Trying To Finish The Last Stocking Of My Tank- 29g

[Mr.Tan]

Alright, I know these threads are beaten to death, but its something I've been going over in my head a lot and I'm tryign to decide what else to do (if anything) and basicaly find a centerpiece fish for my tank.


Its a standard 29 US gallon tank (30L x 12W x 18H)


so far I have:

-5 Cory cats (had six but one died during my move)
-5 decent sized black skirt tetras
-1 female swordtail (again, had a male but he jumped out of the tank one night because my cover was not on due to it still being packed away from moving...it is on now though)
- 3 neon tetras (had 5 but they slowly withered away to 3)


Can I add more fish successfully? I dont want to overcrowd it as I have done that in the past and it was just a big clutter fest. I have 14 fish, 5 of which I dont even come off the sand bed so I dont really consider them open water swimmers taking up space...

Any suggesstions would be great!


heres the tank: The 2 gouramis are No longer in the tank, they have been rehomed.

 

[I'm the new guy]

Get rid of your neons. Three is not enough. If you do that you would have adequate room for 2 nice angelfish. You might want to give away your sword tail also.
Another option is to add 5 neons.
Since you said most of your fish stick to the bottom you could get some hatchet fish maybe, but RESEARCH them first. I don't know much about stocking hatchet fish or suitable gallons. Hatchet fish like the top of the water so this would give your aquarium better balance.
I don't think you are overcrowding at all as if you read my first post it shows I am not a believer in the one inch per gallon guideline. You shouldn't add much more fish if you add fish. You have corys and tetras which are pretty low bio load fish, especially tetras, which gives you a little room to work with if you have stable water, and if you change the water religiously.

 

[SandraNewbie]

what you had before the move was a relatively good stocking for that tank and I wouldn't push much past that. I'd recommend getting some neon tetras back so that they can shoal properly whatever you do.

 

[Tuxyu3]

Hmmm, i would either get rid or up the numbers of the neon tetras. What kind of corys are they? And someone previously suggested 2 angelfish for this tank, i would most certainly NOT recommend that. Also, what are the exact dimensions of the tank?

Edit: The suggestion of keeping neons with angelfish was also not a very good one as angels often snack on them.

 

[I'm the new guy]

Hmmm, i would either get rid or up the numbers of the neon tetras. What kind of corys are they? And someone previously suggested 2 angelfish for this tank, i would most certainly NOT recommend that. Also, what are the exact dimensions of the tank?

Edit: The suggestion of keeping neons with angelfish was also not a very good one as angels often snack on them.
[/quote/]
My dad bread Angelfish for many years to sell to local fish stores. In his show angelfish tank all he had was angelfish and neons. They will not eat your neons if you stock the neons first and get the angelfish small. If you introduce the angelfish to the tank when they are young if the neons are already there they will not eat them. I know what I'm talking about when it comes to angelfish. You may not want angelfish and thats fine, but they will work if you want them. You would need to re home the sword tail first. I currently have in my house a 30 gallon tank with 3 angels, 12 neons, and 3 otos. Another thing to do is add a bunch of live plants to make the tank look much better.
Overall the easiest option is just to get some more neons and be done with it.

 

[mislisa]

personally, i'd rehome the three neons and up the number of the black skirts. otherwise, i'm afraid i'm not much help.

 

[Tuxyu3]

Hmmm, i will concede you obviously have much more experience with angels than me, but that is exactly why you can do these things. Im not saying it cant be done i am just trying to say its probably not the best thing for a first time angel keeper. And i completely agree about the neons, i myself have an angelfish with a shoal of neons and they get along fine, but from what i have heard from other people it doesn't always work .

 

[I'm the new guy]

Hmmm, i will concede you obviously have much more experience with angels than me, but that is exactly why you can do these things. Im not saying it cant be done i am just trying to say its probably not the best thing for a first time angel keeper. And i completely agree about the neons, i myself have an angelfish with a shoal of neons and they get along fine, but from what i have heard from other people it doesn't always work .

You are right that you shouldn't go at angels without knowing what your doing. Whenever there is an opportunity to throw out information about angels I will throw what I can
One cool idea for this tank is to add a khuli loach. I don't know if that is possible or not I don't know anything about loaches, but if it is it would look good with those plants. Oh and I said you should get live plants earlier, but obviously you already do. I meant you should get some taller live plants that go to the top of the aquarium. Not all people like densely planted aquariums so its up to you.

