Stocking: Thinking out-loud

[bstnrdsx]

So I figured since I'll be setting up my 29gal again this weekend I'd start a thread to help narrow down my stocking choice with everyone's help. Then hopefully keep updating with some pics. The hardest part for me in this hobby is picking the fish!

Here's the background: 29gal with my old HOB filter I'll eventually upgrade, blue medium gravel substrate with deco and background TBD (no real plants though). This is being set up for my 9 month old daughter to watch (or so thats what I told my wife) since she loves looking at fish, so everything is going to need to be bright and fun.

I've bounced back and forth with many ideas, so I'm going to start thinking out loud and putting my thoughts down for others to pick at and add to.

First Thought: 3-4 Tiger Barbs, 3-4 Albino TB's, 3-4 Green TB's, BN Pleco
This gives me a good amount of fish for a 29gal, and maybe they'll all shoal together and keep the aggression down since its 9 or so together. Not much in terms of color however.

Second Thought: 4-5 Cherry Barbs, 4-5 Congo Tetras, BN Pleco with a Gourami as the the centerpiece.
This is the most color, however I'm not sure about having that many different kinds of fish together, as well as if the gourami would be lonely by him/herself.

Third Thought: Handful of Dwarf Gourami's and a few Corys.
This gives me some flash and color while not being too plain. (I've never liked keeping simple tetras or anything you can find at every pet store for $1.99). I'm new to Gourami's however and not sure their temperment in groups, as well as new to Corys so I'm not sure how to deal with them either. I've also only once not had a Pleco, and I'm not sure Corys will do the same job.

Sorry for the long post but I'm open to any more ideas and need this place to gather my thoughts!

 

[jcolon]

I've bounced back and forth with many ideas, so I'm going to start thinking out loud and putting my thoughts down for others to pick at and add to.

First Thought: 3-4 Tiger Barbs, 3-4 Albino TB's, 3-4 Green TB's, BN Pleco
This gives me a good amount of fish for a 29gal, and maybe they'll all shoal together and keep the aggression down since its 9 or so together. Not much in terms of color however.

Sorry for the long post but I'm open to any more ideas and need this place to gather my thoughts!

I think your first choice is the way to go ... and if your looking for a bit more color ... consider 3 Tigers, 3 Green Tigers, 2 Albino Tiger and 4 male Odessa Barbs. The Odessa's will give you some red color, and the 8 Tigers should shoal no problems.

 

[HN1]

So I figured since I'll be setting up my 29gal again this weekend I'd start a thread to help narrow down my stocking choice with everyone's help. Then hopefully keep updating with some pics. The hardest part for me in this hobby is picking the fish!

Here's the background: 29gal with my old HOB filter I'll eventually upgrade, blue medium gravel substrate with deco and background TBD (no real plants though). This is being set up for my 9 month old daughter to watch (or so thats what I told my wife) since she loves looking at fish, so everything is going to need to be bright and fun.

I've bounced back and forth with many ideas, so I'm going to start thinking out loud and putting my thoughts down for others to pick at and add to.

First Thought: 3-4 Tiger Barbs, 3-4 Albino TB's, 3-4 Green TB's, BN Pleco
This gives me a good amount of fish for a 29gal, and maybe they'll all shoal together and keep the aggression down since its 9 or so together. Not much in terms of color however.

That would work fine IMO.

Second Thought: 4-5 Cherry Barbs, 4-5 Congo Tetras, BN Pleco with a Gourami as the the centerpiece.
This is the most color, however I'm not sure about having that many different kinds of fish together, as well as if the gourami would be lonely by him/herself.

Congos definitely get too large for the life of the fish in a 29.Upping the cherry barbs to 8 with a BN and a dwarf gourami would work nicely. They are harder to find, but you could do a group of sparkling gourami if you want a group.

Third Thought: Handful of Dwarf Gourami's and a few Corys.
This gives me some flash and color while not being too plain. (I've never liked keeping simple tetras or anything you can find at every pet store for $1.99). I'm new to Gourami's however and not sure their temperment in groups, as well as new to Corys so I'm not sure how to deal with them either. I've also only once not had a Pleco, and I'm not sure Corys will do the same job.

