Questions with stocking 29 gallon

Hello! I am currently cycling my 29 gallon aquarium. I am planning on adding 2-3 more Java fern or anibuis on the wood. I am also planning on having another foreground plant on the front right. I have a Aqueon Quiet flow 30 on it. I also have a Fluval Aquasky LED strip light. I have been pretty interested in having shrimp but not the end of the world if i don't. I do not think my gravel is suitable for cory cats. I am stuck between 2 stocking ideas and would love some input!

10 neon tetras, 10 ember/rummynose tetras, and a few cherry shrimp or

A gourami/Ram, 10 neon tetras, and another smaller fish

I don't really like live bearers like guppies or mollies. Also would love help with the ratio of the fish appropriate with my tank! Also on advice of someone else am planning on upgrading to the quiet flow 50. Thanks!

6 tetra and 6 ram would be okay, you could add some kuhli loaches.

The first question I need to ask is - what is the hardness of your water? This information should be somewhere on your water provider's website - you need a number rather than some vague words, and the unit of measurement as there are several they could use.

The two stocking ideas you give both need soft water. If you have hard water, you would either need to rethink the fish you want to keep, or mix your tap water with a source of pure water (reverse osmosis, distilled etc) to make the water softer.



Rams are harder to find tank mates for as they need warmer water than most tropical fish. A gourami - one of the smaller species in 20 gallons - would be easier to find tank mates for.

essjay said:

The first question I need to ask is - what is the hardness of your water? This information should be somewhere on your water provider's website - you need a number rather than some vague words, and the unit of measurement as there are several they could use.

The two stocking ideas you give both need soft water. If you have hard water, you would either need to rethink the fish you want to keep, or mix your tap water with a source of pure water (reverse osmosis, distilled etc) to make the water softer.



Rams are harder to find tank mates for as they need warmer water than most tropical fish. A gourami - one of the smaller species in 20 gallons - would be easier to find tank mates for.

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Ah shoot okay, I believe I have hard water then. When I looked it up the website said "of 137 milligrams per liter or 8 grains per gallon". What would be some schooling fish for this hardness level? Thanks!

Actually, that's not very hard. The 137 mg/l is also called ppm, and it converts to 7.7 dH, the other unit used in fish keeping. All the tetras you suggest should be OK in that water, as should most small gouramis. Rams might need it a bit softer, but there is the option of a Bolivian ram which needs typical tropical temperature and can live in harder water than rams.

The best website for fish research is https://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/ and the profiles on there give a fish's hardness range. Some give it as ppm and others as dH, and you have your hardness in both those units now for your tap water.


You'll be pleased to know that it is too soft for livearers

You have a number of options, given the water parameters and aquascape. You have a blackwater tank in principle, so you can work around small tetras, catfish, rasboras, etc. I agree that cory catfish would not be the best here with large-grain substrate. The Aqueon Quiet Flow is a very nice filter, I now have two of them; you can get some nice surface disturbance in the corner where it is placed, without strong currents down the tank, depending how you adjust it.

Welcome to TFF.

Bolivian ram and rummynose sound great.
I know you mentioned shrimp, in my experience Rams will eat your shrimp or at the very least kill them.
Good luck!

I have ember, neon and glow light tetras in my 55 gallon tank . I am very happy with them and they leave my shrimp alone.

If you’re concerned about hardness but want small colorful fish, I’d take a look at cherry barbs. Barbs are more forgiving of hard water. They have a nice pretty look and are pretty active.
note : gourami will also eat shrimp

I have rummynose tetras in my 55g. I like the fact that they school tighter than other shoaling fish. A school of those, maybe 12? And some ember tetras would look great. Neither of those have a problem with shrimp either so it's a pretty good stock