Fresh start on 29gal -stock advice

[Namar]

Hi I'm decided to hit the reset button on my aquarium and try doing this right from the beginning. I ended up giving a bunch of fish away because I didn't know what I was doing and got frustrated. After reading threads here and doing a little research I'm ready to give this another go.

Right now I started a new cycle in my 29gal. No fish at all and some plants.

I really like cichlids but considering my smaller aquarium I'm limited and do not want to over populate or put a bad mix. I really like the tiny electric blue rams at my local pet store and would like to get 2. I'm not really interested in breeding but want them to get along so should I stick with a male and female? I want to add to this but I don't this more rams is advised. With the water conditions a ram requires what is a good fish to put with them? I was thinking a few small Cory's and maybe some fancy tail guppies or small school or cardinals/neons. Thoughts?

 

[mistersprinkles]

Hi I'm decided to hit the reset button on my aquarium and try doing this right from the beginning. I ended up giving a bunch of fish away because I didn't know what I was doing and got frustrated. After reading threads here and doing a little research I'm ready to give this another go.

Right now I started a new cycle in my 29gal. No fish at all and some plants.

I really like cichlids but considering my smaller aquarium I'm limited and do not want to over populate or put a bad mix. I really like the tiny electric blue rams at my local pet store and would like to get 2. I'm not really interested in breeding but want them to get along so should I stick with a male and female? I want to add to this but I don't this more rams is advised. With the water conditions a ram requires what is a good fish to put with them? I was thinking a few small Cory's and maybe some fancy tail guppies or small school or cardinals/neons. Thoughts?

Why don't you start with some hardier fish? I think it's a good precautionary measure given that you had issues last time. How about a pair of Bolivian rams (related to blue rams but quite different. Prefer more alkaline water), maybe some nice tough tetras like lemon tetras, and tough corys (Bronze).

 

[Namar]

Also I have this really nice piece of driftwood I spent nearly $30 on and it turned all my water brown to the point it looked like tea. I removed when I purged the last set up. I would really like to put it back in there but hate what it does to the water. I'm letting it soak in a bucket in hopes it will eventually "bleed out" the color. Will this work, if not what can I do?

 

[mistersprinkles]

Also I have this really nice piece of driftwood I spent nearly $30 on and it turned all my water brown to the point it looked like tea. I removed when I purged the last set up. I would really like to put it back in there but hate what it does to the water. I'm letting it soak in a bucket in hopes it will eventually "bleed out" the color. Will this work, if not what can I do?

Letting it soak until it stops leeching is about all you can do. Having your water turn tea colored is not necessarily a bad thing. Along with the tanins and acids the wood releases comes a slightly lower pH though.

 

[Namar]

I had problems because I just threw a whole bunch of fish that weren't compatible. 5 German Blue Rams, 4 Angels, a Pleco. And a Beta. Then I got rid of beta and angels and put in 2 Pictus cats and 2 gourami. Way over populated and just an all around bad mix and after the driftwood ruined all my water I decided to give them all away and just start over fresh. I didn't even do a proper start up cycle.

I'm not worried as I'm pretty attentive and it caused me a whole bunch of work and running around. Bolivian rams look too plain for me.

 

[Rivercats]

Boiling DW helps remove tannins more quickly than just soaking but you may have to do several long boilings.

German blue rams and their color mutations should not be added to an immature setup. Your tank needs to be at least 4-6 months mature as rams are very sensitive to unstable water parameters and to nitrates.

 

[Namar]

Boiling DW helps remove tannins more quickly than just soaking but you may have to do several long boilings. German blue rams and their color mutations should not be added to an immature setup. Your tank needs to be at least 4-6 months mature as rams are very sensitive to unstable water parameters and to nitrates.

I've heard this from a few sources and being told I should start out with some Hardy fish like Barbs. Thing is I don't want to get some barbs only to have to give them away or try sell them in order to get some Rams down the road. 1st world problems I tell ya. I'll figure it out, just started the fish less cycle anyways.

And thanks to everyone who have replied here, much appreciated.

 

[Namar]

I've heard this from a few sources and being told I should start out with some Hardy fish like Barbs. Thing is I don't want to get some barbs only to have to give them away or try sell them in order to get some Rams down the road. 1st world problems I tell ya. I'll figure it out, just started the fish less cycle anyways. And thanks to everyone who have replied here, much appreciated.

I just read a bunch of stuff on fish less cycles and decided not to add and Hardy fish to get it going. I'll take the 2-3 weeks and get it prepared to the levels I need for the fish I want.

