Dan's 29 Gallon Thread

[Dangora]

Hey all, I found out that I have room for a 29 gallon in my room, and I should be getting it in a couple of weeks from the petco dollar per gallon sale (local ad on their site says it's until September 17th in my area)

Right now I'm going to put some ideas that I have down, and I welcome advice. I already talked to bruinsbro and got some great answers to all my questions (thanks again!!) and I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want. I want a pair of Bolivian rams as a centerpiece, so I decided to go with a Bolivian area theme, so mainly fish from Brazil or Bolivia. I don't want to go crazy with fish so I'm thinking for a stock list:

-pair of Bolivian rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus)
-six to eight Sterba's cories (Corydoras sterbai)
-??? (open to suggestions!)

I plan on using some rocks (I think a pet store near me sells slate in their fish department) and live plants. I haven't exactly decided on any kinds of plants because I want suggestions (I have no idea what will and what will not work with these fish). I would probably use a small piece of driftwood, and a terra cotta pot or two.

My equipment list from research so far (open to change based upon advice) is pretty low-budget:

Tank: 29 Gallon (Petco $1/Gallon)
Substrate: CaribSea Rio Grande (2 - 20lb bags?)
Lighting: Zoo Med AquaSun 30" T5 HO (one of the cheapest I found)
Filtration: AquaTop CF-300 Canister (Originally was thinking AquaClear 50, but this looks really cool and the price does too)
Heater: Fluval M 150W Heater (100W or 150W?)

I'm open to any suggestions you have on anything for my build. I'm also going to be building a stand for this with storage below. Once I start to work on that, I'll be updating this thread and possibly create a thread in the DIY forum, for I have a pretty cool design that I would like to implement.

If anyone has used any of the equipment I listed, I love to hear good things, and it will be beneficial to me if I hear bad things. As far as the suggestions for the last fish go, I was thinking maybe a school of small tetras, but I don't know if that would be overstocking. I'm fine with just the cories and the two rams.

Excited for my first real build!
-Danny

 

[Dangora]

Maybe these lights instead?

I also found an air pump my dad had down his basement. It's like a Penn plax silent air x-8 or something. It's rated for 125 gallons or something and has 4 outputs. Similar to these

 

[Dangora]

Any input?

I was thinking oto's instead of cories. Maybe some rummynose tetras for the school?

 

[Dangora]

For plants I was thinking maybe dwarf sag, micro sword, ruffled sword, maybe some riccia. But I still have a lot more deciding to do. Any suggestions are appreciated. I want to stick to mostly southern american plants to sort of stick with the theme.

 

[LyndaB]

I was thinking oto's instead of cories. Maybe some rummynose tetras for the school?

I think otos and rummies would do beautifully. Be sure to get a large school of rummies though. They are considered a sensitive fish and need to be in established tanks with consistent water params. I have a dozen and wouldn't have less than that. Otos also do well in a group, the larger in number, the happier they are.

 

[Dangora]

Would I be overstocked with twelve rummies and like 7-9 otos plus the pair of rams? Thanks for the response, also!

 

[alLexX]

Would I be overstocked with twelve rummies and like 7-9 otos plus the pair of rams? Thanks for the response, also!

with 7-9 ottos youd need mass amounts of algae,far more than the tank would produce in a week would be eaten in a day

 

[tarpon]

I bought a 30 from petco too. It seems like a good deal but the lights cost a lot more than $30. After you get it all set up it'll probly cost around $300 . Cheaper isn't always better. Make sure you go for quality bc you're going to be responsible for the well being of your fish.
And good luck!
Would you like to know my 30 stocking list?

 

[Dangora]

What about 3-5 otos?

I say cheaper but I wouldn't even consider it without reviews. I didn't see any negative reviews on the equipment I think I want. I just don't believe you need the top brands for quality.

And sure I'd love to see your stocking list!

Thanks again guys,
Danny

 

[tarpon]

Ill go ahead and put it to give you some ideas.

2 angelfish
1 bristlenose pleco
3 panda corys
3 julli corys
3 glass catfish

I had 3 more panda corys but they were a bad batch and died. And I had 2 more glass cats but they wouldn't eat and starved

Here's some pics

The plants are java fern and amazon sword. Mopani driftwood and some other unknown wood from petco.
Pool filter sand from home depot ($5 for 50 pounds!!!!!)
Aquaclear 50- its great but idk what the one youre wanting is like, supposedly cannisters are good.
Whisper 10 filter as a backup

 

[Dangora]

It looks great. I like the stock. I was never interested in having angels but you're tank looks great! I like the bristle nose too. I like the look of those little guys. Sorry to hear about the bad batch and the suicidal fish

 

[Dangora]

I picked up my 29 gallon tonight! There were only two left, so hopefully this one will suffice. Lot of 40b's,20L's and 10's though. Wish I could have brought a couple more home with me

Hopefully building the frame for the stand tomorrow morning! Can't Wait! Will hopefully have some pictures by tomorrow.

 

[tarpon]

Great!

Id really consider getting the corys instead of otos. Get at least 6. You'll get the most out of them that way and they'll be quite interesting to watch. And the sand is from home depot for $5!!!! I don't know if u knew about that.
And yeah the bristlenose is a great little fish! Its a female albino. Very active and peaceful.

 

[Dangora]

Ordered the AquaTop CF-300 and Nova Extreme lights (instead of Zoo Med) today!

Unfortunately didn't get to the stand because we were cleaning the backyard from Hurricane Irene Doing some more planning on the stand before I go and buy the rest of the materials.

 

[Dangora]

Tank home in it's new spot

Gonna revise my stand plans on Monday and hopefully get started on the actual building !

 

[Dangora]

Filter came in yesterday, lights today.

Got a few pictures to update with:

 

[Dangora]

Wondering if the bulbs are all set or if I should replace them with better ones?

(Here's a link to the manufacturer page for my light fixture)

 

[tarpon]

Alright!
I'm personally too lazy to build my own stand and would be afraid that it'd break haha.

And you'll have to get someone else's opinion on the bulbs

 

[Dangora]

Haha im not really worried. I spent my summer as a carpenter assistance and my dads an engineer. 2 x 4s are magic lol

 

[aqua_chem]

Those bulbs should be fine. However, with that much light, make sure that you have fertilizer and carbon. You might be ok with excel, but I would also look at DIY CO2 (or pressurized if you want to put your money there). You will get better results with your plants if you do that, in addition to avoiding algae from those lights.