Fairly new, would like help!

[CharlieKlein]

So a month ago my friend gave me a betta fish. Ever sense then I have been purely obsessed with fish. Today I made my first visit to my lfs and I think I'm set on my stocking. But first, It is a 29 gallon( made by marine land- ,9'es with filter, heater, lighting, and the whole nine yards!) so that is on sale for $180. The stand is 150, then all I have left is decor,, gravel, and the fish! But I already know that I want to have 2 caves, about 10 or so fake plants, and the. They have a bouncy of rock that is 2:50 per lb. so with everything I'm looking at about $450. Is that a good deal??
As for my stocking
1 apistogramma
1german blue ram
1 angelfish
1 dwarf gourami
1 swordtail
5 phantom tetras
3 albino Cory cats
2 bumblebee gobies
And Mabye a bn pleco or oto
I am not a complete newbie and I realize the angle fish may not work. I also do knot know how long the gobies will survive in freshwater. But anyways, what do u think?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I'd shop around a little for a stand or build my own. To me it seems a little pricey, here is a google search for stands so you can see prices.
29 gallon aquarium stand - Google Search

 

[CharlieKlein]

Thanks, that will save me over 50 dollers! How does every thing else sound? Can you please answer my other questions?

 

[Coco1019]

I'm new, but this site has been extremely helpful with stocking: http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php.

I wouldn't use it as the be all, end all, but it's great to use as a guideline.

Just choose your tank size,your filter and the fish you want to add. It gives you filter capacity and how stocked your tank would be with the fish you selected.

 

[brennae]

I think the angel is not a good idea, corys like to live in groups of 5 or more and I would check craigslist for tanks and/or stands and you can sometimes get things quite cheap. What kind of filter and lights?

 

[librarygirl]

Way too many fish, particularly the Cichdlids, for a 30 gal; you'll likely have aggression issues. You'll be massively overstocked as well.

You could do:
1 dwarf gourami or one german blue or bolivian ram
1-2 swordtails
6-8 black phantom tetra
4 albino corys (depending on stubstrate; sand is best but round gravel would work; anything sharp isn't good for the Cory's barbels)
1 BN Pleco (make sure you don't get a common pleco); also plecos need driftwood as they munch on it to aid in digestion
2-3 bumblebee gobys if the ones you buy are in freshwater (there are two types I believe, fresh and brackish); if they need brackish I wouldn't try it as you'll just be shortening their life span.
If you didn't do the Gobies you could fit another school of 6 fish like Neon tetras

Do you know about cycling? You might want to give this a read and figure out how you want to proceed (fish in or fishless cycle): Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

Also the aquarium kits are often over-priced and come with filters that are barely enough for that sized tank. I'd look into buying everything separate so you can customize it; an AquaClear 70 would do nicely for a filter.

 

[CharlieKlein]

Well first off I know about cycling. I was wondering if I could use the phantom tetras for a fish in cycle, as I've heard they are hardy. Second, j have been using aqadvisor scenes the start, and in this particular plan I am 96 percent full according to aqadvisor. The tank is marineland 29 gallon kit( filter is actually a bio wheel and is great. And I found it at petco for $109. I found the stand at petsmart for $100, so now I have cut down over $100 dollers on my budget, and will be able to do more with my fish and decor. But also, on Craigslist ibfound a used aquamarine 37 gallon kit, plus stand, plus decor, plus substrate(I believe it is sand) for 169.99. The only problem is shipping, from FL to MN, will it be possible. If not i will now be looking at about $ 300 to get the tank up and running with everything but the fish. But as for my stock, this will also allow me to spend more on decor so I can make more caves and hiding spots, so I really want to try my hand at the apisto, ram, dwarf gourami, and angle fish.

 

[librarygirl]

Actually according to AQ Advisor with the stocking plan in your first post you're 132% stocked and only 77% filtered.

 

[Rivercats]

That set up will work but with a high fish load and a smaller filter you will have to commit to 50% WC's weekly. That being said I am heavy into angelfish and dwarf SA cichlids. In a 30g tank you could do one angelfish. Get a small one to start and let it grow as it will do better with smaller fish and have less territorial issues. You can do and Aspito but do reseach if you find one you like as some are easier and less aggressive than others. A good one that is smalll and well suited to that size tank is a Double Red Apistogramma agassizii. They are a small fish with a big attitude who loves caves and hidey holes. As for the Rams. GBR's are sensitive and don't do well when added to a tank that is less than 6 months old. Bolivian rams are much hardier and can be added to a tank much earlier. Both types of ram are very sensitive to nitrates which is another reason 50% WC's need to be done weekly so dissolved organics are kept low. Personally I'd skip the gobies but the black phantoms will work and you should be able to cycle with them. I'd do the BN Pleco but honestly I'd skip the swords also. The above stocking will give you a nice tank and not so many fish to have a high bio-load which would be bad for the rams and the aspito.