A single DG would be a good centerpiece fish, but I'd caution you against keeping multiples. Cories would be a great addition.

Sorry for the long post but I'm open to any more ideas and need this place to gather my thoughts!

Random thoughts above in blue. A 29 offers a ton of possibilities. Kudos for researching before you get the fish. Hope your daughter enjoys the tank!

 

[bruinsbro1997]

So I figured since I'll be setting up my 29gal again this weekend I'd start a thread to help narrow down my stocking choice with everyone's help. Then hopefully keep updating with some pics. The hardest part for me in this hobby is picking the fish!

Here's the background: 29gal with my old HOB filter I'll eventually upgrade, blue medium gravel substrate with deco and background TBD (no real plants though). This is being set up for my 9 month old daughter to watch (or so thats what I told my wife) since she loves looking at fish, so everything is going to need to be bright and fun.

I've bounced back and forth with many ideas, so I'm going to start thinking out loud and putting my thoughts down for others to pick at and add to.

First Thought: 3-4 Tiger Barbs, 3-4 Albino TB's, 3-4 Green TB's, BN Pleco
This gives me a good amount of fish for a 29gal, and maybe they'll all shoal together and keep the aggression down since its 9 or so together. Not much in terms of color however.

Second Thought: 4-5 Cherry Barbs, 4-5 Congo Tetras, BN Pleco with a Gourami as the the centerpiece.
This is the most color, however I'm not sure about having that many different kinds of fish together, as well as if the gourami would be lonely by him/herself.

Third Thought: Handful of Dwarf Gourami's and a few Corys.
This gives me some flash and color while not being too plain. (I've never liked keeping simple tetras or anything you can find at every pet store for $1.99). I'm new to Gourami's however and not sure their temperment in groups, as well as new to Corys so I'm not sure how to deal with them either. I've also only once not had a Pleco, and I'm not sure Corys will do the same job.

Sorry for the long post but I'm open to any more ideas and need this place to gather my thoughts!

First Thought is rock solid. Second Thought just get rid of the congos and choose another fish. Third Thought just get one or a pair, DGs are not good when a lot are put together. Maybe get some sort of other fish to go with it.

 

[bstnrdsx]

Thank you for the quick feedback so far. I've never seen Congo Tetras before but everywhere I'm looking says 2.5"-3" full grown, so I did not think they would be too big. I'm guessing by my reading so far that they need the swimming space, it's not so much about their bioload (considering TB's get the same size or bigger). I really started to like the second option, as it gives me good color with a nice centerpiece fish. If I cannot do the Congo Tetra, what would be a good replacement to keep the tank bright with color?

Also to keep things tidy, I'll ask my other questions here:
Considering I've been tankless for about 3 years now, what can I keep from my old days? I'm obviously using the tank, filter and gravel, but are my old food and water conditioners still good if they were kept sealed, or do they have a shelf life?

I do not know anyone who owns an established tank where I live, so I'll have to resort to asking the LFS or Craigslist for seed material for my cycle. Whats the best thing to try and ask for to make the quickest cycle? And has anyone had any luck and can give advice on getting anything from a LFS? Also, will bacteria just eventually grow if I cannot get seed material?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

There is a species of rainbow that is call melatonaia praecox (sorry I know I spelled it wrong) that can do fine in your sized tank. Aka dwarf neon rainbowfish, gets about two inches long and is grey, red, blue, green and sometimes yellow, depending on the light and the angles.

 

[bstnrdsx]

Thats another good option as well.

Also:
I've always used a HOB filter with a sponge material first, then carbon inserts. From reading here I see that carbon is not the preffered choice anymore. If I plan to keep the HOB filter what can I put into the chamber for filtration to maximize my benefit?

 

[HN1]

There is a species of rainbow that is call melatonaia praecox (sorry I know I spelled it wrong) that can do fine in your sized tank. Aka dwarf neon rainbowfish, gets about two inches long and is grey, red, blue, green and sometimes yellow, depending on the light and the angles.

Small bows and psuedos are good options as well. Hard to find at times and pricier, but neat. Celebes, werneri, furcata, gertrudae, signifer, etc.

