Will it grow?

[stepho725]

I have a 29 gal with 2 Opaline gourami, a fire dwarf gourami, two neon tetras, an albino bristlenose Pleco, bamboo shrimp, blue snail (?), and some baby snails that hitched a ride on two spiral bamboos.
Question is - will the bamboo continue to grow?? I'm sure I need a better light as I just have the one which came with the tank.

 

[Rivercats]

The bottom 1/3rd of Bamboo can be submerged but that's it. If put too far into water the plant will eventually start to rot and foul the tank.

Another thing, do you realize that having 2 full sized gourami's and 1 dwarf in a 29g is a disaster waiting to happen? Gourami tend to be aggressive and the older they get they more prevalant it becomes. They may be getting along now but that can change in an instant for no apparent reason. A 29g isn't very large, making territories very small and limited, so watch carefully for any aggression beginning. Also neons are a schooling fish and do much better with a minimum of at least 6 but preferably more.

 

[stepho725]

Okay I will take the bamboo out I guess. They were submerged at Petco and are sold as an aquatic plant.
Petco also sold me the dwarf flame after I asked what would work with two Opalines and I have read several things since saying that's a no-no. I think it has been over the 14-day mark and I can't return him? They have all been fine as he stays on one half of the tank and the two Opalines stay on the other...I will watch for aggression. The only aggression I've seen thus far is between the two Opalines which I thought were two females and are (after growing some) a male and female. The male has been chasing her a bit but again hasn't bothered with the dwarf. I will be setting up a 10 gal for my frog soon but obv that won't work. Maybe this will be cause enough for another 20+ tank...I'm scheming.
Anyways - I know the neons are schoolers and I originally started with 5 but lost 3 during my cycle. Would it be considered overstocking if I got 4-6 more?

 

[Rivercats]

Neons have a tiny bio-load and with the gourami's in the tank you really do need to up their number. I would if it were my tank.

 

[stepho725]

Okay well if I end of getting the dwarf out and add another 5 neons ....what other fish could I add? Also - will different species of tetras school? I appreciate Ur help btw.

 

[Rivercats]

Honestly with the opalines I wouldn't get another mid-level schooler but a little school of smaller Julii or Panda Cory Cats for bottom activitly would finish the tank off nicely IMO.

 

[stepho725]

So do or don't get the neons? And can I get any other tetras to school with them?

Also how many corys? They won't mess with my pleco?

 

[jimmypack100]

Your blue snail might be a mystery snail from what im told theyre called theu kind of look like apple snails with oit all the problemes

 

[Rivercats]

Yes get more neons and cory's won't mess with the pleco, they are peaceful little guys that do a good job as a bottom clean up crew. I have 25 in my 220g.

 

[stepho725]

Okay cool....since I can't get 25 (lol) how many do you think I should get? And what about other tetras with the neons? Will they school?

Jimmy - could be! Thanks for the info. I think the baby baby snails are probably pond snails cuz they came out of a plant tank. They may be just what I need for a good defense on my new 29 gal single leopard puffer tank though. Hehe fish dreams!

 

[Rivercats]

Personally I'd do 12 neons and have a nice school with the Opalines. For cory's 6 or the smaller species such as Julii or Pandas would work great.

I wouldn't do other tetras simply because the tank will look busy IMO. What you could do instead of 12 neons do 6 and then do 6 or a slightly larger different body shaped tetra like Lemon tetras.

 

[stepho725]

Okay so I spoke to my boyfriend about the bamboo and the fish problems. He is really stubborn about it and says both are fine.
He chose the flame dwarf specifically and says that the blues and dwarf don't even interact now and we won't have to worry about it because the Petco guy says that they are okay together. (While the Petco guy DID seem knowledgeable everything I've read says otherwise.)
So I guess my new questions are....

A. What is the smallest tank a flame dwarf can live in?

&

B. If I keep the dwarf in the tank (temporarily or permanently) would my 29g still hold 6 neons (this includes my original 2) and 6 corys with my other fish?

