It's Been A While! - Stocking 29 Us Gallon

[Toli820]

Hey all! It's been a while since I've posted here, mainly because I've just been keeping up with my small 5g betta tank and making sure that's running smoothly, which I'm happy to say, it certainly is.

That said, I have a 29 gallon tank all set up, cycled and all. I decided to ditch the idea of live plants due to my relative inexperience, and, I've had a slight change of heart on the fish stock and need some advice...

I started out with 6 platys, hearing that they're hardy fish, good to start off an aquarium with. I had 2 males and 4 females to begin with, but, lost a male and female. Now, I've got one male red tiger platy, two female variatus platys, and one female red wag platy.

My original stocking idea didn't include platys, since, well, they seemed boring and ordinary to me at the time. I couldn't have been more wrong! I've really come to like the quartet I have, and have decided to alter my original idea a bit.

I was planning for one angelfish, but, I think that they, even a single one, may not be the best addition to the tank, even though I really like the species. I was also thinking of 2 dwarf gourami, but, I was advised against keeping two in a 29g tank, though, I really do like those fish as well.

So, here's what I have as certainties thus far:

(at least)4 Platys
6 Cory Cats (I was thinking of mixing 3 panda and 3 albino, but, read that I shouldn't mix varieties, is this true?)

I need some advice on what else to add to the tank now. I had toyed with the idea of 2 dwarf gourami and a honey gourami, but, if 2 would be unfit for a 29g, I'm sure 3 is really out of the question, lol.

Any ideas? I fear that I'm hopelessly hooked now, and I'm dying for ideas.

 

[KittyKat]

What about..
* 4 platies (will breed)
* 6 Corys (IME, one species is best)
* group of honey gouramis?

All the fish do better with plants, of course, and there are a few easy ones you could try...

 

[karin]

This won't be a helpful post but I would think that dwarf gourami would work. Why were you told it would not.
FYI I have one angel in a 29 gallon that is doing fine.

 

[Toli820]

My original plan was:

1 angelfish
2 dwarf gourami (a neon blue and a flame)
6 corys

I WAS going to go with 6 cherry barbs and 6 harlequin rasboras for my schooling fish, but, in light of my newfound appreciation for platys, I have to alter that plan, I think. Could the above stocking idea work?

@Kitty Kat - thanks for the input! Think the honey gourami would be better than the dwarfs?

@karin - I was told the 29 was too small for the 2 dwarfs and might cause aggression, and was warned against the angel for the same reason. Did I get bad advice? Lol

 

[notg2009]

My original plan was:

1 angelfish
2 dwarf gourami (a neon blue and a flame)
6 corys

I WAS going to go with 6 cherry barbs and 6 harlequin rasboras for my schooling fish, but, in light of my newfound appreciation for platys, I have to alter that plan, I think. Could the above stocking idea work?

@Kitty Kat - thanks for the input! Think the honey gourami would be better than the dwarfs?

@karin - I was told the 29 was too small for the 2 dwarfs and might cause aggression, and was warned against the angel for the same reason. Did I get bad advice? Lol

Hi there. I hade 2 dwarf gouramis in my 29 USG + 5 neons + 5 glow lights + 4 corys (2 peppered, 2 albino) + 1 snail. I had to return the gouramis, since they became aggressive toward each other and toward the tetras. I love their color pattern but they were nipping each others' and other fishes' tails and fins. 29 gallon might seem a lot of room for them, but they will get territorial and aggressive. At least that's what I experienced.

I had red platies, golden mollies, and dwarf gouramis in one tank and the color mixture was great, but gouramis and mollies were chasing the platies all the time so I returned them all and got small colorful tetras which are peaceful and do good in schools.

I'm also not sure if 29 gallon is a good size for an angel fish in the long run, they can get large and territorial.

As for cory cats (which I absolutely love) I have 2 peppered and 2 albinos and they don't really school together, but then again I only have 2 of each different type.

Good luck with the new tank.

 

[Toli820]

Thanks notg!

