hello V.
this would be my suggestion for lighting or something similar. it will give you decent light for a good variety of plants if you're going with live plants which i assume you are since you are inquiring about c02. At this level of lighting you wouldn't need to use c02 you could just dose Flourish excel which is a co2 substitute. although if you really want your plant growth to take off i would set up a diy yeast co2 generator. you can put as much light on the tank as you want it just all depends on the plants you are interested in growing. the more light you have the faster plants can grow and the more nutrients they use up quicker so fertilization and co2 then becomes necessary. once you get over about 2 watts per gallon. I would start out running that light at 9 hours a day and adjust accordingly to your plants. some may need a little more or less light.
the glass top is just a flat lid that in my opinion is a waste of money best used elsewhere. it decreases the oxygen exchange on the waters surface and also reduces the light penetration into the water. i have no top on my tank and it's just fine. of course if you have cats or children that would like to play in the water it is a good idea to put a top on it.
my thoughts on the clown loach would be to take it back if you can since he will get to large for your tank, they grow to around 12 inches and will be stressed being alone. if your looking for bottom feeders you could try some of the smaller or dwarf cory catfish. they too prefer being in groups though.
just my thoughts on your tank but ultimately the choice is yours
good luck
thank you so much for this. i appreciate the time you took to respond in such details, you managed to answer q's i didn't know i had!
i have a glass top, my light fixture has a light suitable for a turtle.
so, blocked by the glass top, and also using an inappropriate light system for the last four weeks, dolomite gravel buffering the pH to high, and my AWESOME loach has to go back...
lame, but i understand because i was concerned. the fish guy said that when he gets too big i can take him back and they would sell him to someone with a bigger tank. (this sounded like people do this all the time)
i also asked about the cory cats in the fish store, and they explained that they get too big....
now that i have had him, i have grown fond of his antics and appearance.
i was told me he would not grow that fast. but i do know that the length of my tank is not conducive to his lifestyle of swimming in currents. right now he zips up and down in the bubbles and seems to like it. he's really not that big, right now he's/she's only 2.5 inchs.
i am considering changing the substrate for better plants and lower pH, and just having 2 German Rams, and a small school of fish in this 29 gal. my frogs are very cool. and there is a bloated looking molli, and a orange fish, and another little fish that the German ram has nipped at a bit, + the two remaining galaxy rasboras.
do you think i can have a betta or a discus in my tank? discus get BIG, but don't swim around a lot, if i had the discus, i wouldn't have two rams.
..::brainstorming::..
so, lighting, THANKS A MILLION.
the guy at the fish store offered something very similar , but it was $90 or so dollars.
is this where you purchase your aquarium needs?
if so, thank you for the recommendation.
new questions for those who are checking on me and my first fish tank,,
1.if i want to change the substrate, what do i need to do to preserve the bacteria i've established??
2.where do i keep my fish during the change??
3.Bio Spira??? 50% original tank water? 50% new water?
4. should i poor all the poop (lol) and stuff into the new substrate and wait for it to settle?
5. ALSO can i used my old 90 gal tank for my iguana as freshwater aquarium? that thing has been sitting in my garage for over 10 years.
