got new 29 gal All-Glass set

[cinciboy]

Hi
Got a new 29 Gal all-glass deluxe set from Meijer on sale for $70. Fluval 304 from petco for $64. Looking for some deal on gravel and decor. Also any suggestion on stock ?. I am looking to stock semi-agressive to aggresive..

My 10Gal is fully stocked..

 

[cinciboy]

I am yet to open the 29Gal box. What about acrylic tank.... I saw some at local store.. thy are expensive.. What is the advantage of getting an acrylic apart from durable.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

are you looking for gravel or sand? If you want cheap, sand is the way to go. Not sand from the lfs, but from home depot or a pool supply store. You could sand your tank for about $5 to $10.

Regarding the stocking- What kind of fish interest you? A few large and a couple small fish, or all small fish, or just a few large?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

There are several threads that have been posted in the past couple weeks about the pros and cons between acrylic and glass. For a 29 gal tank, I'd go with glass. It's not that big and weight is not an issue. I'd suggest Acrylic when you get to the larger tank sizes when weight is an issue. It is more expensive and scratches easier. Glass is cheaper, hard to scratch, but heavier.

 

[lmw80]

there are some small cichlids you could do in a 29 gallon. Rams and kribensis come to mind first.

 

[cinciboy]

are you looking for gravel or sand? If you want cheap, sand is the way to go. Not sand from the lfs, but from home depot or a pool supply store. You could sand your tank for about $5 to $10.

Regarding the stocking- What kind of fish interest you? A few large and a couple small fish, or all small fish, or just a few large?

Is this playsand you are talking about.. Also I used gravel on my 10 Gal. How difficult to keep the sand clean.. can we keep the sand color or it will become dirty. I will love to keep small fish.. want to keep the aquarium alive.. not interested in slow moving trucks..

 

[cinciboy]

I am intested in colourful african cichilds. But what are the other fishes compatible with this.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Africans are only compatible with Africans (few exceptions). They are far to aggressive to put community fish in with them unless you choose a peaceful African. In a 29 gal tank, you are very limited on what you can keep in regards to African. I would suggest going a different route like Lori suggested with Rams or other South American Cichlids.

You can use play sand or pool filter sand. I've only used pool filter sand so I can't comment on the other types. It is very easy to keep sand clean. The waste sits ontop of it, so no more shoving the gravel vac into the gravel trying to get out every piece of poo. The sand won't change color unless you just never clean the tank. When you do water changes, just suck out the fish waste from ontop of the sand. IMO it's easier to maintain than gravel. But I'm not really a fan of gravel, so I may be biased.

 

[mentallylost]

I would consider the African Cichlid shell dwellers (quite a few different species there) and a smaller Julidichromis (except the Marlieri sp.) species. Both are fun fish with attitudes and will get along with eachother.

 

[cinciboy]

Africans are only compatible with Africans (few exceptions). They are far to aggressive to put community fish in with them unless you choose a peaceful African. In a 29 gal tank, you are very limited on what you can keep in regards to African. I would suggest going a different route like Lori suggested with Rams or other South American Cichlids.

You can use play sand or pool filter sand. I've only used pool filter sand so I can't comment on the other types. It is very easy to keep sand clean. The waste sits ontop of it, so no more shoving the gravel vac into the gravel trying to get out every piece of poo. The sand won't change color unless you just never clean the tank. When you do water changes, just suck out the fish waste from ontop of the sand. IMO it's easier to maintain than gravel. But I'm not really a fan of gravel, so I may be biased.

If I buy filter sand then Can i wash it and use it straight away or I need to treat it with some ???. Also I need some fish names (as in Fish store) so that I can start searching. I am looking for some colorful stuff.. Thanks.

 

[cinciboy]

Africans are only compatible with Africans (few exceptions). They are far to aggressive to put community fish in with them unless you choose a peaceful African. In a 29 gal tank, you are very limited on what you can keep in regards to African. I would suggest going a different route like Lori suggested with Rams or other South American Cichlids.

You can use play sand or pool filter sand. I've only used pool filter sand so I can't comment on the other types. It is very easy to keep sand clean. The waste sits ontop of it, so no more shoving the gravel vac into the gravel trying to get out every piece of poo. The sand won't change color unless you just never clean the tank. When you do water changes, just suck out the fish waste from ontop of the sand. IMO it's easier to maintain than gravel. But I'm not really a fan of gravel, so I may be biased.

If I buy filter sand then Can i wash it and use it straight away or I need to treat it with some ???. Also I need some fish names (as in Fish store) so that I can start searching. I am looking for some colorful stuff.. Thanks.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You fill a 5 gal bucket about 1/3 full of sand. Then stick a garden hose in the bucket. Swish the sand around so the particles start floating. Let the water overfill the bucket for about 15 minutes while swishing the sand around. Nothing else is necessary. Then, dump out the water and put the sand in the tank.

 

[Mananhammer]

This aqarium that you bought it is a 30 high is there any concern in stocking issues in the future?

 

[cinciboy]

This aqarium that you bought it is a 30 high is there any concern in stocking issues in the future?

What will be the problem ?. Also I am intersted in German Blue Rams.. how much are those cost.. What are their food habits ?

 

[Mananhammer]

I am sorry i should have explained more clearly.

The 29 high does not have alot of surface area or am i mistaken and all aqariums this size have the same dimensions. I have read that surface area is key to having a successful o2 lvls in the water. Am i mistaken please let me know i am a newbie and just getting my bearings before diving in. This way i know if i can swim or not. Haha pun intended.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

This tank is a 29 high? I thought it was just a standard 29 gal tank.

 

[wwomack]

I think a 29 High and a 29 are the same thing. I guess some people call it a 29H to distinguish it from a standard 30 gal.

I'm looking to buy a 29 myself in a few days. According to All Glass, a 29 is 30x12x18 (inches). It has the same footprint as a 20L but is taller.

 

[cinciboy]

I find it little high.. but I am used to my 10gal.. so I am not sure.. anyway I picked up wrought Iron platinum finish 29Gal stand yesterday from petsmart for $40. Looks cool. I got to visit homedepot / Lowe's for sand. I tried with some gravel (big 1 inch dia) yesterday. It doesnt look good. Will try out some sand...

Also yesterday started to setup Fluval.. connected all the hoses to the tank and today I will be connecting the hoses to the filter and start running...

 

[cinciboy]

Can I mix sand and pebble... anybody tried ?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes you can mix them. But the sand will most likely settle to the bottom.