Hi there, I am fairly new to fish keeping. I have had my 29g set up for about 4 months now and I have done a ton of research prior to and since getting the tank.
First, my tank specs:
2 AC 70 filters
150w heater
diy co2
good amount of plants
driftwood, plenty of rock hiding spots
77 degrees F
0 ammonia
0 nitrites
5-20 nitrates, usually closer to 10. i try to keep this low as possible usually changing 5g of water twice a week, with the occasional 1-2g changes every few days just to suck up waste and such. also just got some seachem matrix so hopefully that helps a bit
Inhabitants:
11 harlequin rasboras
10 cherry barbs (4 boys, 6 girls)
7 albino corys
1 honey gourami
1 male plakat beta
16 neon tetras
3 mystery snails (planning on rehoming two, males won't leave my female alone)
3 amano shrimp
I feed my fish a pretty wide variety of food. about 6 different kinds of high quality prepared pellets/wafers and then a few times a week either daphnia/bloodworms/brine shrimp
Now... please before people start screaming at me, I have done a TON of research and I test my water very often. I am meticulous about my water changes and I watch my fish a lot to see if they show signs of distress. No one ever really hides other than my beta. The tank did not start this heavily stocked and I have slowly added fish. I am not considering adding more fish. My gourami and beta get along amazingly. My filters have baffles and no one minds the tanks current.
Occasionally the rasboras or barbs will chase each other (usually within same species), but never for more than a few seconds. Space wise, everyone seems quite comfortable. The rasboras use the top 1/3 of the tank, the neons the 2/3 of the tank, the cories mostly the bottom, but they are spazzes and swim laps sometimes. My cherry barbs tend to be scattered around, in groups of two or three. No one gets in each other's way and fish even sometimes establish a temporary "territory". My beta is quite shy, but he is not afraid to swim with his tank mates and get social with me for morning feedings. He very much enjoys using every single inch of the tank and exploring.
Now, all this being said, do I have too many fish? Space wise everyone seems to get a long just fine. I've been having problems with the shrimp hoarding food from the cories, but the cories still get enough. If I were to rehome any of the fish, it would be the cherry barbs, but they don't seem to get in anyone's way.
Also, I have been having some issues with water clarity. Yes I know, it's to be expected with so many fish. I don't overfeed as I time the fish and drop their food in bit by bit until they finish eating. I sometimes dose the tank with a water clarifier but don't like using it every day. I wondered if I got a smaller filter, say maybe an AC30, and put just purigen in it with no biomedia. Would that help keep the water clear?
I'm really open to advice, I just hope I don't get flamed with no constructive criticism. Thanks for any help
First, my tank specs:
2 AC 70 filters
150w heater
diy co2
good amount of plants
driftwood, plenty of rock hiding spots
77 degrees F
0 ammonia
0 nitrites
5-20 nitrates, usually closer to 10. i try to keep this low as possible usually changing 5g of water twice a week, with the occasional 1-2g changes every few days just to suck up waste and such. also just got some seachem matrix so hopefully that helps a bit
Inhabitants:
11 harlequin rasboras
10 cherry barbs (4 boys, 6 girls)
7 albino corys
1 honey gourami
1 male plakat beta
16 neon tetras
3 mystery snails (planning on rehoming two, males won't leave my female alone)
3 amano shrimp
I feed my fish a pretty wide variety of food. about 6 different kinds of high quality prepared pellets/wafers and then a few times a week either daphnia/bloodworms/brine shrimp
Now... please before people start screaming at me, I have done a TON of research and I test my water very often. I am meticulous about my water changes and I watch my fish a lot to see if they show signs of distress. No one ever really hides other than my beta. The tank did not start this heavily stocked and I have slowly added fish. I am not considering adding more fish. My gourami and beta get along amazingly. My filters have baffles and no one minds the tanks current.
Occasionally the rasboras or barbs will chase each other (usually within same species), but never for more than a few seconds. Space wise, everyone seems quite comfortable. The rasboras use the top 1/3 of the tank, the neons the 2/3 of the tank, the cories mostly the bottom, but they are spazzes and swim laps sometimes. My cherry barbs tend to be scattered around, in groups of two or three. No one gets in each other's way and fish even sometimes establish a temporary "territory". My beta is quite shy, but he is not afraid to swim with his tank mates and get social with me for morning feedings. He very much enjoys using every single inch of the tank and exploring.
Now, all this being said, do I have too many fish? Space wise everyone seems to get a long just fine. I've been having problems with the shrimp hoarding food from the cories, but the cories still get enough. If I were to rehome any of the fish, it would be the cherry barbs, but they don't seem to get in anyone's way.
Also, I have been having some issues with water clarity. Yes I know, it's to be expected with so many fish. I don't overfeed as I time the fish and drop their food in bit by bit until they finish eating. I sometimes dose the tank with a water clarifier but don't like using it every day. I wondered if I got a smaller filter, say maybe an AC30, and put just purigen in it with no biomedia. Would that help keep the water clear?
I'm really open to advice, I just hope I don't get flamed with no constructive criticism. Thanks for any help