C. If the bamboo stays in the tank how longer does it usually take to start rotting? (My boyfriend LOVES the bamboo and is talking about just replacing it every 3 months LOL)

By the way - if you happen to continue putting up with me river - I thank you a million times for your help and apologize twice as many times for so many questions.

 

[librarygirl]

PetCo wants to sell you stuff, so they say pretty much anything, plus I find that they often sound knowledgeable but if you know a lot about tanks and fish, 90% of what they say is wrong.

Is the bamboo fully submerged? If not might be OK for a while if the top is sticking out of the tank.

I'd add 4 more neons and 4 corys, that's about fully stocked. Again you'll likely have problems down the road with the gouramis though. The Opalines can grow large too; not sure how safe the neons are going to be.

 

[Rivercats]

As LibraryGirl said PetCo is in the business to sell. Just about anyone can make themselves sound knowledgable but how many really are talking from expierence? Another factor is if the Opalines decide to spawn there could be chaos in the tank. People have kept different types of gourami's together for a 1 or 2 years and then suddenly aggression starts and it's not pretty. A flame gourami could be housed in a 10g IMO. Not much else could go in with him tho. And as for the bamboo, if he doesn't want to listen then there is no use trying to convince him otherwise. Just watch for signs of deterioration and remove it before it starts getting to bad. If he wants to keep replacing it then let him but there are so many beautiful plants that are true aquatics that could be used instead of it. But also be aware many stores that sell fish and plants will often times sell plants for aquariums that are not true aquatics. Actually it's pretty common. So if you decide to get any more plants write down the names and research them before buying them.

 

[stepho725]

Okay - again thanks so much for your help!
Should I buy both the corys and neons at once or split it up?
At this point I'm somewhat considering giving my male Opaline to Petco. Would one female be okay to keep? Are they any less territorial?
Was watching them earlier and the dwarf (pretty sure male) was feeling up the female blue with his feelers then suddenly put his top fins straight up...is this aggression or did he just get freaked out? She swam away and then they all started begging for food (as usual).

 

[Rivercats]

Since you want to add more than a couple neons I'd add them first, then get the cory's in a couple weeks if all is well. Also how big or small are your current neons? Reason I'm asking is because most of the time when you get new neons they are pretty darn small and I don't want your Opalines thinking they are a snack.

As for the Opalines, I'd just wait and watch. Even just one Opaline and the Flame could potentially have issues so don't be too fast to get rid of one. It's hard to know what type of reaction the Flame was having. At least they retreated different directions so that is good.

 

[stepho725]

The neons are prolly pretty close to an inch if not a teeny bit over an inch. I will try to pick out the biggest ones possible. Maybe I will try the black neons or the ones that look like neons but not quite as bright - can't remember the name of those. What about those ones with the orange stripe? Those are pretty but probably too small...if I remember correctly they are smaller than neons.
My blues are about 2.5 inches so far. Would the dwarf go after the neons?

 

[Rivercats]

Cardinals would be good as they are almost the same as neons (actually prettier IMO) , then there are black neons and glowlights. I don't think the DG would bother them and if the Opalines don't bother the two now they "may not" bother little ones, just wanted to make you aware of the possibility.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

The tetras you speak of with the orange stripe may be glolights that RC mentioned, actually they get a little bigger than neons (at least the females do). Whichever you choose, cardinals, neons, black neons, glolights or lemons, I'd go with a significant school of just one species. Imo it would look alot better but if you decide to mix it up they would probably school together.

On a side note: If you get cory cats I'd recommend julii over pandas as they prefer the warmer water same as your tetras. Pandas like a little cooler temps and aren't quite as hardy. "Though they are my favorites"

 

[stepho725]

Well I now have three black neons and four neons. They are all doing well. I got them on Saturday. Was scared they might.not make it due to my acidic water but they're fine so far! Although I did see SOME aggression out of the gouramis - they have calmed down.