Stocking 29 Gal

[CrystalStars]

Good day,

I recently bought myself a 29 gallon tank. In the process of getting it ready for cycling. In my introduction I mentioned having 2 corydoras(false julii's) and 3 otocinclus. I plan on getting more because I know better now that they do better in schools.

So, that's the bottom of the tank with little critters. How about the mid/top?

I did some research and a rule of thumb I keep seeing going around is 1 inch per gallon. So, if that's true, 6 false julii corys equal 15 inches. And 6 otocinclus equal 12 inches. That would mean I would have room for a betta or something. That doesn't seem right. The tank would be pretty bare if that's the case.

Am I taking the one inch per gallon to heart? Could I go over the rule? Or would these really be all I can stock the tank with? Sorry if this sounds dumb.

 

[Mint]

Ok, that’s a lot of bottom feeders, but if that’s what you like, go ahead I guess. Now, the inch-per-gallon rule isn’t a actual rule, more like a guideline, so always whatever fish you have throughly and post your tank setup somewhere for advice. For example, slow-moving fish tend to count for less, but it’s often that a fast-moving fish will count for twice its body size. I’d say you could go slightly over it for this tank, since you have mostly bottom feeders.
A betta could work, since they’re top-dwellers and all you have are bottom-dwelling fish, but I’d be wary of a community tank. Don’t get me wrong, betta make great community fish sometimes, and I even have one in a community tank myself, but it’s really a personality thing. You can get a betta that’s a total sweetheart and loves your other fish. You can also get a total beast that will attack everything you have in your tank. And…not really much of a way to tell in-store, besides trying to get one that isn’t actively flaring at the other fish, but even their personalities drastically change.
Instead, I suggest something like a apple snail if you don’t have any plants you care about, or maybe just some mixed Neocardina shrimp. Or, honestly, you might want to set up another tank specifically for one school of bottom-feeders and use the remaining space to get some tetras (Lemon, Ember, and Glowlight tetras all are fairly hardy and good fish) or a few small gourami or something. The inch-per gallon rule isn’t hard and fast, but all fish at that size are either extremely aggressive or schooling, so you’ll need more space.

 

[CrystalStars]

Yeah, I wasn't planning on having so many bottom feeders. I wanted shrimp for my 10 gal when I just had a betta. But the pet store did not have the one I wanted. Then she sold me 2 corys and 1 oto, telling me they're perfect to clean the tank and they will be happy just like that... I ended up doing my research afterwards and discovered she gave me false information. I did buy two more otos so the one didn't get lonely. But now with the larger fish tank, I want to give these two species a school. I made the mistake of not doing my research, so I want to give them proper schools.

The betta was just an example. I would like to have tetras or something to give some life in the mid/top section of the tank. But I won't do that if there's already going to be too much in the tank.

I can't set up another tank. The 10 gal is going to be turned into my quarantine tank, and I don't have space for another tank.

 

[Mint]

Maybe you could try a female betta? It doesn’t always work, but females are generally less aggressive than males. Honestly, I can’t really think of any other solitary species that small. Some people do keep a single male dwarf gourami, and it usually does alright, but it’s not really advised, since they’re schooling fish. You might be able to smush two Honey gourami in there, and that might work, since they’re more solitary, but even then it’s usually advised to keep those in more than pairs. Sparkling gourami could technically work, but they’re 1.5 inch fish and you need four, which might actually work considering that they’ll have the entire top for themselves, so not smushed. My best idea for your tank is either sparkling gourami or maybe Betta Imbellis (Aka, Peaceful Betta. Not really peaceful, but they likely won’t attempt to hunt anyone.)

Sadly, tetras don’t really work in schools smaller than six for most species, and most of the common varieties are about 1-2 inches.

 

[Mint]

But hey, Cory catfish are sweethearts, and they do a dance when in numbers larger than five, so…positives?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

A few things. The inch per gallon rule doesn't really work at all. In some cases, with small, calm, peaceful fish, you can have much more than an inch per gallon. But with large and/or boisterous fish? Imagine a 10 inch goldfish in a 10 gallon tank. Or seven bettas. Both would be a compete disaster. So forget that rule.

Most fish like a well-structured, planted (real or artificial; I prefer real but the fish don't care as long as it's well-filtered) setup. Cories prefer sand, though many sources say they can deal with gravel as long as you keep it very clean.

Cories like to be in large groups, preferably at least ten. In a 29 gallon, you could easily do ten false juliis, and a nice, big school of fifteen or twenty smallish tetras (I'm partial to lemons and red phantoms), and some snails and/or amano shrimp.

