My 29 Gallon Tank

[Rhykiru]

Hi all, i just started getting into this hobby and i found this awsome website and decided to join^^

so, my story:
My dad bought me a 29 gallon tank and decided that he would let me keep it in my room if i keep my grades up. I got it about a week again and ive been researching about what fish i want to keep. The main fish i was attracted to the most was the Pearl Gourami, or Trichogaster leeri because of its colors and gentleness (from what i heard). I was thinking to put a trio of one male and two female although i dont want to breed them. Another species i want in my tank are bottom dwellers called Pygmy Corydoras or Corydoras pygmaeus. I read up that they like to live in groups so i plan on getting around 10 of them. My question is that for a 29 gallon, is it big enough to hold a trio of pearl gouramis and around 10 Pygmy Cories? and if it is enough room, would there be more room to put small fish like tetras or should i keep my tank the way i want it even if theres extra room? Another thing i want to know is if i get that, i know i should get a canister filter because its a big tank but should the gallons the filter can do be over 29? Also, what kind of plants should i have, leafy plants or plants like Cabomba and what kind of gravel/decor though i have and how much. I have read about the fishless cycle and plan on doing that before i get my fish so i think i have that under control.

Sorry for all my answers :3. I just want my fish to live a good happy long life .

any help would be appreciated

~Rhykiru

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I read up that they like to live in groups so i plan on getting around 10 of them

by groups, about 3 or 4 are enough... more if you absolutely want some but then you will already have taken up more room than needed.

My question is that for a 29 gallon, is it big enough to hold a trio of pearl gouramis and around 10 Pygmy Cories?

I believe that would be pushing it?? I'm not sure but I believe it would. you could have 1 gourami and 3 or 4 cories and then you could put more fish in.

and if it is enough room, would there be more room to put small fish like tetras or should i keep my tank the way i want it even if theres extra room?

yes, you could, if you keep 1 gourami and 3 or 4 cories. and remember- tetras need to be in groups of 6+

Another thing i want to know is if i get that, i know i should get a canister filter because its a big tank but should the gallons the filter can do be over 29?

You should try saying that to the 200gallon tank owning people If you want you can get a filter for one over 29gallons, but a HOB filter would also work well. And it's not the size of the tank that matters, but the fish in it Ex. Golidfish are MASSIVE waste producers so they need a good filter but tetras aren't.

Also, what kind of plants should i have, leafy plants or plants like Cabomba and what kind of gravel/decor though i have and how much.

that's up to you. Are you planning on getting live plants? If so then you would need to do more work, once again, it also depends on your fish. Ex. Cichlids will dig up plants so a cichlid tank will have little or no plants. But with the fish you want you'd need to have plants ALL OVER the tank. And lots of hiding spots too (caves, clay pots etc...)

HTH!

 

[Rhykiru]

ok, thanks for the reply

i think i will just keep one male pearl gourami and 3 pygmy cories like you said ^^

and maybe 7 neon tetras cuz i like the number 7 lol

btw, for the hide outs and stuff, would a pvc pipe work if i wash a new one thouroughly or would that type of plastic be bad?

 

[mommyof2bettas]

I dun really know what that is sorry you could buy clay pots in stores pretty cheap, those work really well, especially in different sizes.

 

[Tessla]

You can never have enough filtration! (Ok, so you don't want a whirlpool to upset your fish but you get the idea.) I'd definitely get a filter rated for something over 29 gallons as they usually run on the weak side. Canister filters are excellent, if you'd rather go with a hang on back filter your tank is still small enough that you could go with one of the larger ones. I'm a fan of the AquaClear line of HOBs made by Hagen as they've got lots of space for multiple kinds of filter media, and I can purchase my own and cut it to fit. Stay away from filters that use cartriges, I haven't used a single one that was really effective plus they get expensive to replace over time even though the initial filter purchase is cheap.

As for stocking, the trio of gouramis should be ok. A good rule of thumb to follow is the inch per gallon rule, three pearl gouramis is 12 inches of adult fish at four inches each, that leaves you with 17 inches of stocking space left. Pygmy corydoras are about an inch each, so you could easily keep a group of ten (they'd be very happy in a group this large!) You'd have a bit of extra space, but there's no problem with understocking. If you would like you could keep a few small tetras or rasboras, maybe a group of 5 or so. Another option would be one of the smaller species of pleco like the clown pleco.

I actually just made a post in this thread about good plants to start out with. There are a few other good recommendations in there, camboba should also be a good one though I've never tried it myself. The planted forum has some great information on planted tanks as well.

