new tank, looking for stocking suggestions

[heathers_hounds]

I bought this 29/30 gal. at a moving sale. I have to reseal it first...I am ordering some sand from Docter Fosters and Smith. I will be replacing the gravel in my existing 29 gal with sand as well. I am ordering the black moon sand for existing tank. I am not sure which one for the new tank bc I am not sure what I will be stocking tank with. I had wanted to do ciclids. I love the yellows and blues and black and whites but after research it seems most ciclids need a bigger tank. I may just have to wait on my ciclids till I get a bigger tank.
Iknow I do not want live bearers or tetras. My 29 is a semi aggresive tank, I have a 10 gal. with dwarf sunburst plattys. I have a 5 gal and a 1.5-2 gal with bettas. I am looking for suggestions. I would love for someone to tell me of some ciclids that would work. I am open to other suggestions as well.
Thanks in advance..
here is the new tank.

 

[fijiwigi]

I think African Cichlids would be a good choice. I did them for years and they are a lot of fun here is some good information about them http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/cover.htm
In that size of tank you could probably have 3 I had 7 in a 46 gallon for some time they even produced fry.

 

[JustOneMore20]

There aren't too many Africans I'd suggest for a 29g. You could have some shell dwellers in there with maybe a pair of Julidochromis. The top half of the tank would be kinda bare though.

 

[kribbman]

Hi there, I dont know if you realy (HAVE TO) wait......although just about everybody, (myself included now) would disagree with what im about to say.
When i got my first aquarium it was a 10 galon. and I made every mistake a newb makes and then some....
On my 3rd trip to the pet shop to replace all the fish that had died in my gas chamber...uuuhhh i mean tank...I saw these pretty little striped purple fish. And i thought ohh cool they look like saltwater fish, so i bought 4 of them..A few days later i noticed they were kind of rowdy and they were giving the two sword tails, which had somehow survived my first weeks as an aquarist, a hard time. So I looked them up in the internet found their name learned a bit about them then headed straight back to the pet shop and bought a book on cichlids..I tried to learn as much as i could about these fascinating new fish. I found out they were territorial, agressive, and very interesting.
Anyways a couple of months later only two were alive a male and a female (pseudotropheus lombardoi) a.k.a. Kenyi....and they were the only two fish left in my aquarium...I had learned significantly more about the hobbie and was eager to get a new bigger tank. but as that was not po$$ible at the moment due to $ome re$triction$ beyond my control..i had to make due with what i had. I changed their water regularly and fed them very well (not alot), I also found two very cool rocks at the beach and after making them safe for my tank put them in as their new home... each had its own little cave...I read some more about tanks, nitrogen cycle chichlids and their habbits, mating, fry rearing.... etc etc...and eventualy felt bad for having them in such a small tank, and feeling like they would be better off in the petshop than with me. one day the male started (vibrating?) besides the female and i was like cool their flirting..too bad they will never reproduce given their cramped quarters...I watched them almost daily they were about a year old by now. and each had carved out their own little stake of territory in the tank, all **** would break loose if one crossed into the other ones side. anywas im looking into the tank and i notice a small little purple thing inside one of the holes in the rocks....I jumped up in excitement as soon as i recognized it...It was a teeny tiny little fish..My fish had babies ..I was extatic...then i remembered they spawn more than just one...oops..where were the other ones??? Long story short i found a few of them 3 to be exact...I kept them in a separate tank and eventualy gave them to a friend who has a big nice tank..
My point is that even with a small tank and inexperienced owner some fish will survive in less than perfect conditions.. and maybe 20 gal insnt realy all that small for some cichlids...provided you give proper maintainance and plenty of shelter..

 

[figliaperduta]

Oooh, another tank--so jealous! I've had cichlids in a 30H for two years (24x12x24), and as long as you're careful with selection, there's no reason you can't keep many of the smaller species in there. Just don't try Oscars or Frontosa, alright? *grin*

Anyways, I strongly recommend you visit the Cichlid Forum, which has a lot of articles about cichlid-keeping. One of my favourite features of that site is their Cookie-Cutter setups, and their 29-gallon page is here. I personally went for the Tanganyikan mini-community on that page, and the fish have been quite lively.

Two other tank set-ups bear mentioning. First is the angelfish tank, which they provide one possible grouping for. A second set-up, and my personal favourite, is to have a pair of angelfish as they suggest, but cut the number of cories to three and eliminate the harlequins/hatchets in favour of three swordtails (one male, two females) and an Ancistrus catfish. In this tank, the swordtails will probably spawn, providing you with either fry to sell (if you rescue them soon enough) or the angelfish with a delectable treat (if you don't). Platies and guppies are not recommended here, as they're too small, and the angelfish will eat them. The other resident of this tank is one of the Ancistrus species, peaceful suckermouth catfish of Family Loricariidae and closely related to the plecos, but smaller and thus more suitable for this size of tank. Like the plecos, one either loves them or hates them, but if their odd behaviour and prehistoric looks amuse you, then there is no end to the selection. Some of them have L-numbers instead of scientific names, and many of them have interesting colourways. Do make sure you stay with the smaller ones, though--5" would be about tops, for that system.

The other option is a convict cichlid breeder tank, which would start out with six of these aggressive fish. In time, they would pair off--keep a pair, and resell the rest. Do not put anything else in there--it will get eaten. The pair will most likely reproduce, giving you a first-hand look at the parental care provided by cichlids--something usually associated with birds and mammals. This tank will require care during cleaning, as Mama and Dada consider you a threat--and the gravel-vac. Trust me, you're not going to win this one. The best strategy is to herd them to one side of the tank and put a temporary divider in--ask your LFS for these.

I hope this information helps, and I look forward to hearing more about this tank. Cichlids are a favourite of mine, and it's always exciting to hear someone else is considering them.

 

[melosu58]

Why not make one of them a SW tank? We will help you through it.LOL