29 G Ideas?

[Morganna]

Hello!
I have a 29 gallon tank : 30'' long, 12''wide, 18'' tall.
It is two years old, and has an eheim canister filter (not sure what exact model it is).
Here's the parameters:
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 0
GH: 50
KH: 0
pH: 6.4

I have some basic gravel in there and lots of crypts (so much that I really kind of need to thin it out).
There are already a few tank inhabitants but I'm interested in adding something a bit more active.
I have two regular female bristle nose plecos, two siamese algae eaters, and two neon tetras ( I used to have more but they died off). I'd like to add something with a bit more color, but is easy to care for, because I can't get into the live foods right now.
Any ideas?

 

[Slaphppy7]

I was just looking at your shrimp thread; the water params between this tank (GH, KH, and PH) are much different than that tank, which is confusing...surely you use the same source water for both (?)

What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[Morganna]

Yes, the water comes from the same tap, but I think the difference is that my ten gal uses a sponge filter, is decorated with sand and seiryu stone, whereas this 29 has something in the filter making it soft. Someone gave me this 29 tank when they were downsizing, so I'm not really sure what's in this filter, (some kind of media for bacteria and some cottonish material for a finer filtering.
I don't really know why the two are so different but they are. My test strips are some generic brand. I can give an amazon link if you need me to.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/?tag=ff0d01-20

Paper strips can be inaccurate and unreliable, especially if aged...liquid test kit above is a MUCH better option, it's the one most of us use...and, it's currently on sale

Do note, however, that it does not include hardness tests, you have to purchase those separately

Pic of the media in the filter?

 

[Guyb93]

Do you not use any mineral rocks for the shrimp in there tank ? That could possibly raise the Gh of that tank
Or is the tap water the same GH as the shrimp tank ? I’m also curious what the media is that is softening the water I would of assumed the water is being hardened in the shrimp tank rather than the other way around

 

[Byron]

It is more likely that something calcareous in the shrimp tank is increasing the GH. The filter softening water is not likely.

The GH I assume is in ppm (as opposed to degrees) so this is very soft water. That opens up options as this is a small tank and you want small fish and there are many more to select when soft water is involved, along with a normal acidic pH. However you have some issues that need resolving.

This tank is not large enough for Siamese Algae Eaters, they reach 5-6 inches. And they really should be in a group of five. With just two there is a good chance that down the road they will squabble leading to the death of one of them.

The neons can be increased if you want. A group of 10-12 is minimum for their well being (this number applies to most all of the shoaling fish). They tend to remain in the lower half, so upper level fish would be a good addition once the SAE issue is fixed.

 

[Morganna]

My test strips are new, I bought them fairly recently. I also recently purchased the ammonia test kit which is included in the master test kit (I did not realize that it was included when I had bought it separately, if I had known, I might have gone ahead and bought the master kit).
I have thought about replenishing the neon tetras, but I have had bad luck with them quickly dying off in the past (but who knows, maybe it'll go better).
Here are some pictures of my tank and filter media:

 

[Morganna]

Also, the first photo is my 10 gal.

 

[Byron]

I have thought about replenishing the neon tetras, but I have had bad luck with them quickly dying off in the past (but who knows, maybe it'll go better).

Neons are risks these days. Wild caught would inevitably fare better but they are difficult to find. But other species could work. The nitrate at 20 ppm I forgot earlier, that is something that is not going to help the fish. Is this from the tap water, or occurring within the biological system? Two problems, with differing solutions.

 

[Morganna]

okay, so I did another water change (25%) today, and have just retested the water. I'm really scrutinizing it this time to make sure I'm telling the truth. Everything still looks the same (with the nitrates a little lower of course) though the KH now reads closer to 20.