Stocking Help

[jbradysr04]

I have a 29 gallon tank that i have planted. Im currently cycling it. I think i have decided to fill it with some tetras. I like the neons and bloodfin tetras. Also zebra danios look nice. I have read that each of these fish are schooling fish so i want to get them in big enough groups that they are comfortable.

So my question is How many of these type fish can my 29 gallon planted tank support and what size group of each fish would be best. Ex 10 neons 10 bloodfins or 6 neons/6 Danios/6bloodfins. Also I plan to have a pleco in there that needs to be taken into account. Additionally are there any slightly larger community fish that make good center piece fish with a little more personality than the schooling fish. Dwarf gouramis seems pretty cool. So in conclusion what combination of fish would be a good number for my 29 gallon.

 

[vickumar]

Well I would consider a few things before going about stocking your tank.

First - if this is a new tank and just starting to cycle, I would add fish SLOWLY and add more as the tank matures. Regardless if the tank has cycled or not, If you dump a bunch of fish in there right now, the bacterial colonies in your tank has not yet established or multiplied enough to consume the wastes that your fish will produce. So adding a few fish now, then a couple more as the tank continues to mature, you will ensure minimal fish loss.

Second - A reasonable way to decide how many fish your 29Gallon tank can support (once FULLY matured) is to use this simple idea. 1inch of fish to 1 gallon of water. So a fish like a neon tetra for example, those guys are pretty darn small and id call them a 1/4inch of fish each. However, something bigger like a dwarf gourami can be about 2.5". Now add all of them up and as long as you stay under or at 29, you should be fine. eg: Lets say you had a school of 12 Neon tetras and 2 dwarf gouramis... that adds up to about 8"... so you theoretically can safely add another 21" of fish.

**** I would NOT consider the size of the Pleco or any scavengers or bottom feeders (like corys) when taking into account total fish length, those guys generally do work to keep your tank clean!


As for fish with character, gourami's definitely have a lot. Ive had some shabby success with dwarf gouramis. They might seem strong and fine one day, then get a mysterious illness and die the next (while all other fishes are doing well), probably due to being heavily overbred in poor conditions. They are also either quite territorial or the opposite and completely submissive with other dwarf gouramis, eventually the submissive one will die. They completely ignore tetras, smaller fish. Dont get me wrong, they are a fantastic fish with loads of character, and definitely try them out.

Also if you want really peaceful community gouramis, Ive had awesome luck with Pearl Gouramis, Honey gouramis and the Sunset Honey gouramis! The blue gouramis are great too, but can be a little territorial. Another great and super-hardy fish is a female betta (and unlike the male, is quite peaceful and you can keep more than one female in a tank). Once your tank is ready, you could try putting an angel in there, but watchout some of them like to eat little neons.

I dont suggest starting off with neons as the first fish in your tank. They are a pretty small fish, and if your tank isnt fully cycled yet, the ammonia/nitirites will kill them off one by one. Start with something a bit hardier like your danios, add a trio and let them be for a week or two. Then check your levels, if safe, add another 3 and the pleco. id say a school of 5 or 6 would keep them comfortable. When you eventually add neons, keep them in a group of 10 at least.

 

[minxfishy]

I have a 29 gallon tank that i have planted. Im currently cycling it. I think i have decided to fill it with some tetras. I like the neons and bloodfin tetras. Also zebra danios look nice. I have read that each of these fish are schooling fish so i want to get them in big enough groups that they are comfortable.

So my question is How many of these type fish can my 29 gallon planted tank support and what size group of each fish would be best. Ex 10 neons 10 bloodfins or 6 neons/6 Danios/6bloodfins. Also I plan to have a pleco in there that needs to be taken into account. Additionally are there any slightly larger community fish that make good center piece fish with a little more personality than the schooling fish. Dwarf gouramis seems pretty cool. So in conclusion what combination of fish would be a good number for my 29 gallon.

Hi, are you doing a fishless cycle with a source of ammonia or are you slowly adding fish, a fish in cycle?

If your doing a fishless cycle, then once the tank is ready and your converting 5ppm ammonia within 12 hrs and your nitrIte is also 0 within 12 hours then you can comfortably stock reasonably well at the start.

I would suggest you add the neons last as they are the most sensitive of the species you wish to stock with, so I would add the danios and bloodfins 1st, 10 of each would be fine, then wait a few weeks ensuring the tank has settled before adding the neons.

 

[vinylman]

No Neon Tetras until the tank has cycled AND matured (4/5 months); a lot of fish are very poor quality these days and nowhere near as hardy as they used to be.

 

[jbradysr04]

Yea I just read that about the neons. Solid advice. I currently have had the tank set up for almost 2 weeks. Ive planted with some various plants and my male beta is living in it right now. Im checking the levels daily and the ammonia reading is none existent with the test im using. Ive also read about gouramis carrying some sort of virus? Maybe why the poster above said his would die suddenly. I have been adding some stuff for the plants, they are already growing with no die off from when i got them. one of the plants I got has nearly gained and inch. I set up a home c02 source with yeast n sugar. I Feel like the tank is ready for some more fish. I did not do a fishless cycle though. I just let it set for a few days set up , planted it let it set another day and then put my betta in it for the past week and a half or so.



EDIT: the male betta will prolly be moved back to a smaller tank I had him. I might try and let him stay but im worried some of the smaller fish will nibble at him.

 

[vinylman]

If you're not doing a fishless cycle, then you're exposing any fish you add to Ammonia. At the least it will permanently damage a fishes gills and shorten it's lifespan. The best thing to do is either see if you can return the fish you have then do a fishless cycle, or try and get some mature filter media. There's a thread on this site that lists people who will donate some, so check that and see if there's anyone near you.