my healthy 20's? And put one or two from the 20's in? There's never been a disease in either 20, both are filtered and are patrolled by male bettas :lol: I'll be using the filter from the 29 (which is a 20-40 filter), since it's just the tank I'm getting (for 50.00).

2. Water Changes. Um.... there's going to be 4 fish. Until Tina heals, then it's 5, and then the 4 girls after their 2 week quarantine, so 9. IN A 40 GALLON x.x So...25% as per usual? :lol: I use a 3 gallon bucket.

3. Other critters. Gimme ideas. Nothing top swimming. D: I want to be able to look in and see fish not... -looks- .... .... .... FOUND ONE!! :lol:

4. I'll be getting live plants, and testing plants from the lake and such. I might even see if shrimp from the lake could live...though it is a long shot I'll be floating most if anything. Could the soil from the lake be okay? rarely do you ever find anything like oil in there, because we have swans, geese, otters, etc. We do get leaches though. Could I set up a tank to have the soil in, and test the water frequently maybe? Or just ditch the idea? Live plants will be put in a separate tank as well.

5. I trusted the table with a 29, a 10 and a 1. I don't trust it with a 40!! It's Ikea. xD What if... I chopped the legs shorter. Would this in turn make it sturdier, or should I take the legs off, put cinder blocks under the table itself, including center and sides, and make it sturdier that way? I want it off the floor

 

[ZergyMonster]

I can only speak for the table because I know more about building furniture than I do about plants and water changes.

you can only increase the load a table can bare if you shorten the legs if they are curved, if they are straight then it will make no difference. You should check to see if they are held in with screws or with dowels, if they are held in with screws then it has a better chance of not breaking. If the screws or dowels are held in with glue that makes it even better.

Since you are concerned about the strength of the table I would like to know what kind of table you own (a picture would help best) that way I can give you ideas on how to increase it's load baring capabilities.

EDIT: long legged tables tend to be more wobbly so it is best to have a short legged table for a heavy load to not be toppled over.

 

[Sena Hansler]

wooden Ikea throw together :/ held together with screws. Should I just grab 6 bricks, 2 for each side and 2 for center? I could do that...

 

[ZergyMonster]

I don't really know what that looks like because I dont have an Ikea in the state of Iowa... but if you want a really stable table you can do something similar to this:
( I was going to make a picture of out of text but I guess this forum doesn't allow that kind of spacing)

With a cinder block in the center of the table or:

This one gives a better load per block because it is more centralized. You don't have to use cinder blocks but it is the most sturdy and structurally stable thing you can use for a slap together table.

 

[Sena Hansler]

thanks for the sketch/picture I might look for those

 

[Bombalurina]

I'll try the non-table questions.

1. So.... filter media... should I just swish some about from my healthy 20's? And put one or two from the 20's in? There's never been a disease in either 20, both are filtered and are patrolled by male bettas :lol: I'll be using the filter from the 29 (which is a 20-40 filter), since it's just the tank I'm getting (for 50.00).
If you are using the cycled filter from the 29, that should kick-start the cycle well enough. A couple of extra water changes for a few weeks and you'll be sweet. Using substrate and decor from a cycled tank will also work.

2. Water Changes. Um.... there's going to be 4 fish. Until Tina heals, then it's 5, and then the 4 girls after their 2 week quarantine, so 9. IN A 40 GALLON x.x So...25% as per usual? :lol: I use a 3 gallon bucket.
Pfft, I wouldn't do 25%. I'd start at 10% weekly until you add more stock (naturally, test the water to make sure that is adequate).

3. Other critters. Gimme ideas. Nothing top swimming. D: I want to be able to look in and see fish not... -looks- .... .... .... FOUND ONE!! :lol:
What's your water like (pH and hardness)? Naturally, all the usual culprits will come up - kuhli loaches, cory cats, BN plecos, tetras, Endlers Livebearers, platies, rasboras etc.

4. I'll be getting live plants, and testing plants from the lake and such. I might even see if shrimp from the lake could live...though it is a long shot I'll be floating most if anything. Could the soil from the lake be okay? rarely do you ever find anything like oil in there, because we have swans, geese, otters, etc. We do get leaches though. Could I set up a tank to have the soil in, and test the water frequently maybe? Or just ditch the idea? Live plants will be put in a separate tank as well.
It's worth testing, at the very least. There's a good chance it won't work, but if you have a spare tank I would definitely test it and see its effect on the water.

 

[Sena Hansler]

I'll be testing the water soon here.... do petsmart and them places test water? and what do they test? I highly suspect the menace of murder is the tap itself because I forgot Jekyll's water change in his 20, and he's still chillin' like a villain. x.x So I want to test everything, upstairs AND downstairs. see if there are changes in the normal tests, then bring it in........


and darn rights I'll test the plants and such =D it'd be a cheap alternative if it works.

 

[inareverie85]

If you're afraid to mess with the 10, you can always put each girl in her own critter keeper until your 40 is cycled Just an idea!

Also, take care to examine VERY carefully anything that you collect locally. Wouldn't want any pests or problems introduced with them!

As for companions, I really enjoy Cory Cats. I have four Sterba's Cories, and I think they're just wonderful I also keep my tanks clean (free of algae) with my army of Otocinclus (also need a school) and Nerite Snails.

As for mid-level fish, the options are vast. My personal favorites though are some of the smaller species of Rainbow Fish. Threadfins come to mind, as I'm sure they'd love the space in a 40G to swim around and display at once another. They're really beautiful and peaceful, but they've very active. Make sure if you get these that your girls have lots of places to hang out and chill so that they don't get annoyed by the constant playing of the rainbows. The rainbows also have very small mouths, so it's likely you'll need to feed them smaller bits of food.

Good luck with your new tank, and I hope you'll post pictures

 

[Sena Hansler]

I seem to have more problems with the tap upstairs lately xD Yeah, I'm putting new stuff (rocks boiled, driftwood boiled and water logged, plants quarantined etc) in their own tank for at least 2-4 weeks, testing the wate and such I might separate them if things gt out of hand.