Stocking For A 29 Gallon

[therealtimsanity]

Hello everyone!
 
I am just getting back into fish keeping after about a year off. I have a 29 gallon with a South American theme, and it's been set up for a couple months now. Right now I have: 
 
13 Neon tetras
9 Cories
2 Platies (of course with babies, but the babies are separate)
 
The tank has some plants and a piece of driftwood, and I'm planning on adding some caves.
 
I was thinking about getting a couple more fish, but I'm not sure if it's too full right now. I was thinking about getting a bristlenose or a clown pleco, but I also would like to try getting some German rams. I'm thinking of moving the platies to a separate tank, so would the neons and cories be okay with a pair of rams? Or could I even keep the current set up and still add a pair of rams?
 
Any thoughts or suggestions would be great! Thanks!

 

[garyspence84]

A pair of rams would do fine with your current stock list of fish, I think.
cant say much about the platies... but everything else looks fine to me

 

[Byron]

I'm not sure how I came to overlook this initial post, as South American tanks are one of my prime areas.  Anyway...
 
I would not add the common (blue) ram in with the present stock, primarily due to temperature requirements of the various species.  Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is a warm water fish, most sources suggest 80F minimum, some even higher.  At cooler temperatures this fish will have trouble, and that of course leads to various issues long-term.
 
By contrast, neons do not fare well in such warm water; their preference is around 75-76F.  At warm temperatures they will rather burn out and weaken, and this again causes various issues down the road.  A shorter than expected lifespan is inevitable.
 
The corys may or may not be OK with higher temperatures, this rather depends upon the species.  Chances are, what you have are going to be happier at lower temperatures with the neons.
 
Byron.

 

[therealtimsanity]

Thanks for the advice Byron and Gary. Any other suggestions for additions?

 

[Byron]

There are many suitable fish species.  You might want to consider upper-level fish since what you have is mainly lower half.  Hatchetfish would be ideal, especially the species in the genus Carnegiella which remain a bit smaller, and stay right at the surface (the larger species in Thorococharax and Gasteropelicus tend to cruise below the surface more).  The Marble (Carnegiella strigata) is more patterned than any of the other species and very popular, and tends to be available more often as a result.  A group of nine minimum, or a few more.  There is also the plainer but still charming Black Winged Hatchetfish, Carnegiella marthae.  The even smaller pygmy hatchetfish, Carnegiella myersi, can be rather delicate; this species has a much shallower keel which gives it the appearance of being longer.  Any of these threed species can be combined with no problem, in which case I would suggest no fewer than seven of each species.
 
Another suitable fish that also remains close to the surface is the pencilfish Nannostomus eques.  This is interesting because it swims continuously at an oblique angle.  It is not brightly coloured, but I find its chestnut brown and the red splashes on the fins quite lovely.  It needs floating plants (as do the hatchetfish), as it spends its time slowly cruising among dangling roots searching for food.
 
While I'm on the pencilfish, there is the dwarf, Nannostomus marginatus.  A closely-related species, the Coral Red Pencil, Nannostomus mortenthaleri, is a real beauty.  Both are quiet and peaceful, ranging mid-tank mainly.  I would avoid the very common Nannostomus beckfordi, which is certainly striking in its colour (males esp) and behaviours, but it is a bit nippy; I had to remove my hatchetfish twice, and the beckfordi pencils sometimes take exception to any fish near "their" space, otos and other tetra included.
 
All of these will be fine at the moderate temperatures suited to the neons and corys, I would say in the range of 75-77F.
 
The above species are probably more unusual than for example many of the small tetras, but these are fine too.  Far too many to begin listing.
 
Byron.