My first tank

[Kaatz]

Im making a tank, and I was wondering if these fish would live together in a 29 gallon tank. Please take time and read each page. because im a begginner and I need your help. If you dont want to help I understand. The first fish I want is Guppys. Heres a care sheet http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile15.html Next is the wrestling halfbreak http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile49.html now the butterflycichlid http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile3.html Also the congo tetra http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile39.html and last but not least the coolie loach http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile28.html . I know you probably wont read all those pages. but plz help. Thanks. God bless america.


-Seth kaatz

 

[Ethos]

I dunno.
For the absolute begginer, I wounld not necemend sand. Its nice to get your bearings in Gravel.
So that would rule out the Loach.

 

[Mo_loves_fish]

yes all those fish are compatable but the thing is ur a beginner so i would start easy try a few guppies and live barriers for a few months

 

[modernhamlet]

Im making a tank, and I was wondering if these fish would live together in a 29 gallon tank. Please take time and read each page. because im a begginner and I need your help. If you dont want to help I understand.
-Seth kaatz

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No worries, Seth. We're happy to help around here.

Since you've posted those profiles, you're obviously doing some research beforehand, which is a great start. You picked some lovely fish and for the most part, they are fairly compatible. There are a few other things you might want to consider though, as you make up your stocking plan.

Consider the hardier, but also lovely, bolivian ram over the blue ram (butterfly cichlid) you posted. Blue rams are notoriously sensitive and really should only be kept after you have a bit more experience (as well as a mature tank). They're also overbred in Asia at the moment, leading to a lot of pretty weak strains. They're certainly not out of the question, but take a look at other options. Keeping an individual or a compatible pair (of either species) would be best.

I'd also consider a smaller schooling species to start with than the congo tetras. They might be a bit cramped in a 30" tank. They also tend to be pretty pricey for a fish you need to buy at least 6 of...

Dermogenys pusillus (wrestling halfbeak) should be fine but tend to be a bit needy. Read up on them and make sure you provide a good environment for them. 1 male for every 2-3 females. You might want to decide between them and guppies, just because there are only so many fish you can keep in a 29g...

While I do agree with Ethos that khulis prefer sand, I don't think there's any reason you shouldn't go with sand as a substrate. Get at least 4 khulis (preferrably more) as they are much happier if they have other khulis around.

With good filtration and regular maintenance, you should be able to stock something like this:
3 guppies or halfbeaks (1M:2F)
2 bolivian rams (1M:1F)
6 smaller tetra or other schooling species (harlequin rasbora are a good, colorful, and relatively hardy schooler)
4 khuli loaches

If you have any more questions, just ask...

Welcome to TFF!

 

[Kaatz]

do you think it would work out like this...
1guppy (M)
Wrestling halfbreak (M1) (F2)
Coolie loach (4)
Neon tetra (6)
2 bolivian rams (1M:1F

Also One more question will the loaches eat the fry that my fish will have?
Thanks for all your help.



-Seth Kaatz -God bless America-

 

[soggysandwich]

from what i know bolivian rams and blue rams (butterfly cichlid) are the same fish. if you don't believe me look at this site http/www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/f...hlids/bram.html and it says. also i would say not to get rams they are not good beginner fish.

also on the site that you gave us about the coolies it says "Due to its burrowing habit a soft sandy substrate should be provided." and i would not suggest sand for a begginner like yourself.

Again on the site you gave us about the Wrestling halfbreak it says "The tank should be as large as possible with the length being much more important than the depth....Not the easiest fish to care for, they require the addition of some sea salt to maintain their best health." and most 29 gallon tanks i have see are taller than they are long. also brackish is not very easy to do for begginners.

finally, you might want to comsider what ph the fish you want need, compaired to the ph of your water. also the temp. of the water.
for examlpe:
neon tetras - ph of 5.0 - 7.0
temp of 68 - 80 °F
guppies - ph of 7-8
temp of 68-78 °F.
Wrestling halfbreak - ph of 7.0 to 8.0
temp of 68 to 82ºF
Coolie - ph of 5 to 7
temp of 79 to 86ºF
so those are just some of the things you might want to look at before buying any fish at all.

p.s. did you even read the pages yourself?