That's the concern I was having. I kinda want to have a peaceful tank with no real issues with infighting.

Are Honey Gouramis much different than dwarfs in terms of behavior? In all that I've read, it's said that they're the most docile of the gourami species, does that encompass both their same species and other fish? How many could/should I keep in the 29g if I want to add more than the current platys and corys?

I heard that mollies (especially black mollies for some reason), can harass other fish. Is this uncommon? I was considering adding 3-4 mollies as my other mid-level group fish. How about guppies? Are they too fragile to coexist with the gourami, even the honey variety?

 

[notg2009]

Thanks notg!

That's the concern I was having. I kinda want to have a peaceful tank with no real issues with infighting.

Are Honey Gouramis much different than dwarfs in terms of behavior? In all that I've read, it's said that they're the most docile of the gourami species, does that encompass both their same species and other fish? How many could/should I keep in the 29g if I want to add more than the current platys and corys?

I heard that mollies (especially black mollies for some reason), can harass other fish. Is this uncommon? I was considering adding 3-4 mollies as my other mid-level group fish. How about guppies? Are they too fragile to coexist with the gourami, even the honey variety?

I can't comment on honey gouramis since I've never had one, but I've read contradicting accounts of them being aggressive and peaceful on the web. you can get 2 and observe them for a while and return to lfs if they started to fight each other and other fish. I would say 2 is enough. They are from the same family as bettas! so I'm guessing more than 2 would result in a war This is what I read today about them: "Being a peaceful fish makes them a good addition to a community tank but they can be a little timid, especially if housed with fish that pester them. These fish are very desirable for a smaller aquarium. Be sure to provide them with lots of plant cover so they have plenty of places to hide. Ideally place plants along the back of the aquarium, have some floating plants, and leave open spaces in the front for them to swim." http/ftp.animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/anabantoids/flamegour.php says here they are peaceful, but some people on other forums said they can become aggressive
As for guppies, they are pretty nice but frail. other larger fish can harass them. Also mollies can be annoying some times. my 2 mollies were always chasing my 2 platies and 2 guppies!!!! Maybe having more platies (different shapes/colors/etc) + some guppies can be fine. Check Websites and ask whether platies and guppies are compatible and decide if you want to do a tank with platies and guppies only. Cory cats are my personal favorites and they are very peaceful.

My personal preference is to have fish that can live along each other and not fight every day. Of course angels, gouramis, bettas look much better than guppies (most of them) in my opinion, but you might need a larger tank to insure a stable community, with minimum tension.

Good luck and let us know what you decide on at the end.

 

[KittyKat]

My original plan was:

1 angelfish
2 dwarf gourami (a neon blue and a flame)
6 corys

You would have needed to have one male and one female or two female dwarf gouramis as the males really are quite aggressive.

I WAS going to go with 6 cherry barbs and 6 harlequin rasboras for my schooling fish, but, in light of my newfound appreciation for platys, I have to alter that plan, I think. Could the above stocking idea work?

The stock should work if you add 6-8 harlequins to what I mentioned before. I would personally not have more than one schooling species in a tank that size.

@Kitty Kat - thanks for the input! Think the honey gourami would be better than the dwarfs?

Yes, 1m 2f honeys would be more interesting than 1m 1f dwarfs, I think.. but I expect that 1m 1f dwarf gourami would also work, depending on individual fish.. it has worked for me before.

@karin - I was told the 29 was too small for the 2 dwarfs and might cause aggression, and was warned against the angel for the same reason. Did I get bad advice? Lol

I'm also not sure if 29 gallon is a good size for an angel fish in the long run, they can get large and territorial.

Not for the same reason, but I agree about angels.. a lot of people here don't though.

Are Honey Gouramis much different than dwarfs in terms of behavior? In all that I've read, it's said that they're the most docile of the gourami species, does that encompass both their same species and other fish? How many could/should I keep in the 29g if I want to add more than the current platys and corys?

In my experience, sparkling gouramis are more docile. Con-specific aggression in gouramis is often quite high, especially where more than one male are concerned.