 

[mislisa]

You are right that you shouldn't go at angels without knowing what your doing. Whenever there is an opportunity to throw out information about angels I will throw what I can
One cool idea for this tank is to add a khuli loach. I don't know if that is possible or not I don't know anything about loaches, but if it is it would look good with those plants. Oh and I said you should get live plants earlier, but obviously you already do. I meant you should get some taller live plants that go to the top of the aquarium. Not all people like densely planted aquariums so its up to you.

Kuhli loaches are a neat fish (i have several) but they live in the same area as the corys and you don't always see them as they like to hide under wood and such. oddly enough, you see more of them the more hidey holes you have! also, they often like to try swimming up filters, so you need to make sure you have the filter intake covered with something like panty hose or sponge. also, they like to be in groups of 6+, so that's something to consider as well.

 

[Mr.Tan]

I dont even know where to start here with all of these replies!

First off, i do know I need more neon tetras if I want to keep them.. my only problem is they always seem to die! i have tried in the past, and even tried again.. I had 7 of them, and they all died off until I have three left. Its like they don't like my tank, even though my black skirts have been around since day 1 of the tank (even before i took it down to move and re-set it up), same with my cory cats and female sword.

I think I might try to rehome the neons, the only problem is finding somewhere to take them. I got lucky with the gouramis and the pet store near me I started talking to the dude and told him I wanted to rehome them to get an angel fish (they got a shipment of them in) so he made room for them so I could buy the angel.

Which leads me to my next part--- I had an angel fish, but It somehow got sick and died, along with the male swordtail i bought from same store, so I know it was the pet store and not my tank because they both died at same time and my fish were still fine i already had (and still are).

I'd love another, as it was my ideal centerpiece fish, and I love them to death (tey are so elegant....


I also really , REALLY, want some kuhli loaches... only problem is my fish stores around me NEVER get them in. All they sell ever are dojo loaches, which I heard can be a problem with planted tanks and uprooting when they get bigger.


oh...and for the plant question/remark. The plants I have dense in the back are slowly growing, and I plan on having those grow large (and they do, I had in my last tank a long time ago before I took it down and did a reef tank) so I have that planned. I do want to get others eventually for up front and on sides kind of to fill in more as low level plants. but not until these grow up..I need to get co2 before I do any more.

 

[Tuxyu3]

I dont even know where to start here with all of these replies!

First off, i do know I need more neon tetras if I want to keep them.. my only problem is they always seem to die! i have tried in the past, and even tried again.. I had 7 of them, and they all died off until I have three left. Its like they don't like my tank, even though my black skirts have been around since day 1 of the tank (even before i took it down to move and re-set it up), same with my cory cats and female sword.

I think I might try to rehome the neons, the only problem is finding somewhere to take them. I got lucky with the gouramis and the pet store near me I started talking to the dude and told him I wanted to rehome them to get an angel fish (they got a shipment of them in) so he made room for them so I could buy the angel.

Which leads me to my next part--- I had an angel fish, but It somehow got sick and died, along with the male swordtail i bought from same store, so I know it was the pet store and not my tank because they both died at same time and my fish were still fine i already had (and still are).

I'd love another, as it was my ideal centerpiece fish, and I love them to death (tey are so elegant....


I also really , REALLY, want some kuhli loaches... only problem is my fish stores around me NEVER get them in. All they sell ever are dojo loaches, which I heard can be a problem with planted tanks and uprooting when they get bigger.


oh...and for the plant question/remark. The plants I have dense in the back are slowly growing, and I plan on having those grow large (and they do, I had in my last tank a long time ago before I took it down and did a reef tank) so I have that planned. I do want to get others eventually for up front and on sides kind of to fill in more as low level plants. but not until these grow up..I need to get co2 before I do any more.

I love kuhli loaches and have one at the moment (soon to get more) they are a pretty common fish and LFS's don't seem to have problems selling them so they would probably order some in if you asked. Like someone previously mentioned, they should be in groups. I have mine in with corys (45gallon) and they get along fine.

 

[I'm the new guy]

I dont even know where to start here with all of these replies!

First off, i do know I need more neon tetras if I want to keep them.. my only problem is they always seem to die! i have tried in the past, and even tried again.. I had 7 of them, and they all died off until I have three left. Its like they don't like my tank, even though my black skirts have been around since day 1 of the tank (even before i took it down to move and re-set it up), same with my cory cats and female sword.

I think I might try to rehome the neons, the only problem is finding somewhere to take them. I got lucky with the gouramis and the pet store near me I started talking to the dude and told him I wanted to rehome them to get an angel fish (they got a shipment of them in) so he made room for them so I could buy the angel.