You have many more options for substrate than just aquarium gravel, you'll want to decide exactly what you want to do in the way of live plants as some of these will require a special more nutrient rich substrate. There are all sorts of substrates for planted tanks (and non planted tanks) available for purchase, and there are also several cheaper but still effective options if you're on a budget. Sand is appreciated by most bottom feeders and I've found it to be easier to clean than gravel ever was. Lots of great tank decorations can be purchased at the hardware store including gravel and rocks (test with vinegar first to see if they react, don't use anything that reacts with vinegar) sand and terra cotta pots.

Here's the setup in my 20 gallon planted tank:

I followed this substrate plan with the following modifications; no clay layer, potting soil mixed with sand and peat, sand on top. I purchased everything for my substrate at the hardware store for under $10 US: a big bag of play sand (washed well), organic potting soil with no funky stuff added, just bat guano, peat and good old fashioned dirt, and a bag of peat moss. The only thing you may not like with this setup is the yellow cast that the water gets, I personally like the slightly tinted water and it doesn't hurt the fish at all.

Plants: anubias, java fern, java moss, anacharis, crypt wendtii, red rubin sword, rosette sword, rotala, bacopa caroliana and some foxtail which I'm having trouble with at the moment (think it's getting munched on). In my ten gallon which has only fine sand as substrate, I keep many of the same plants as well as a moss ball and hygrophila.

Lighting: two 15 watt flourescent bulbs

Decor: rocks and bogwood as I like to go for a more natural look. Most of my rocks are found in clean streams or beaches and then boiled in a big pot with fresh water or baked in the oven. Wood pieces I buy as it's a bit more difficult to find suitable wood lying around.

Hopefully that helps answer a few questions, good luck with your new tank! It sounds to me like you have the right idea.

 

[Rhykiru]

ok well, i research a picture of a clown pleco and i think it looks wonderful with its stripes

so, for the substrate, i dont really get it but would it be ok to now do the bottom layer and do the layer with garden soil/peatmoss/and sand, then have aquarium gravel on the top? I dont really get it, can anyone be kind enough to post a picture of that :3 Or do you mean i should just put plain playing sand from my lps in only with no gravel on top? Because im scared that my fish may stir it up and the sand will be sucked in the filter D; One question about the filter, is it loud? because i will have to put it in my room since everywhere else in my house except the kitchen (which is always noisy) has wood floors that can soak water and swell while my room was changed to tile as my birthday present from my parents so i could keep fish ^^

Is getting a small bubble wall for my tank ok? i will put it at the side of my tank so none of the fish will have to swim through it. I really want it just for aeration but its still cool.

Hm, in you fourth paragraph, you said how i should test it with vineger, how do i do that? i also like a natural look so i was going to get bogwood so that my plecos can suck on that.

You dont have to answer all my questions lol. I can just get my lazy but to go find it on google except im still sleepy right now

Edit:btw, this forum site is helping me A LOT, i love it

 

[Tessla]

Perhaps I should have made substrate clearer, you don't need anything other than sand or gravel unless you want to keep lots and lots of live plants (and even then, you can get away with just sand or gravel so long as you stick to low maintainence plants.) There are other options to the soil method (which can get messy during setup and will tint you water a brownish yellow) if you want to go with live plants, they're just more expensive. If you go with play sand, forget the gravel. Some of it will get into the filter if you put the filter intake too close to the bottom of the tank, but it doesn't get stirred up as much as one would think unless you have something big and very active like an oscar.

As for the vinegar test, you want to take a small sample and pour some vinegar on it. If you get a fizzing reaction, the sample contains calcium carbonate that will mess with your water chemistry, so you don't want to use it.

The bubble wall is a great idea, I like to keep either two filters or a filter and an air stone of some sort in each tank, just in case one of the filters gets clogged while I'm away.

 

[rdd1952]

I think Tessla has already covered everything very well. I will just say that you are very wise to do the research first before jumping in and buying incompatible fish, overstocking, etc. Very few people do that.

One thing to keep in mind about the bubble wall is that if you plan to have live plants, you may not want it. Plants need carbon dioxide and the bubbles will drive the CO2 out of the water and add oxygen. As for the filters, overfiltering is always good. You need a filter rated at least 150 gallons per hour (5 times the tank size). Canister filters are great but more expensive. They require less maintenance though and are generally quieter. HOB filters can be a bit noisy at times and if you have much evaporation between normal water changes, you may start hearing the water as it splashes back into the tank.

