My 29 Us Gallon

[emmettbaby]

So I have a new-to-me 29 gallon fish tank. I would like to have it as a community tank.

Stocking IDEAS:
Please note that I will NOT be getting all of these, but if I choose a species I will get the number I say below
6 trilineatus corydoras (I already have 1, lost the others to illness)
5 scissortail rasboras (too many? I already have 2)
3-5 guppies
3 platys (doubt it)
5 glo fish
1 less than 8 inch pleco HERBIVORES ONLY PLEASE (to eat the malaysian driftwood in my tank)
5 cherry barbs (are these fin nibblers?)
5 neons

Or I may just go with a pair of dwarf puffers or a trio of electric yellow mbuna cichlids, but I'd rather not.

Any suggestions are gladly welcomed.

I also need plants!!! Please message suggestions!

I know I need more sand. The tank is foggier than it looks in the pic because I've just now put the sand and rocks in. The rock formation isn't set in stone (no pun intended) It was just an idea of how I want it to look. The wood is two pieces leaning together (for extra hiding places etc) I want some kind of grass plant to put on the floor and some kind of moss to put on top of the flat rocks. I'm getting a bubble bar to place along the back wall. The heater I have in there is starting to make a buzzing noise, so I'll probably get a new one. I also want a solid color background, but I may just get a classic one.

Here are some pics so far, sorry for the water smears!

 

[KittyKat]

So I have a new-to-me 29 gallon fish tank. I would like to have it as a community tank.

What are the dimensions? Is it cycled or cycling?

6 trilineatus corydoras (I already have 1, lost the others to illness)

Good.

5 scissortail rasboras (too many? I already have 2)

Not suitable: they grow too large.

3-5 guppies

More bother than worth.

3 platys (doubt it)

Do you really want livebearers?

5 glo fish

If you like, not my cuppa tea, recommend group of at least 6.

1 less than 8 inch pleco HERBIVORES ONLY PLEASE (to eat the malaysian driftwood in my tank)

I suggest one which does not get over 6".. how about a bristlenose?

5 cherry barbs (are these fin nibblers?)

Nice fish, be sure to get both males and females. I would recommend going for at least 6, should not nip if you keep a school of them.

5 neons

Too fragile, I'd take at least 6 cardinals instead.

Or I may just go with a pair of dwarf puffers

I think the tank is big enough for a group? Keeping in mind that they would mean you probably can't keep anything else.

or a trio of electric yellow mbuna cichlids, but I'd rather not.

Tank is too small.

So in summary, I would recommend the following stocking out of the fish you mentioned:
6 Corys
1 bristlenose pleco
8 of one schooling fish
8 of another schooling fish
trio of cockatoos (Apisto. cacatuoides, my addition)

I also need plants!!! Please message suggestions!

All Anubias spp, maybe Cabomba, easier Hygrophilla spp, Java moss, Java fern, easier Crypts..

Here are some pics so far, sorry for the water smears!

Can you please not upload such large images in future? This page took about 5 minuted to load!

 

[the biffster]

1 bristlenose pleco no you need two
male and female they breed easy

 

[emmettbaby]

SO sorry for the gigantic pictures last night! It was late and I didn't have time to resize! I've made smaller ones and will have them up shortly!

Kat: Thank you for the replies! The tank is "standard" I guess. Um, it's 12"x30"x18" I think is how people put it (12 wide, 30 long, 18 high)? I've got a HOB Whisper filter. The tank IS NOT cycled. It recently had a severum cichlid in it (my mother had the tank before me) for about 5 months. And before that it had an oscar in it for about 2-3 years (RIP Mandy, ice storms are cruel).

What should I do about the scissortails? I've got the two (once again, my mother's doing) which I've been keeping in a 10 gallon (about 2 inches long right now, maybe not that). Glo fish are too expensive for me considering I can't even sell the fry (who knew they were patented). Scratch the puffers and electrics (just something I had read people talking about on here), and I will definitely look into the plants.
I didn't know neons were so fragile, I'll look at cardinals

I'll look into cockatoos as well (I have never heard of them)

I've always liked live bearers, and I think the fry would be good snacks for the other fish
I've heard nothing but good about bristlenose plecs, I know I would need 2 (but thanks for the reassurance biffster). Would there still be enough room for the cories though?

I've read good things about mollies too (live bearers?) but I also heard they need salt in the tank? I don't know about these, but I thought I'd throw the idea out there!

 

[KittyKat]

Well, a 29 gallon would be much better for the scissortails than a 10 gallon! Actually, a 30" tank is not too bad for them and I am sure many people would even say that it's fine. My personal preference would be for a 4ft tank for them as they are quite active fish. The other options are trading them in at an LFS, but even then, the fish are probably better off with you, long term.

Some mollies are freshwater, some are marine and some are brackish. I would recommend platys out of the remaining, popular, livebearers. Second vote would go to swordtails.

 

[emmettbaby]

I agree with the scissortails. My mother bought them (I am happy to say she has given up fish keeping), then decided she didn't want them so I saved them from the toilet. I didn't want to send the severum back to the LFS but didn't have a choice. I'm sure they'll sell it though because it was a really nice looking fish, the scissortails might not be seen as valuable though, so I will just keep the two.

I'll look into mollies, but I doubt I will get any, it was just an idea.

 

[Biulu]

Mollies CAN live in fresh water, but prefer brackish. I wouldn't them in a fresh water tank, plus they can get nippy.

 

[emmettbaby]

Mollies CAN live in fresh water, but prefer brackish. I wouldn't them in a fresh water tank, plus they can get nippy.

Okay then, mollies are definitely out

Soooo

the 6 cories
the 2 scissortails
pair BN plecs
trio cockatoo apistos
5 cardinal tetras

could I perhaps add a pair of german blue rams? Or am I full? I'm totally fine if the above stocking maxes out the tank!

 

[Biulu]

You are not full, but I am not sure whether combining the apistos with the rams is a good idea. Both occupy the same stratus in the tank and both will get agressive when they breed. Check it at the new world cichlids forum I would say.

Oh, and I would get at least 10 cardinals, maybe even 12. A larger group of these fish look so much better in the tank! You will see them going around like a coloured cloud; magnificent!

 

[I Keep Fish]

You generally keep to one pair of cichlids but my 4x2x2 has geos,keyholesad "cuckatoo" cichlids,space makes all the difference

 

[the biffster]

quote{ Mollies are not brackish fish, they are in fact what is known as a Freshwater euryhaline species. Simply put, they are a fresh water species that is capable of adapting to wide range of salinities, all the way up to, and including, full marine.}unqoute

 

[Biulu]

quote{ Mollies are not brackish fish, they are in fact what is known as a Freshwater euryhaline species. Simply put, they are a fresh water species that is capable of adapting to wide range of salinities, all the way up to, and including, full marine.}unqoute

Better check in the brackish forum biffster; here mollies are considered to be brackish fish.

 

[Carlovel1]

The Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a brackish species
The Shortfin Molly (Poecilia sphenops) is a freshwater species that as the Biffster said can adapt to a certain amount of salinities.
Carl

 

[I Keep Fish]

The Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a brackish species
The Shortfin Molly (Poecilia sphenops) is a freshwater species that as the Biffster said can adapt to a certain amount of salinities.
Carl

Yep, thats the one

 

[the biffster]

The Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a brackish species
The Shortfin Molly (Poecilia sphenops) is a freshwater species that as the Biffster said can adapt to a certain amount of salinities.
Carl

cheers buddy