In the mean time I'll keep doing research on what to stock with. It's too bad I only have a 29gal my lfs just got a batch of tiny ghost knifes in and they are super cool. Until I learned they grow fast and up to around 18". I also think it's too small for a school of Barbs. So far the Electric Blue Rams are my fav and either a small school of neons/cardinals or some Fancy Guppies to brighten things up. After that is just bottom feeders. Never really cared for Cory's but they might have to do. Would some small loaches go well in there? Maybe even snails? My girlfriend really likes Plecos and so do I but it seems they need special attention.

By the way I do plan on upgrading to a 75gal next time I move, probably in the next few months.

 

[Fresh2o]

Fish less cycle is a good option. Allows the BB time to establish themselves and gives you time to complete your research. As for bottom feeders, several Khuli/coolie loaches would work in this tank. You would need to provide cover for them. If you want a pleco, a bristle nose would be okay size wise. It would benefit from the DW that you would like to re-use. More info on plecos: (http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic165549-42-1.aspx).
Good luck with this and continue to post Qs about stocking and cycling.

 

[Fishdreamz]

Bolivian rams to me are hardier and beautiful. My thread fins and neons are great companions. So I would say rainbows and easy going tetras. Snails are always fun but not the invasive kind. Lots of plant and hiding places help)

 

[Rivercats]

Cherry barbs would work in a 29g and males are intensely red. I have a group of 15.

As for small loaches some Dwarf Chain Loaches would be ideal. They stay smaller and are so active. They can be pricey tho. Kuhli Loaches are another good choice but get a good sized group as they more you have the less shy they are. Their bio-load is also small so a large group is fine to keep in a 29g.

If you go with the EB rams don't add them until the tank has matured 4-6 months. They are very sensitive to unstable water parameters and especially to nitrates. Be sure to keep nitrates under 20ppm.

 

[Fishperson]

I would say:

Pair of rams
8 neons
8 threadfins
colony of rcs

That would be a fully stocked tank, and would look nice and colorful. Just make sure you do weekly 50% water changes to keep nitrates down, and add rams after at least 3 months. But really, rams aren't that hard for beginner hobbyists, as long as you know what you are doing (yes, you can be a beginner and know what you're doing). I put a ram in my first tank after it was set up for only 2.5 months. I wouldn't recommend adding it before 3 months though, but it was fine while had it. I ended up getting a nitrate spike, didn't realize it, and the fish died. The thing is, the nitrate only went up to like, 40 ppm, which isn't really that high. You just need to maintain nitrate below 25ish to keep it happy.

BTW, this was with a bolivian ram, so with an eb ram it may be different.

 

[mistersprinkles]

BTW, this was with a bolivian ram, so with an eb ram it may be different.

Bolivians and blue rams are two different ballgames all together. Bolivians are many times hardier and tougher than blue/gold/electric blue/german blue rams are.

I would strongly suggest against non-bolivian rams for a beginner. So I guess I agree with you

 

[Fishperson]

Bolivians and blue rams are two different ballgames all together. Bolivians are many times hardier and tougher than blue/gold/electric blue/german blue rams are.

I would strongly suggest against non-bolivian rams for a beginner. So I guess I agree with you

Wow, well my bolivian was not very hardy at all. I mean, 40 ppm nitrate isn't ideal, but still... I'm not complaining really, just venting.

But yeah, maybe eb isn't good for a beginner, but I actually do think it would be fine if you know what you're doing. Just do 50% weekly water changes in a 3+ month old tank!

 

[Namar]

Aww man, I'm really starting to reconsider the Rams altogether now. I don't want to wait 3 months to stock this tank. And I don't want to do massive weekly water changes. Maybe I'll go back to Barbs, a school of 6/7 with some complimentary fish to make it a community. Since Barbs like cooler water compared to Rams probably less chance of drastic changes in water conditions (since heat seems to breed bacteria faster).

I was also thinking of adding another water filter, maybe even a canister to make things more efficient. I was also told to add an air pump for better aeration and circulation though I'm not sure that would be necessary with 2 filers in a planted tank.

Thanks a lot for all the advise too everyone.

Where do u guys get 40ppm nitrates from? I just got a kit and tested today and it started at 0.5, 1, up to 4 or 5 I think. API kit.

 

[bribo12]

If you can find gbr or electric blues from a breeder they are generally much hardier than the wild caught or Asian bred variety. Find out where they came from, if it's a breeder you should be fine as they are usually raised in neutral tanks and can take parameter shifts better than the wild caught/Asian bred variety. I loved mine until they got mean. They were in a 29 with an angel, rummynose tetras and a couple catfish and did great until they started breeding and destroyed my angel lol. Then they had to go.

 

[Caliban07]

Why don't you add carbon floss to your filter to absorb the tannins. I don't know how long it would take for the wood to stop leaching or how many times you would have to replace the carbon but if you get the wood in early it will provide another chunk of surface area for BB to form.

Just another idea.