Looking to get new fish

[felchdtd]

Hello everybody,
I am almost done cycling my tank and looking to get some new fish. I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank with:
a pleco, a red flame gourami (that i'll probably get a girlfriend for), a pictus cat, one neon tetra left (that i'm guessing the catfish will eventually munch on as it has done to the other 3), two mickey mouse platies, and a clown loach.
The platies and gourami mostly hang out near the top of the tank while everyone else besides the neon hangs out at the bottom so i am looking to get some fish that will swim around the middle of the tank. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
-Brad

 

[Blazeherd2306]

Welcome to AA!

Brad, if I were you I would first find some way to get rid of the clown loach and pleco (I'm assuming a common) unless you plan to upgrade to a much larger tank. Clowns can max out at 14 inches even though they grow slow and common plecos can grow more than a foot long. What fish you want to add are really up to you, but make sure of the size they can reach.

I like to use http://www.liveaquaria.com/default.cfm?siteid=20 as a quick reference.

 

[greenmaji]

http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm
Is suppose to be about as good as you can get.

 

[Toirtis]

if I were you I would first find some way to get rid of the clown loach and pleco (I'm assuming a common) unless you plan to upgrade to a much larger tank. Clowns can max out at 14 inches even though they grow slow and common plecos can grow more than a foot long.

Like about 14" longer than a foot long.

I agree, especially as clown loaches require small schools ar least, so that would would need 4 or so companions to remain happy and healthy.

 

[tetrin]

get 3-4 more small clown loaches to get out the natural behavior of these natural goofballs. they really feel awkward being alone. they should have no problems with the pictus cat, and together should do a good job of keeping the bottom lively. but do give them a hiding place, like a small upturned pot or a rock or something to hide for the initial few days/weeks.

the mid-level of your tank can be populated with a host of tetras and barbs. but it'd be good to stay on the side of the larger ones as the pictus would be happy to oblige you anytime by reducing your livestock .
rosy barbs / tiger barbs (in a school of no less than 6)
/ black skirt tetra(not very pretty, but very hardy) / phantom tetra / congo tetra / serpae tetra (again, no less than 6) / diamond tetra....
the choice is endless. and then there's rainbows too.
good luck in choosing.

 

[Toirtis]

get 3-4 more small clown loaches ...
...can be populated with a host of tetras and barbs. but it'd be good to stay on the side of the larger ones...
rosy barbs / tiger barbs (in a school of no less than 6)
/ black skirt tetra(not very pretty, but very hardy) / phantom tetra / congo tetra / serpae tetra (again, no less than 6) / diamond tetra....
the choice is endless...

But its not, really...he has only a 29 gallon tank, and quite a few fish already.

 

[tetrin]

sorry Toirtis. got a bit carried away there. i had went on to assume that he had a good filtration system.
i guess it would be wiser to give the loach away and then get the mid-level fish. otherwise populating the tank with the loaches does leave no space for other fish.

i just feel bad when people have to give up loaches just for the fear of them getting big. i mean they take an endless time to grow. and the games they play....mind-boggling.

 

[Toirtis]

i just feel bad when people have to give up loaches just for the fear of them getting big. i mean they take an endless time to grow.

After they hit 5"-6", but with space, food, and good water, they can hit that in 12-20 months (assuming they are a typical 2"-3" when purchased), and a 'small' troupe of five 5½" loaches is 27½ total inches.... a lot of fish.

 

[tetrin]

but with space, food, and good water, they can hit that in 12-20 months

i mean still that's about a year-to-year-and-a-half, quite a long time. after that they can be either relocated to a bigger tank (if the person really does feel attached to them), or in the worst case scenario, sold for a hefty sum of money. and as they grow up, the slight overcrowding is nothing that can't be taken care of by regular pwcs and a good filtration system .

 

[Toirtis]

...and as they grow up, the slight overcrowding is nothing that can't be taken care of by regular pwcs and a good filtration system .

Yes, but he already has somewhere around 17" of fish that will grow to 29" in the next 14 months or so, and he plans on another dwarf gourami (2"), so adding four 3" clown loaches (nevermind anything else) will put that total at 43"+....a bit more than 'slight' overcrowding in my view.

 

[tetrin]

i agree. but the brunt of that fishload would be invariably provided by mr. common pleco. and with the loaches there, most of the bottom feeding needs would be taken care of.

 

[Toirtis]

i agree. but the brunt of that fishload would be invariably provided by mr. common pleco.

Certainly, at least a good 10"-16" of it, and as long as the pleco is removed beforehand, it will help a reasonable amount.

and with the loaches there, most of the bottom feeding needs would be taken care of.

That is also true, but it will preclude him adding any barbs/tetras/rainbows as he will still be at to slightly over capacity.

 

[tetrin]

but it will preclude him adding any barbs/tetras/rainbows as he will still be at to slightly over capacity

well, that's true. slipping in smaller ones is out of question because of that darn pictus . but pictus being a schooling fish, getting rid of the solitary pictus might be a good idea too.

 

[jersysman]

I think the best thing that you can do is get fish that are suitable for your tank and not get any that you will have to relocate in a few months to a year. I find that what happens is that something always comes up and you can't get that other tank that you were speaking of and by then you are attached to the fish and it is hard to give them up. Get the right fish at the start and then if you do get the other tank get those other fish that you always wanted.

 

[felchdtd]

what would be the max number of inches that i would be able to comfortably fit in my 29 gallon tank?

 

[greenmaji]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/calcs_new.php

 

[megladonsharky]

I agree with Tortis and also would say hold off on the loaches what about yo yo loachs , a bristlenose pleco and the tetras nice and etertaining tank imho.. oh and no pictus they are lovely but feirce

 

[megladonsharky]

umm i am no expert but i like to stay 1- 1.5 inches of fish per gallon so in a 29 , 29 to 43 and that is when all are grown and you have very good filtration and like h2o changes weekly