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View Full Version : could use some advice on aquariums


Spinelessspade
03/06/2015, 07:34 PM
so I bought a coralife biocube 29 about a week ago, and now my friend is getting rid of his 40 gallon tank that has heater, stand, sand, rocks, and a HOB filter with t5 lighting. my question is how many fish would I be able to fit in the 40 gallon if I build a 10 gallon sump for it? and does the pros of a bigger tank outweigh the cons of getting all new lighting system, and building a sump?

Stevenliu9
03/06/2015, 09:07 PM
personally I don't see a whole lot I can do differently between a 29 and a 40. If I was to make a worthy investment for an immediate upgrade I'd go all out to 120 or above. thought a sump with a proper skimmer may help you maintain better water quality if you wish to keep more delicate corals. And as for amount of fish, that answer can vary- you can have 20 filefish in the same size tank that only fits a pair of adult maroon clownfish. So I guess maybe a better approach is make a list of fish you are eyeing on then limit yourself to what's realistic with the given tank size.

Spinelessspade
03/07/2015, 09:49 AM
Would I be able to keep a pair of ocellaris clowns, a royal gramma and 4-5 zebra barred dartfish in the 40 gallon without it being overstocked, if I had a ten gallon sump aswell

Stevenliu9
03/07/2015, 10:15 AM
Would I be able to keep a pair of ocellaris clowns, a royal gramma and 4-5 zebra barred dartfish in the 40 gallon without it being overstocked, if I had a ten gallon sump aswell

Yeah I don't see a problem. one caveat with the dartfish make sure you have some kind of cover or you'll loose them from jumping out.

Spinelessspade
03/07/2015, 02:29 PM
Ya I always put a cover on my tank anyway

SaltyReefer19
03/07/2015, 03:20 PM
Bigger is always better as far as keeping your water parameters good. Plus, with a sump you can add a Refugium, all your carbon and media , heater,protein skimmer, and tons of other stuff. Sumps are great! I thought your buddy was gonna give you his t5's? As far as the fish, there's not really a certain number, depends on the size of them , also the more fish, the more quickly your water quality will swing. Go with the 40, return or sell the biocube and don't look back.

Spinelessspade
03/07/2015, 04:02 PM
Saltyreefer he his but it can only fit 1 bulb in it, so I was thinking of going with leds

LeRenard
03/07/2015, 07:28 PM
One plus for the 40 is that it can be used as a simp in the future if you go bigger. The sump on the 40 will also make it easier to hide things and place things in your tank.