Stocking A 29 Gallon?

[Essjay]

I know Byron said not to worry about KH, but something strikes me about this comment.
 

 the KH didn't turn a dark yellow (I couldn't get it any darker) for about 18 drops.

 
 
With the API KH tester you are not looking for a dark yellow, but any shade of yellow. You are looking for the change from blue to yellow, not the intensity of the colours.
Did your KH tester ever show blue or was it very pale yellow on adding the first drop? Or did it stay blue for 17 drops and go yellow with drop 18?

 

[AlexJordan]

Byron - Absolutely, though it's kind of weird to think about. I kind of avoided the KH and GH concepts with my ten gallon

which is probably why the plants and fish didn't seem too happy. Live and learn, though!
 
On the other hand, I did feed the bacteria yesterday and it's cycled enough to bring the ammonia down from about 3 ppm to .5 ppm in 20 hours. Nitrites have finally made an appearance at about 1 ppm, and nitrates are holding at about 40-50 ppm. Also, I do want to keep an eye on the plants and ensure they're filling in before I start stocking; I didn't usually have very good luck with them in the past and I want to make sure they're thriving before adding fish in.
 
Anyway, with the five gallon, the only thing I can think of is the gravel. I couldn't find anything on the composition of it, but it's Top Fin white gravel.  It's pretty minimally planted - just an anubias and some baby swords (I think). In the 29, I recently put in some iron up supplements for the swords and ludwigia, would that help raise the GH?
 
I think I'm going to heed Hobby and Pepper's advice and avoid the angels - they just seem to get too big for my tank. I'm thinking about German Rams, though, and looking into bottom feeders like cories and loaches.
 
Essjay - Oops, I misstyped! When I initially did the test, I wasn't sure if the yellow was supposed to be bright or not, though what I meant was I couldn't get the yellow any lighter. It stayed blue for 17 drops and turned a very dark yellow with drop 18.
 
Also, the tank has turned a bit green. I'm not sure if it's because of an algal/bacteria green or because the plants are leaching colors, but when I finally do a water change, I hope it helps.

 

[Byron]

White in gravel/sand can suggest calcareous material like limestone, dolomite, marble...not always, but perhaps.  The other thing though is, I would not recommend white for a substrate.  This is totally opposite to what the fish expect, and some will be stressed by it.  You might want to consider a change, in so small a tank?
 
The green...is it the water itself (take out a clear jar/glass of water and see if it is tinted green) or just a hue sometimes due to lighting and plants?
 
Adding ammonia will affect tests for pH, so I would wait until all the ammonia is removed before worrying here.
 
Byron.

 

[AlexJordan]

Really? I didn't know that white substrate had the potential to be so jarring, though to me it kind of looks like limestone gravel. I'll definitely look into changing it into something more natural - maybe a browner gravel?
 
In the 29, I think it's the water itself, as it didn't look so green a few days ago. Or even yesterday! After I took off the light to do some water testing, it became even darker.

 

[Byron]

Really? I didn't know that white substrate had the potential to be so jarring, though to me it kind of looks like limestone gravel. I'll definitely look into changing it into something more natural - maybe a browner gravel?
 
In the 29, I think it's the water itself, as it didn't look so green a few days ago. Or even yesterday! After I took off the light to do some water testing, it became even darker.

 
Before messing about over "green water," you want to be certain of the issue.  Did you take out a glass of water and hold it against a white background?
 
I'll explain a bit about the white substrate issue.  No freshwater fish lives over a white substrate.  Fish are darker on the dorsal (upper or top) side for a reason; it allows them to be less conspicuous when viewed from above by predators (fish or birds, etc).  If the substrate is white, this advantage is lost.
 
Fish can feel vulnerable over white substrates.  Many will not have good colouration out of stress, or in an effort to blend in more.  If you read the fish profiles on sites like Serious Fish, you will see over and over a mention of dark substrates.  This is not without foundation.
 
The white is made even worse when the tank has a light, and it is not only bright (on the substrate) but it reflects light back up into the tank, another un-natural for the fish.  I myself find white substrates very difficult to view due to the reflected light, though I am much more concerned for the fish's perception than mine.
 
Most dark substrates will tend to appear lighter under water and tank lighting.  But a darker substrate is a good idea, be it black, brown, grey, or one of the mixes of these colours.  These tend to be very natural.  I now have Quikrete Play Sand in all my tanks, and this has the advantage of being nearly identical to sands in many of the Amazonian streams.
 
If you do change it, consider sand over gravel.  It doesn't really matter which for some fish, but there are several that need sand or will at least be the better for having it.

 

[AlexJordan]

I did, but I had to look through the top because it seemed very clear. Looking through the top, it was tinged slightly green.
 
http/i.imgur.com/1ilaeGp.jpg Here's the tank about four days ago.
 
http/i.imgur.com/xbUFIGx.jpg Here's the tank now. They were taken at about the same time of day, but maybe I'm reading too much in to it?
 
Anyway, in the five gallon, my betta did make a 180 degree turn - he went from a near translucent blue to a dark royal blue with red. I'll be honest and say I thought he was bleeding at first 

, but he has made an amazing recovery. I am very proud of my boy - I wish I took a picture of him last summer so you could see the before and after!
 
Though I can understand more from an adaptation standpoint that it's a better idea to have a darker substrate. I have been looking for an excuse to rescape the tank, and I think I'll start there 

 

[Byron]

I did, but I had to look through the top because it seemed very clear. Looking through the top, it was tinged slightly green.
 
http/i.imgur.com/1ilaeGp.jpg Here's the tank about four days ago.
 
http/i.imgur.com/xbUFIGx.jpg Here's the tank now. They were taken at about the same time of day, but maybe I'm reading too much in to it?
 
Anyway, in the five gallon, my betta did make a 180 degree turn - he went from a near translucent blue to a dark royal blue with red. I'll be honest and say I thought he was bleeding at first 

, but he has made an amazing recovery. I am very proud of my boy - I wish I took a picture of him last summer so you could see the before and after!
 
Though I can understand more from an adaptation standpoint that it's a better idea to have a darker substrate. I have been looking for an excuse to rescape the tank, and I think I'll start there 

 
That's not a problem (the water cloudiness).  What we call a bacterial bloom, very common in new tanks.  It will clear on its own.
 
On the substrate, good idea.  You're in the US, so have a look at Quikrete Play Sand, available from Home Depot and Lowe's, possibly other places too.  A bag will give you enough for more than the 5g, but that's OK.  Very inexpensive, and a superb substrate.  It is not at all rough so fish have no issues, and plants grow fine in it.  I have it in all 8 tanks now.  What I get is dark grey when dry, but I have heard that some places in the US have more of a buff/tan colour play sand (also Quikrete).  That will work too, though I do like the dark grey.

 

[AlexJordan]

Oh, so it's just cloudiness, and the plants were making it appear to be more green. That's a relief. 
 
Come to think of it, a few years back I did have a tank with play sand. In fact, I think I have some left, though at Lowe's I know it's around $5 for 20 lbs. I intended for it to be a lighter, more simplistic tank, but now that I know it may be making my fish uncomfortable, I may try adding some more plants in addition to the darker substrate. I'm thinking big anubias leaves, more green instead of streamline. I myself adore black sand, it just appears very clean, but I think I'll do more research. You've been such a help, I can't think you enough!