You can use plain play sand if you like. It is much more difficult to get clean before you put it in the tank but you won't have to worry about the fish stirring it up. If you prefer darker substrates, the Tahitian Moon Sand (black) looks great. I have it in all my tanks. It is also extremely easy to clean as there is very little fine dust in it. The tank is almost completely clear as soon as you finish filling it.

Since you plan to have corys, I would definitely recommend sand over gravel as the sharp edges of the gravel can scratch their bellies as they scurry along the bottom. If you do try to mix gravel and sand though, keep in mind that if you try to put the sand on top that it will eventually trickle to the bottom as it begins to fill the voids in the gravel.

 

[Rhykiru]

now that i think about it, i might just get fake plants lol

maybe one or two java ferns in a corner but the rest will be fake. Also, about the substrate, i will try to find the Tahitian Moon Sand because i saw my friends aquarium once and it looked like if you have darker substrate, the color of your fish stand out more.

As for the filters and such, ill probably buy it with my own birthday money or christmas money i still have XD

btw, does anyone have links on the fishless cycle? because i found like 1 link but i want to read around 3 so that i can compare and contrast because some might have parts that others dont.

thanks ^^

 

[DiscusAngel]

Hi, whenever haring things like this everyone cover most of your quetions your on stocking so what i like to do is say what id do. then the can think well thts interesting and play aound etc.

So this is what id do

3 Dwarf gourami's 1m 2fm. - http/www.biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/naib...i-photo-old.jpg
5 Pygmy Corydoras. - http/www.animalnetwork.com/aquariumfish/...d=pygmycory.jpg
7 Neon Tetras. - http/romyenbeau.klippies.nl/Neon%20tetra.jpg
2 Blue Rams 1m 1fm. - http/www.photolocker.net/images/Jchillin/flufframmale.jpg

Dwarf gourami' males 3" females 2" each = 7"
Pygmy Corys = 5"
neon tetras = 7"
2 Blue rams = 6"

7+5+7+6=25" out of 29"of space. so your under stocked.

this is only what i woul do along your lines

also dwarf gouramis are much more colourful and cuter lol.

 

[rdd1952]

The link to the pinned fishless cycling thread that I wrote is in my signature. You may have already read that one though. I am naturally less than unbiased on the subject but if you read that one, I don't think you need to read another. And don't be scared away but the 20+ page. Those are just subsequent questions, answers and comments.

Edited spelling.

 

[Rhykiru]

hm, im sorry but i am going to disagree with you on the dwarf gourami being cuter and colorfuler D;
I really like the coloration of the pearl gourami and really want to go with that type.

about the pygmy cories, yeah i am going to get 3-5 like that ^^ I also want one or two clown plecs

i want 7 neon tetras too lol

and about the blue ram, i looked at it and I LOVE it lol, it looks so cool with its metallicish scales and i would like to have one, but is it aggressive? such as bite my neon tetras or nip the fins of some fish? and if it doesnt, would one be ok? or do they like to live in pairs, trios, etc.

hm, let me try to calculate how much inches that is. (I tend to over estimate so bear with me XD)

pearl is around 5
7 neons 1.5 inche each is 10.5 inches
3 pygmies is 4 inches (overestimating ftw)
2 clown plecs i want 7 inches
1 blue ram if i can find is 3 inches because you said 2 for 6inches. Lets just say 4

so the grand total is 5+10.5+4+7+4=31.5 >.>
ok so thats too much, maybe i can lose the clown plecs?
then thats 31.5-7 so i have approxamitely 25 inches of fish
i think thats good enough

hm, can someone tell me more about the blue ram please? it looks so cool

omg, i just realized, all these fish may not have a common temp they need to live healthy or ph lvl they need. NUUU if i cant keep blue ram >.> (or any other fish in the matter)

Edit: i just researched more on Blue rams, and decided that i might even not keep pearls and keep a pair of rams (because i hear they do good in pairs). Maybe i can find different types like gold rams or bolivian. Anyways, i heard blue rams do good in pairs of one female one male but what if i dont want them to mate?

hm, for my sake, let me redo the 1 inch thing

two rams=7in?
7 neon tetras=10in
5 pygmy cories=6in

thats 23 out of 29 gallons so im understocked, maybe add 3 more neons or keep neons at 7 and add two more cory's?

omg i didnt know researching was this fun XD

this Bolivian Ram= <3


._.

