Does my "Stocking" of fish sound like a compatible community???

[B Phishin]

What up everybody?! So.. Over the past month, I've been stocking up my 29 gallon tank, with the expectation of having a nice, tropical, freshwater community. My parameters and fish stock are included below. Would much appreciate any advice or opinions. Thanks guys

- 29 gallon tank (tall)
- 150 and 100 Penguin Bio-Wheel Filtration System
- 2 100 watt submersible Heaters
- 50 lbs of playsand (thoroughly rinsed/cleansed)
- 4 artificial plants, 5 small slabs of black slate and limestone
- pH - 7.2
- GH - 0
- kH - 0
- NO2 - 120
- NO3 - 120
- NH3/NH4 (ammonia) - approx. .25% - Need to decrease (any suggestions?)

Fish Stock Include: 1 male German Blue Ram (GBR), 1 Spotted Synadontis Catfish (1 in long), 2 Marbled Angels (dime-size), 8 Cardinal Tetras, and 1 local crayfish (aka.. crawdaddy, 2 in long)

 

[JesseMessykinn]

You should do a good size water change asap to get those levels down. :/

 

[NYgiantsRP]

I would watch out for the crawdad, might snatch up a card tetra. Watch the angels as they grow, 29g in kind of small for two. The synadontis is going to get too big for that tank also. They can get over a foot long. You should do 2 or 3 50% water changes a week to get those readings down. You can get filter media to remove amm.

 

[librarygirl]

Woah, how is nitrite (NO3) 120? What test kit are you using? Nitrates are very high for fish as well. I'm assuming you didn't properly cycle the tank before adding fish?

There's a link in my signature called: new tank with fish. It'll guide you throught the process of fish-in cycling. I'd do at least three 50% water changes back-to-back ASAP with a good dechlorinator to get those levels down. I wouldn't add any more fish and what NYGiants says is right: that Crayfish is going to eat most of your fish as it grows and the Syndotis is going to grow too large for your tank plus they do better in groups of 3 which you can't do in that size tank.

You're also severly underfiltered for your stock. I'd seriously think about returning/rehoming most of those fish ASAP, they won't survive in that size tank with their tank mates and with overstocking and underfiltering your toxin levels are going to be tough to keep under control. Sorry.

 

[B Phishin]

Yooo... so whoa, whoa, whoa.. My mistake about some of my parameters. Meant my GH and kH both read 120 (not zero) and my NO2 and NO3 are 0 and 0. My bad for the typo. My tank has been running since August, and during that time, I didn't properly cycle my tank, and eventually, my stock didn't survive bc of an awful case of ick (medication was even lethal), finrot, and God knows what else. Very dissapointing! So, I took a step back, had an empty tank, except for a couple snails and a monster crawdad (actually ate my only survivor from the disaster - striped-raphael), which I returned back to the petstore, and have slowly stocked my tank since middle of November. So far so good. All my fish are juveniles, I'm talking very, young - synadontis - 1 inch long, 2 angels - dime-sized, 8 cardinal tetras, 1 german blue ram, and a local crawdad - approx 2 inch. I honestly dont think I have to worry about any of my tankmates getting too big for at least 6 months. But Librarygirl, what's wrong with my filtration system? A 150 Penguin Bio-Wheel Filtration System can satisfy up to a 30 gallon tank.. So, the 150 plus 100 Penguin Bio-Wheel Filtration System should be more than enough. That's a total of 250 gallons of water being filtered an hour. Let me know what you guys think... One more question??? What's the best way to clean a sand bottom tank?!?! Hope to hear from you soon PHISHHEADS!!!

 

[jwh0818]

Yooo... so whoa, whoa, whoa.. My mistake about some of my parameters. Meant my GH and kH both read 120 (not zero) and my NO2 and NO3 are 0 and 0. My bad for the typo. My tank has been running since August, and during that time, I didn't properly cycle my tank, and eventually, my stock didn't survive bc of an awful case of ick (medication was even lethal), finrot, and God knows what else. Very dissapointing! So, I took a step back, had an empty tank, except for a couple snails and a monster crawdad (actually ate my only survivor from the disaster - striped-raphael), which I returned back to the petstore, and have slowly stocked my tank since middle of November. So far so good. All my fish are juveniles, I'm talking very, young - synadontis - 1 inch long, 2 angels - dime-sized, 8 cardinal tetras, 1 german blue ram, and a local crawdad - approx 2 inch. I honestly dont think I have to worry about any of my tankmates getting too big for at least 6 months. But Librarygirl, what's wrong with my filtration system? A 150 Penguin Bio-Wheel Filtration System can satisfy up to a 30 gallon tank.. So, the 150 plus 100 Penguin Bio-Wheel Filtration System should be more than enough. That's a total of 250 gallons of water being filtered an hour. Let me know what you guys think... One more question??? What's the best way to clean a sand bottom tank?!?! Hope to hear from you soon PHISHHEADS!!!

Because the angels get huge and the syno will get even bigger. When you get fish you measure their full grown length when stocking your tank. I have seen Angel get the size of about 6-8" long and 10" tall of course none of your fish will get big unless you plan on upgrading to a 125g. They will just stun then die.

 

[jwh0818]

Oh and just swirl the siphon about an inch from the sand

 

[NYgiantsRP]

Your fish and filtration is good now. But in 6 months you will have stresses out fish, and the water will be harder to keep clean. Just because they are small dosent mean you can keep them in a small tank. If they stay in there too long they wont live long. Even if you move them, because they will be stunted. You will be alright for maybe 2 or 3 months but dont push it to far or else you will be just destroying the fish.

 

[B Phishin]

Thanks for the replies and advice guys! I'm giving myself about 3 months before I upgrade to at least a 55 gallon tank. Looking forward to the future of my fish! Go Kentucky Cats baby!!!