Aqadvisor.com is a good resource for beginners to plan their stocking. It is only a starting point; you'll still want to research behavior compatibility, temperature and hardness requirements of each species you plan to keep. But if you keep the stocking level well under 100%, you won't be overstocked.

 

[Acorno]

Good day,

I recently bought myself a 29 gallon tank. In the process of getting it ready for cycling. In my introduction I mentioned having 2 corydoras(false julii's) and 3 otocinclus. I plan on getting more because I know better now that they do better in schools.

So, that's the bottom of the tank with little critters. How about the mid/top?

I did some research and a rule of thumb I keep seeing going around is 1 inch per gallon. So, if that's true, 6 false julii corys equal 15 inches. And 6 otocinclus equal 12 inches. That would mean I would have room for a betta or something. That doesn't seem right. The tank would be pretty bare if that's the case.

Am I taking the one inch per gallon to heart? Could I go over the rule? Or would these really be all I can stock the tank with? Sorry if this sounds dumb.

The inch per gallon rule is completely false. You can add more than just a betta to the tank. Just remember the more fish in the tank the more maintenance.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome to TFF

Otocinclus aren't "bottom feeders"; they feed wherever algae is present, which in an established tank, could be on any surface

Established tank are key words for keeping otos, as well...they constantly graze on algae...if they have inadequate amounts of it, they won't live long

That being said, a 29G offers plenty of options for stock choices, depending on the hardness & ph of your source water

 

[sharkweek178]

Plants also play into the stocking levels. If you have more plants, especially fast growing column feeders, then the tank can handle a larger bio load.

 

[sharkweek178]

Maybe you could try a female betta? It doesn’t always work, but females are generally less aggressive than males. Honestly, I can’t really think of any other solitary species that small. Some people do keep a single male dwarf gourami, and it usually does alright, but it’s not really advised, since they’re schooling fish. You might be able to smush two Honey gourami in there, and that might work, since they’re more solitary, but even then it’s usually advised to keep those in more than pairs. Sparkling gourami could technically work, but they’re 1.5 inch fish and you need four, which might actually work considering that they’ll have the entire top for themselves, so not smushed. My best idea for your tank is either sparkling gourami or maybe Betta Imbellis (Aka, Peaceful Betta. Not really peaceful, but they likely won’t attempt to hunt anyone.)

Sadly, tetras don’t really work in schools smaller than six for most species, and most of the common varieties are about 1-2 inches.

Thing about a betta in a community is that sometimes it works... until it doesn't. Even with females. So if someone wants to try, they should have a backup plan. Another cycled tank that they can immediately put the betta in if things don't work out.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF. And to the hobby.

The standard 29g (30 by 12 inch length/width) is a good tank size but you do want to stay with small fish (at maturity) with very few exceptions. But first, we do need to know the water parameters of your source water. This term refers to GH, KH,pH snd teemperature. The temp we can ignore for the moment since you can adjust this with the heater(s), but the GH, KH (Alkalinity) and pH are determined by your source water. If you are on municipal water, check their website as this information is often given. You do need to know this, because some fish will require moderately hard water, while others will need softer water. Some species have latitude with this, but some definitely do not.

To the fish mentioned in post #1. As others have mentioned, Otocinclus are touch and go. I would definitely not get these until the tank is established, which means running well for a few months.

As for cories--and by the way, there is no "false" julii, that is an unfortunate common name the hobby has saddled this cute species with, they are probably Corydoras trilineatus. [And something to get comfortable with early on is the use of scientific names so everyone knows exactly which species; common names are only understood by the person using them in many cases.] You want at least 10-12 cories in any aquarium, more if space permits. This is a highly social fish and it will always be better adjusted which means healthier the more there are. You can have mixed species but numbers do matter. I always tried to have 5-6 of a species when I had mixed species in any tank, with 12+ depending upon tank size and species. But they do need sand, this is frankly mandatory if theey are to be able to function as they are genetically programmed and again bee in good health. They filter feed the sand, expelling it out the gills, and this is not possible with gravel. Plus there is a serious bacterial issue with gravel over sand for these fishes. The standard 29g is easily able to house 12-15 of the medium-sized species like C. trilineatus.

We still need the parameters to bee certain we are giving you good species advice.

 

[CrystalStars]

Wow, thank you all so much for the replies! All of you have given me much to consider!

I have tested the tank being cycled.

PH: 7.4
GH: 120ppm
KH: I am unable to find that. I might need to get a test kit for it.

Substrate is sand. About to put in driftwood. And I'm waiting for my plants to arrive in the mail. This 29 gal was the top fin essentials kit, and it came with a broken filter. So, I ended up buying an Aquaclear 50 for it.