Which leads me to my next part--- I had an angel fish, but It somehow got sick and died, along with the male swordtail i bought from same store, so I know it was the pet store and not my tank because they both died at same time and my fish were still fine i already had (and still are).

I'd love another, as it was my ideal centerpiece fish, and I love them to death (tey are so elegant....


I also really , REALLY, want some kuhli loaches... only problem is my fish stores around me NEVER get them in. All they sell ever are dojo loaches, which I heard can be a problem with planted tanks and uprooting when they get bigger.


oh...and for the plant question/remark. The plants I have dense in the back are slowly growing, and I plan on having those grow large (and they do, I had in my last tank a long time ago before I took it down and did a reef tank) so I have that planned. I do want to get others eventually for up front and on sides kind of to fill in more as low level plants. but not until these grow up..I need to get co2 before I do any more.

If you are having fish die very quickly after you introduce them to your tank it could be from shock. Here are some things you can do to minimize shock when bringing home a fish. Some of these are very obvious but important and if not done can kill fish.
1 When you get a fish try to get it home as quickly as possible without much shaking of the fish or direct sunlight if possible.
2 Once you get your fish home it is probably in a plastic bag. Don't immediately pour the fish with the water into your aquarium, let the bag float in your aquarium for atlesat 30 minutes if not more. This lowers the temperature deferential from his bag to your tank lowering its shock when it goes into your tank. Then put the fish in the aquarium.
3 Change your water the day before you get more fish to keep the water in good condition.
I'm sure you already know these things, but if you don't they are important. When it comes to keeping fish the more you know the better.
Enjoy your aquarium.

 

[Tuxyu3]

If you want to go a step further you could drip acclimate your fish.

 

[Flute]

How old is the tank? Neons are notorious for being very delicate these days, and only do well in a really mature tank. If you like the look of them, why not try cardinals instead? They tend to be hardier and are a better looking fish IMO.

I really wouldn't recommend an angel in this tank- looking over at mine, they are huge and not even fully grown yet

This is what I would do:

Rehome the neons
Up the corys to 6
Up the black skirts to 6
Keep the female swordtail
A pair of apistogramma or another similar dwarf cichlid as a centre piece

Or, if you liked the gourami, why not try a pearl? They tend to be much more laid back than the other large species, and are far prettier IMO They have fantastic personalities too!

 

[Mr.Tan]

I love kuhli loaches and have one at the moment (soon to get more) they are a pretty common fish and LFS's don't seem to have problems selling them so they would probably order some in if you asked. Like someone previously mentioned, they should be in groups. I have mine in with corys (45gallon) and they get along fine.

Yeah i've fallen in love with them after reading/seeing pictures, they seem like great fish to keep. I'm gonna ask my LFS when I go and see if they can order...although they are kind of weird these days, don't even take donations anymore (that fish place).

Oh I make sure to acclimate fish very good and do all of the above. I'm used to acclimation processes from having a reef tank where the fish are sensitive to salinity levels and PH, etc... I always float the bag, however with freshwater fish I never did any type of drip/water adding acclimation. I didn't think it was as important since there is no difference in the salinity levels from the LFS to my tank, because there is no salt to worry about LOL. I'll try to drip acclimate to see if it helps.

How old is the tank? Neons are notorious for being very delicate these days, and only do well in a really mature tank. If you like the look of them, why not try cardinals instead? They tend to be hardier and are a better looking fish IMO.

I really wouldn't recommend an angel in this tank- looking over at mine, they are huge and not even fully grown yet

This is what I would do:

Rehome the neons
Up the corys to 6
Up the black skirts to 6
Keep the female swordtail
A pair of apistogramma or another similar dwarf cichlid as a centre piece

Or, if you liked the gourami, why not try a pearl? They tend to be much more laid back than the other large species, and are far prettier IMO They have fantastic personalities too!

Well the tank is originally 7 months old, however I moved and had to take the tank down and it was reset back up a day later which has been 1 month ago. I kept the filter media so that it still had all the biological bacteria that is essential (kept it soaked in the old tank water). I set tank up and let it run for 2 days to get the water going through the bacteria. Also used some old tank water in the tank to help get ti going quickly again.

I might try cardinals, I'm gonna head to my good LFS tonight (that fish place) and see what all they have. I'll grab another cory cat, I dont want anymore black skirts as the ones I have are bigger (grown a lot since I got them) and don't see like they would do good with a newbie added in the tank LOL.

I didn't really want another gourami, however if I can find a nice looking one I might buy it. I always kept a pair, but it never ended well and the one always chased the other. Not gonna make that mistake again if I get one!