Does the Fish Fit?

Hey y'all!
So, as might be seen on my journal thread, I have a 29 gallon I need to stock.
Since I have so many questions about some fish that interest me, I thought it would be simpler to start a new thread focused on the fish instead of the tank's progress.
Scaped with pool filter sand and itty bitty gravel. Has two caves and a hunk of driftwood. Ph is 6.7 ish, with 5.5dGH.
Current inhabitants are my 2 SAEs and a BNP.
I was thinking about doing a shoaling fish, either harlequin rasboras or ember tetras, though I have no questions currently about them.
I am looking at apistos, either cacatuoides, agassizii, or borelli. My question is how many? I am okay if they decide to breed, because I have an empty 10 gal I can raise fry in, but I don't want them becoming aggressive to other inhabitants. Is it okay to do just one?
Also considering bolivian rams, Kribensis, or electric blue acara, and same questions for the apistos apply to them.
Thanks!
-Morganna

I can't help with the stocking plans I'm afraid - never kept any of those fish (although apistos and rams are high on my list of fish I'd like to keep next!) so I'm commenting because I want to follow the thread and see what you wind up with!
Would be nice to have a photo of the tank in this thread, helps people see the set up, and what are the tank dimensions? If the tank is tall rather than long, that can affect bottom dwelling fish like apistos, so need to know the footprint of the tank as well as the volume.

Can do! Think the tank is 30x12x18 inches, which should be the same footprint as a 20 long, just taller, in case that helps picture it. Will upload a photo as soon as it's dark out to limit reflections.
Thanks for your interest!

Sorry about the SAE there at the bottom for looking pale. I had to turn the lights back on for the pic, which he just wasn't happy about.

Morganna said:

Sorry about the SAE there at the bottom for looking pale. I had to turn the lights back on for the pic, which he just wasn't happy about.

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No need to be sorry! Fish do go pale when the lights are off and take a little time to colour up I really like the tank! Plants look happy, and crypt are going nuts!

SAEs are too big imo

Fpr the Cichlids - pick your favourite pair, and that's it. A 29 is not large. The bottom area is the one I used when I bred Apistogramma and pelvicachromis (krin types). It gives them room to live their lives in interesting ways.

Cram any more in and you'll have a tank of miserably unhappy ornaments, and not of fish.

Shoalers can go in well.

one pair of Apistogramma or rams per tank, unless the tank is big (over 4ft long).

GaryE said:

Fpr the Cichlids - pick your favourite pair, and that's it. A 29 is not large. The bottom area is the one I used when I bred Apistogramma and pelvicachromis (krin types). It gives them room to live their lives in interesting ways.

Cram any more in and you'll have a tank of miserably unhappy ornaments, and not of fish.

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Duly noted! Question: what does fpr stand for? Sorry, but I couldn't think of what it stood for.
Thanks so much for this feedback!

Morganna said:

Duly noted! Question: what does fpr stand for? Sorry, but I couldn't think of what it stood for.
Thanks so much for this feedback!

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Since p is next to o on a keyboard, and in context, I think it's just a typo for "for the cichlids"

Ahh, that makes more sense!

I Like Rare Fish said:

SAEs are too big imo

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Yes, I know, but I didn't know when someone advised me to get them. They are staying now though.

Very good algae eaters. I had two before they were eaten, and they ate diatoms, Cyanobacteria, everything.

I Like Rare Fish said:

Very good algae eaters. I had two before they were eaten, and they ate diatoms, Cyanobacteria, everything.

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Eeeek! What ate them? I don't know much about SAE, or how big they get

They were in a bare scraped tank. I got them to help out with BBA issues. They stick to the bottom, which I didn’t know (newbie at the time), and my 8” bichir (at the time) ate them. They were around 3” long. On the e verge of being too big, but he proved me wrong.

Yeah, mine are an almost full six inches, but they were closer to 3 when I got them too. Part of why they are staying is because they are too hard to net out. I felt like I practically beat them up when I had to remove them a few weeks ago to swap the tank over to sand. I don't really want to go through that again.
If one ever tries to be more dominant and aggressive over the other one, then yes, I'll do something and rehome. But they are very peaceful right now.

Okay, so the "how many" question has been mostly answered, but what about aggression if they breed?