 

[Tessla]

If you go for clown plecs, you don't need to get two, they do fine by themselves so you could still keep one. As for keeping the rams, I've never kept them before myself but I've seen a lot of community tanks where they've been kept with no problem. If you do get a pair, there's a good chance that the other fish in your tank will eat most if not all of the fry, so I wouldn't worry too much about them breeding. The only trouble you may have is if you keep a pair with a larger fish like the gourami and they decide to breed, cichlids can get pretty territorial when they start breeding.

 

[DiscusAngel]

hm, im sorry but i am going to disagree with you on the dwarf gourami being cuter and colorfuler D;
I really like the coloration of the pearl gourami and really want to go with that type.

about the pygmy cories, yeah i am going to get 3-5 like that ^^ I also want one or two clown plecs

i want 7 neon tetras too lol

and about the blue ram, i looked at it and I LOVE it lol, it looks so cool with its metallicish scales and i would like to have one, but is it aggressive? such as bite my neon tetras or nip the fins of some fish? and if it doesnt, would one be ok? or do they like to live in pairs, trios, etc.

hm, let me try to calculate how much inches that is. (I tend to over estimate so bear with me XD)

pearl is around 5
7 neons 1.5 inche each is 10.5 inches
3 pygmies is 4 inches (overestimating ftw)
2 clown plecs i want 7 inches
1 blue ram if i can find is 3 inches because you said 2 for 6inches. Lets just say 4

so the grand total is 5+10.5+4+7+4=31.5 >.>
ok so thats too much, maybe i can lose the clown plecs?
then thats 31.5-7 so i have approxamitely 25 inches of fish
i think thats good enough

hm, can someone tell me more about the blue ram please? it looks so cool

omg, i just realized, all these fish may not have a common temp they need to live healthy or ph lvl they need. NUUU if i cant keep blue ram >.> (or any other fish in the matter)

Edit: i just researched more on Blue rams, and decided that i might even not keep pearls and keep a pair of rams (because i hear they do good in pairs). Maybe i can find different types like gold rams or bolivian. Anyways, i heard blue rams do good in pairs of one female one male but what if i dont want them to mate?

hm, for my sake, let me redo the 1 inch thing

two rams=7in?
7 neon tetras=10in
5 pygmy cories=6in

thats 23 out of 29 gallons so im understocked, maybe add 3 more neons or keep neons at 7 and add two more cory's?

omg i didnt know researching was this fun XD

this Bolivian Ram= <3


._.

Sounds perfect. and with te gouramis its just personal opinin lool Dw ;P

so your going to get

1 Pearl - 5"
3 Pygmy Corys - 1"x3=3"
7 Neons - Max size 1.25"x7=8.75
1 Clown Plec - 4"
1 Blue Ram - 3"

=5+3+8.75+4+3=23.75

Also, i think the ram would be best ill a girlfriend so personally id get 2 Rams. 1 Male to female and you have a Grand total of

26.75" of fish in a 29gallon tank

absouluty perfect!

i think what i said is perfect. and the ram wont nesscelary breed.

 

[Rhykiru]

Now that i think about it, i might not get pearl gouramis at all lol

i just saw the picture of the blue ram and fell in love with it XD

so without the big pearl gourami, the rams wont be territorial when breeding :3

so let me try this calculation again T_T

two rams is 6 inches
7 neon tetras if 1.25in is max is 8.75in. Lets say 9 so its easier
clown plec is 4 inches
three pygmy corys are 3 inches

so 6+9+4+3=22 inches

omg, i just realized i couldve subtracted 5 inches from everyone elses total and added 3 in from ram >.>
oh well, im not gonna delete what i just did XD

so 22 out of 29 inches, maybe i can get 3 more tetras for 10 neons?
thats still like 26 inches
Or maybe i can add like two more corys for 24 inches total

i just dont want exactly 29 inches of fish, understocking is good ^^

Edit: now i need help trying to find a place in my room to put it >.>
maybe imma go on paint and use lines to put draw my room and where everything is XD

Re-edit: ok, i got a diagram of my room

lemmee see if i can get it on here

Ok, there we go
what i circled in red is where i want to put my tank, (btw, my room isnt drawn to scale XD) where i circled in blue is where i cant put it because of windows/draft from doors etc. I think that is the only place where i can put my fish tank. Ill move my book case there to the other side with my other one or out my room lol.

any thoughts or comments on if this is a good spot would get nice :3

the closet door on the right side is the one that i never use so it wont cause any drafts to my tank. Ill also put a wedge under it for extra measure