Confused about my new fish

[sarah5775]

I'm a little confused.
I'm rather new to the tropical fish world. I cycled my 29 gallon tank with live bacteria and a few tetras added later, as well as some gravel from a friend's established tank. Now I have the following:

Two mollies, one male, one pregnant female (I posted a lot of questions on the breeding forum about her.)
One pleco, spotted (about 2 1/2 inches)
One blue gourami
One chinese catfish (sort of like a thin pleco)
Two platys, one male, one female, who seem to have no interest in mating
Three little neon tetras
Four lemon tetras
Two silver tetras

One fish store says to put in another gourami so mine doesn't get lonely. The other says not to put in another gourami, or they will get agressive. One says my gourami will get to be three inches (she's now two and a half) one says she will get six inches.

My questions are

I have been cleaning weekly, replacing four gallons of water. Is this enough?
Do I need to be feeding the pleco and chinese catfish? I've been just letting them eat the algae and excess food.
I am feeding the fish flake food and bloodworms (freeze dried) Should I be feeding them anything else?
Can I add a few female mollies? I want to leave room in the tank for fry to grow up. I don't know how much room I have to add fish.
What can I do to get rid of excess algae?

 

[davidtcb1]

I think that's probably enough water...one of my tanks is a 29 and i usually get the water level down to about 2.5 inches below the black (in my case) strip on top of the tank. Every now and again I'll drop in an algae wafer for my plecos, but if you've already got some algae he should be fine with that.
I've always heard that gouramis in numbers of more than 1 in a tank that size will cause trouble. My gold one was the "punk" in my 75 gallon tank when he was the largest fish in there, but once he got outsized he is really mellow and about three inches. The gourami and all the other tetras I've owned love the orange granules from tetra...these:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4271&N=2004+6110

They are slow sinking and not very messy at all, plus they are a color enhancer. The catfish will like them too.

I would call your tank pretty full, but you might get away with a couple more mollies. I've never owned any of them, so I can't say for sure.

 

[MattAquaBio]

I think you could have a couple more mollies but it might get hectic. You dont HAVE to feed the pleco if you already have established algae but i supplement with wafers just incase.
Yeah i think that is enough water.
Those two foods are enough but sometimes you could switch it up for variety, its not really necessary but its good for healthy fish. Like every now and then i'll give my fish a cricket or two.
For the algae you could try leaving the light on a little less during the day and if the aquarium is exposed to natural light you could cut that out. I think if you planted a couple live plants they woudl compete for the nutrients with the algae but i'm not sure about that. At any rate, doing that would just open a whole new can of beans.
I dont recommend buying fish to solve a rpoblem, but you could try more algae eaters.

 

[Zagz]

OK first the blue gourami, do you know if it is a dwarf gourami or a full size gourami? They will grow to 2 different sizes. A pic would be good if possible.

Fish also like veggies & fruits, Here is a great article on how to do it.

I would drop in algae wafers for your pleco and CAE at least twice a week. If your chinese algae eater is indeed a chinese algae eater, keep an eye on him. They can get quite aggressive as they get older. I have one 7", that is in my cichlid tank.

The pleco if it is a common pleco will also get too large eventually for your tank. You may want to consider getting rid of him if he is a common pleco and getting a bristlenose pleco instead. They stay much smaller.

Water changes. More water changed is better for fish. I do 50% weekly. Add dechlorinator and match water temps every time. 25% is acceptable but IMO you can't overdo water changes. Your fish will love you for it.

Getting rid of excess algae first requires discovering the cause and the type of algae. Getting more algae eaters for your tank is not the best option. What color is the algae and where is is located? What are your water parameters, including ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate?

I would get 2 more female mollies and skip the gourami addition if it were my tank. Male mollies can harrass a female to death. More females means less stress.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I think 4G is not enough, should do more. It's not even 25%. I personally do 50% weekly as well. Can never do too much.

As for the mollies, do you have a way of keeping the babies so they don't get eaten by the other fish, or the mollies themselves? Maybe a breeder box for your tank?

 

[JustOneMore20]

I think you should be doing 50% weekly water changes. That's what I personally do. I think you are a little overstocked and don't have good numbers for your schooling fish.

For a 29g, I think 2 schools of fish should be max. I'd choose 2 schools, between the 3 types you have and take back the 3rd type of fish. Personally, I'd go with the neons and lemon tetras and return the silvertips. Silvertips can be a bit nippy, so I'd just go with the other two types.

I would then add 3 more neons and 2 more lemons to bring the numbers up to 6, which is much better for schooling fish.

You could possibly add one more female molly, but you will eventually have tons of fry, so I wouldn't add anymore livebearers.

Is the gourami a true Blue/Opaline gourami or a blue dwarf gourami? Blue/Opaline gouramis get about 4 inches long...so with all the mollies, platies, and cories, it may feel a bit cramped in the tank. I'd watch it to make sure it doesn't get aggressive. Mine is a bully. If its a dwarf...then it should be fine because it only gets about 2 inches long and should be pretty peaceful.

If the Chinese catfish is indeed a Chinese Algae Eater, I'd go ahead and return it. They don't eat algae much when they get older and get more aggressive. They are also known to go after the slime coat on other fish which could kill them. I have had one do this to a danio before. I think CAEs are better off in a cichlid tank with other aggressive fish.

 

[sarah5775]

I think I need another tank. I'm going to get a ten gallon as soon as I save up a for a nice stand. (probably in a week or two) I am going to need it because I am overstocked. Bought two more female mollies and (impulse buy) three red tetras (stupid) before I read this. Now I have thrirty inches of fish in a twenty-nine gallon tank. I think the gourami is a blue/opaline and she is only two inches now. And you say I need more fish for the lemons and neons. Guess I had new fish owner enthusiasm. NOt only that, I have one pregnant molly, and though I plan to give some of the fry to the pet store, I'd like to keep some. Definitely need a new tank. By the way, I was mistaken. they are black tetras and not silvertips. I guess I made a common new fish owner mistake of overstocking.

I'm thinking I can move the neons to the new five and a half gallon tank I got. Problem is, I already plan to put a betta in there. How many neons can I put in the five gallon and when should I put them in? I have the live bacteria plus I can cycle the tank with some gravel. Or do you recommend I just keep the betta in the five and a half and just put the neons in the ten gallon tank? Do I need a twenty gallon? I don't have room for anything bigger- the twenty gallon is pushing it.

Will definitly return the chinese algae eater as soon as I get a chance. Sigh. My fish store told me the algae eater would stay small and not be agressive. Then again, this same store didn't know that mollies were livebearers. I guess I should come here for advice more often. Ugh.

Sarah

 

[Lonewolfblue]

If you can, try to go for a 20G and get it properly cycled, then move some fish over. Like stated above, for the 29G, should have no more than 2 types of schooling fish, and a minimum of 6 of each. Same with the 20G, 2 schools max, 6 each, and maybe 1 other centerpiece fish like a dwarf gourami or a couple rainbowfish.

 

[sarah5775]

Couple more questions:


Can I put three schools in the twenty gallon if I have nothing but tetras in there?

Can I put the neons in with my betta in the 5 1/2 gallon?

How can I maintain my aquarium for now if I can't buy the 20 gallon until next month or so? How many water changes should I do a week to keep the fish healthy? Or at least ok?

How long will it take to cycle the 5 1/2 gallon with the gravel from my other tank and the bio-spiri (or whatever its called)?