 

[modernhamlet]

from what i know bolivian rams and blue rams (butterfly cichlid) are the same fish.

They are completely different species:
Bolivian Ram: mikrogeophagus altispinosa
Blue Ram: mikrogeophagus ramirezi

also on the site that you gave us about the coolies it says "Due to its burrowing habit a soft sandy substrate should be provided." and i would not suggest sand for a begginner like yourself.

How is sand not suitable for beginners? Where do people get this idea?

p.s. did you even read the pages yourself?

Please know what you're talking about before you give well intentioned beginners a hard time. Kaatz is clearly not jumping stupidly into fishkeeping and with a little more research should do just fine keeping something other than "standard beginner fish".

Kaatz, you might want to ask an expert in the Livebearers forum about the halfbeaks. They really are a bit of a challenge and whether they'd work well in a community is a bit unclear.

Good luck!

 

[Robbo851]

quite a good sounding tank but 1 guppy on its own wont be very happy at least get a pair. Kulhi loachs do better in groups but a pair is fine 2 in a 30 gallon would be fine, i would go with

2 guppys
2 kuhli loachs
2 rams
6 tetras
2-3 halfbeaks

 

[Hels]

Hi

im not sure how much help i'll be but i'll try!

to be honest i dont know anything about halfbeaks but i have guppies...

if you want fry (and know all about what that entails!!) then they need to be keep in a ratio of 2 f to 1 m.... ie at least 3 guppies.... if you dont want fry then i'd maybe suggest a all male group (which is what i have), i tended to find that when i had 2 or 3 then they would fight a little between themselves and i had to make sure that one in particular wasnt being being picked on whereas now i have a group of 5 aggression is more evenly spread and they make a really great, colourful addition to the tank (do still expect some torn fins from time to time tho)

i do also have a blue ram, (i tried to get a pair but it seems to be pretty difficult to find females round here) original i had two males and they were aggressive towards each other so one went to my b/friends tank, i havent had a problem with either of them yet, again v. nice addition to tank but it is maybe worth looking in to the bolivian rams as i have heard too the advice that modernhamlet gave

I also have both kuili loaches and neons, both are great, neons always imho are better the larger group you have, 6 will be fine though.... i have 3 kuili loaches and they are a bit shy so im trying to track down some more myself

if your planning on getting your fish from your local area then they should to a certain degree be aclimatised to your water already but if you wanted to breed (say for example the rams) then you'll have to think abit more about your water and its hardness etc.. (although guppies usually dont need too much encouragment )

If you are thinking about sand, i have sand in nearly all my tanks and find that its great, make sure you wash it really well before using, your lfs might sell it or you can, i believe, use playsand, plus i generally fins then more you feed, the more you have to siphon the bottom (which can be a bit tricky until you get used to it)



xx

 

[Kaatz]

should i use an underground filter? also will loaches eat fry?

 

[soggysandwich]

They are completely different species:
Bolivian Ram: mikrogeophagus altispinosa
Blue Ram: mikrogeophagus ramirezi

i guess i was wrong but i was just going bye what that site said.

How is sand not suitable for beginners? Where do people get this idea?

what i meant was its not a good choice to start off with and to have you first tank be with gravel, which is easy to maintain than sand.

should i use an underground filter?

its up to you, i don't prefer an undergound filter, but that just me. but if you get sand then don't get a undergound!

 

[OohFeeshy]

Sand is fine for a beginner, you'll have khulis to eat leftover food so that shouldn't be a problem. You won't see them much though, so I'd suggest cories instead which do the same job but are more active during the day.

 

[mattbeau]

If you are going with sand you shouldn't use an underground filter as it will clog easily. also with sand you need to ensure that you dont lay it on too thick as there is anissue with compacting. you also want to ensure that the filter that you are using isnt designed so that the sand will have a detrimental effect on your impeller.

finally with what ever sand you do decide on make sure you clean it thouroughly before you add it to the tank.

I keep sand in both of my tanks and ran into quite a few problems with my filters, so I have changed filters since and am hoping to resolve my problems. I do have to say that the sand looks great and tht my coryadoras and puffer fish appreciate it alot more that the gravel.

I would also like to note that Neon tetras can be finicky with water parameters and would be best setup with an already cycled tank. and they do best in groups of at least 5, the more the marrier of course


and of course