I heard that mollies (especially black mollies for some reason), can harass other fish. Is this uncommon? I was considering adding 3-4 mollies as my other mid-level group fish. How about guppies? Are they too fragile to coexist with the gourami, even the honey variety?

From the rumors I have heard, black fish are very often more aggressive than fish of any other colour..
Personally, I would not have more than one livebearer species per tank.. they will breed out of control and you would have a blast trying to separate the different species out. Also with Guppies, I would be more worried about the platies picking on them.

 

[Toli820]

@Kitty Kat and notg - You're lifesavers, thank you for the great replies!

I don't know where I came up with this idea last night, but, for some reason, it came to me, and I think it might be interesting as a unique/oddball stocking for the 29:

4x Platys (1m 3f)
6x Panda Corys
5x Glass Catfish
1x Dwarf Gourami
3x Otocinclus
5x neon or black neon tetras/some kind of danio/harlequin rasboras

What do you all think of that setup?

PLUS - Since it seems to be near impossible to find female gourami around my area, would 2 male honey gourami coexist with no females in a tank? If so, perhaps that instead of the single dwarf?

Sorry for all the random ideas!

 

[KittyKat]

I don't know where I came up with this idea last night, but, for some reason, it came to me, and I think it might be interesting as a unique/oddball stocking for the 29:

4x Platys (1m 3f)
6x Panda Corys
5x Glass Catfish
1x Dwarf Gourami
3x Otocinclus
5x neon or black neon tetras/some kind of danio/harlequin rasboras

What do you all think of that setup?

That should work.. I would have 5 Otos instead of 3 though. Keep in mind that they and neon tetras do best when added to a well mature set-up.

PLUS - Since it seems to be near impossible to find female gourami around my area, would 2 male honey gourami coexist with no females in a tank? If so, perhaps that instead of the single dwarf?

I wouldn't put two males in myself.. they may be ok if the tank is heavily planted, but not something I would consider doing.

 

[Toli820]

Thank you so much for the info!

I think I'll go with the oddball setup up there with the glass cats and single dwarf, and I think I'll use harlequins.

Currently I have the 4 platys in the tank, which group would you suggest adding next?

 

[KittyKat]

Probably harlequins, then dwarf gourami, then any order you like.

 

[notg2009]

@Kitty Kat and notg - You're lifesavers, thank you for the great replies!

I don't know where I came up with this idea last night, but, for some reason, it came to me, and I think it might be interesting as a unique/oddball stocking for the 29:

4x Platys (1m 3f)
6x Panda Corys
5x Glass Catfish
1x Dwarf Gourami
3x Otocinclus
5x neon or black neon tetras/some kind of danio/harlequin rasboras

What do you all think of that setup?

PLUS - Since it seems to be near impossible to find female gourami around my area, would 2 male honey gourami coexist with no females in a tank? If so, perhaps that instead of the single dwarf?

Sorry for all the random ideas!

ur very welcome!
Try adding no more than 5 fish at a time and wait 3-7 days (based on your level of patience ), then add another batch.
Also keep an eye on any infighting. You don't want a war zone in your tank.

By the way, check the aquatic plant section on the forum and get some plants for your shy fish to hide behind.http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/296418-planted-aquariums-resource-center/ & http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/297782-a-survey-of-non-aquatic-plants/

Good luck. keep us updated and post pictures please

 

[OldMan47]

The platies that you already have are certainly enough to get a nice breeding colony of platies going. In the meantime, please do not try to use 3 each of two different cory species. If you get the same number of cories, 6 that is, of all one species they will be far more playful in your tank. Until you have watched a group of 6 or more cories in a tank, you cannot begin to imagine just how playful they can be. I have as many as a dozen of each cory species that I keep because they are shoaling fish that really do best with a larger group than with a small group. In a small group you will see them simply swimming around near the bottom of the tank and industriously feeding. In groups of at least 5 or 6, you will see them playing in water currents or chasing each other all over the tank. The change with increased numbers is dramatic.