 

[Patterson333]

I've never had one myself, but I've heard that Dwarf Ram Cichlids would do alright in a tank that size (someone please correct me on that if I'm wrong). I've seen them at my lfs and some of them are gorgeous.

 

[severum mama]

I've never had one myself, but I've heard that Dwarf Ram Cichlids would do alright in a tank that size (someone please correct me on that if I'm wrong). I've seen them at my lfs and some of them are gorgeous.

That's true, you could keep a pair in a 29 with some mellow schooling fish.

 

[bstnrdsx]

So the tank is finally at it's resting place in the house, the gravel is in. Now comes time to purchase the odds and ends, fill and cycle. I'm pretty much set on Cherry Barbs, BN Pleco, Gourami centerpiece, and another small schooling fish TBD.

Still wondering however:
What can I keep from my old days? Are my old food and water conditioners still good if they were kept sealed, or do they have a shelf life?

Instead of using carbon in my HOB, can I fill the "BioBag" that holds the carbon with BioMax/ceramic rings? Seems like I could get the best "bang for my buck" by using my old filter (no cost), old sponge (no cost) and just fill the bag with biomax ($5-$10). I could still squish in a carbon filled bag as needed with this setup.

 

[Patterson333]

I can't say much about the food, but as far as the conditioner goes, about two years ago, Foster's and Smith had an awesome sale on the conditioner I use (StressCoat Plus), and I bought a whole bunch. I've been using that now two year old conditioner ever since, and as of yet there hasn't been any problems.

But if you're really concerned and would rather not risk it, you might be able to contact the company directly and ask them (either phone or email). A few years back I had called Tetra to ask them some sort of question; don't even remember what it was, but I do remember them being pretty helpful lol.

 

[bstnrdsx]

Well here goes, Day 1 of cycling.

Temp: 85 degrees
pH: 7.6
Ammo: 4ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 0ppm

Hopefully in about a weeks time the nitrites will start registering. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Final stock list:
Cherry Barbs - 2 M/4 F
Cardinal Tetras - 6
Blue/Opaline/? Gourami - 1
Bushynose Pleco - 1

Think I have any more room a few months down the road once they get settled?

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Good luck!

 

[Flossie]

Redline barbs if your tank were large
Enough( what about some rummy nose tetras they are way cool

 

[bstnrdsx]

Yea those redlines are pretty cool looking! I think what I'll eventually do is down the road I'll fill out the schools. Can't do it until I break down and get a better (bigger) filter. Right now I'm only running a Whisper 30 HOB. I've modified it myself though to work a little better. Maybe I'll buy a Fluval 205 around Christmas as one of "my daughters presents".

 

[Flossie]

Yea those redlines are pretty cool looking! I think what I'll eventually do is down the road I'll fill out the schools. Can't do it until I break down and get a better (bigger) filter. Right now I'm only running a Whisper 30 HOB. I've modified it myself though to work a little better. Maybe I'll buy a Fluval 205 around Christmas as one of "my daughters presents".

Lol there ya go

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Oh btw if you want to tell the difference between cherry barbs, best way to do that is that the males are much more colorful, the females are more tan colored.

 

[bstnrdsx]

Yes, they almost appear to be two separate fish to the naked eye. I'm not trying to breed or anything but I have read in many places that I should keep the male:female ratio at 1:2. From what I gather it's that way because the males will try to chase around the object of their affection come breeding time and it's easier on the females to outnumber the males.

 

[Deep Seven]

Instead of using carbon in my HOB, can I fill the "BioBag" that holds the carbon with BioMax/ceramic rings? Seems like I could get the best "bang for my buck" by using my old filter (no cost), old sponge (no cost) and just fill the bag with biomax ($5-$10). I could still squish in a carbon filled bag as needed with this setup.

Yes on the ceramic rings. They will help increase your biofiltration.

Another option to consider is Purigen by seachem. It's a rechargable water conditioner similar to carbon. It functions differently and doesn't remove some of the benificial stuff that carbon does. It's sold as a water filtration/clarifier product, and many people on this site have had good success with it.

If you do decide to use purigen, here is an article from this site on how to recharge it. You have to recharge it about once per six months I think, you can tell by the colour.
How to "Recharge" Seachem Purigen