I recently moved, so my current fish have been setup in the 10 gallon for now until the 29 gallon fully cycles. That's the 3 otos and 2 corys. I didn't know about the otos needing to be in an established tank, so I feel bad for these little guys. They love algae wafers, so they're not starving. What should I do with these guys once the new tank is ready? I don't want them to be alone, but I also don't want to put other otos in the same situation.

I played around with aqavisor. With my filter I could house 10 corydoras and 15 neon tetras. And maybe a male betta if he doesn't mind the tetras. That is if water parameters would be fine for these fish.

 

[Byron]

Wow, thank you all so much for the replies! All of you have given me much to consider!

I have tested the tank being cycled.

PH: 7.4
GH: 120ppm
KH: I am unable to find that. I might need to get a test kit for it.

Substrate is sand. About to put in driftwood. And I'm waiting for my plants to arrive in the mail. This 29 gal was the top fin essentials kit, and it came with a broken filter. So, I ended up buying an Aquaclear 50 for it.

I recently moved, so my current fish have been setup in the 10 gallon for now until the 29 gallon fully cycles. That's the 3 otos and 2 corys. I didn't know about the otos needing to be in an established tank, so I feel bad for these little guys. They love algae wafers, so they're not starving. What should I do with these guys once the new tank is ready? I don't want them to be alone, but I also don't want to put other otos in the same situation.

I played around with aqavisor. With my filter I could house 10 corydoras and 15 neon tetras. And maybe a male betta if he doesn't mind the tetras. That is if water parameters would be fine for these fish.

This is sounding good, and a few explanations should help. First, the water is very soft, good for intended fish but just stay with soft water species--but there are hundreds of these. KH is not an issue here unless we have pH issues. If the pH naturally lowers once the tank is established, that's also good for these fish.

Otocinclus are fine, I would however stay with three. I know, this is contrary to my usual advice on shoaling species numbers, but this is one of those "exceptions" life is full of, and I would leave well enough alone. Otos do usually catch on to sinking algae-based foods, mine certainly did, so that is fine. Newly acquired otos sometimes have trouble doing this and need a good supply of natural algae as they arrive in stores nearly starved. You can move the otos in and feed the algae food.

On the food, which brand? Many are nutritionally suspect and detrimental. Cories cannot digest plant matter, so any "algae" food should be very sparingly used. But one tablet a week for three otos is fine all round, provided it is quality. Omega One is your best bet here, both for the natural algae/spirulina and for the whole shrimp/fish for the cories.

The Aqavisor info is completely off the mark. First, you do not want a male Betta in with these fish. Neons are especially bad, being colourful. My betta ate a neon a I watched. The other liklihood if the betta does not attack first is that shoaling fish like neons find fin nipping fun. There is just no point in risking fish when there are so many good options.

Second problem with their misinformation is the numbers. A 29g can hold 15-20 cories (assuming the small and medium sized species, not the huge ones). Or you could have one of the "dwarf" species. As for tetras, going from memory I had 12 green neons, 9 marble hatchetfish, 11 Ember Tetras, and 12 pygmy cories in my last 20g. I was prepared to add many more, I just had my eye on some rarer species and could not get them at the time. Due to cancer I had to give my fish away last year so this "final" project never got fully completed, but the tank did win Tank of the Month for October 2021.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

You're on the right track. I'd stay away from the male betta, though. They are best kept solitary. Even if you get a peaceful one, they can suddenly turn aggressive. And even if they don't, I'm fairly convinced that the stress of living with roommates shortens their lives.

 

[CrystalStars]

@Byron First of all, I would like to say that I'm sorry you had to surrender your fish. And I hope you are doing well despite your diagnosis.

Thank you for the advice on the otos. I'll continue giving them the best I can. I feel bad that my lack of research has made things difficult for them. I hope I will continue to improve from here and provide a good quality of life for the fish I own in the future. When they pass away I would still like something to eat the algae. Perhaps by then the tank will be established enough for me to get more otos (I love these little guys). Or I'll get a bristlenose pleco or Siamese algae eater.

Wow, that's a lot of fishies for your 20 gal! Must've been super colourful! Well, I've been looking and I'm very partial to mostly tetras. I know neon tetras are common, but they're so pleasing to look at. I have also had my eye on emperor tetras. Someone mentioned red phantoms. Those are super pretty! I'm also realizing how much I enjoy lots of catfish species. I had my eyes on red lizard whiptails(Rineloricaria sp). But I might have to wait until much later to get some. Don't want to overstock this tank.

And thank you both for the input on the betta. I really love them because of my late Buddy. But if they are an issue to have in a tank, then I will wait until I can get a nice 5-10 gal for just a betta further down the road.