New 29G Stocking

[RyanTheFishGuy64]

Hey Guys,
 
This christmas I got a new 29g, and I need some stocking advice. I was REALLY wanting to do cichlids, but the people at cichlid-forum said i was very very limited on my options. I am aware on cycling and filtration and all of that, but I hope you guys could give me some good suggestions. I really dont think I want it to be planted, but I feel like some fish like GBRs and Neons look extremly out of place without that. Here are a few things I thought of. Let me know what you think!
 

• 1 Angelfish
• 6 Harlequin Rasboras
• 6 Corys
• BN Pleco

 
 

• 2 GBR
• 12 Neons
• BN Pleco

 
 

• 6 Ps. Saulosi

 

[NickAu]

Hi
 
Before we can give you any ideas we need to know your water parameters,  Hard water,  soft water, that sort of thing.

 

[Jeremy180]

Cichlids are not my forte' but I think I could contribute a bit.
Still, so I'd wait for someone else to chime in before acting.
IMO, I would avoid african lake cichlids, but that's just me.
I don't know your water parameters, so some of these fish may or may not work in your water.
 
One option for harder water would be to get a pair of convict cichlids (3") and start a colony, however these are pretty aggressive and may be best in a species tank.
 
A 29 gallon is the absolute minimum for angelfish, some would say it's too small. In any case, I think your first scheme might have a bit too much fish mass for a 29.
IMO replacng the BN with something smaller, like a pair of nerites for example, would greatly reduce your bioload.
 
For your second scheme, unless you consider yourself an expert, I would strongly suggest replacing the delicate German rams with the hardier Bolivian Ram.
 
Other cichlids you might look into if you have water on the soft side are:
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid Apistogramma caucitoides 3"
Dwarf Flag Cichlid/ Flag Acara Laetacara curviceps 3"
Rainbow Cichlid Herotilapia multispinosa 5"
Apistogramma steindachneri  4" (can be hard to find)
 
I've heard it can be a bad Idea to mix african and american cichlids, so these get a seperate list.
Kribensis Pelvicachromis pulcher 4", prefers soft to slightly hard water
Orange chomide Etropus maculatus 3.5" (needs hard water, groups of 4 or more recommended)

 

[NickAu]

 
I've heard it can be a bad Idea to mix african and american cichlids, so these get a seperate list.

Unless I am mistaken Africans need very hard and base water, while SA prefer slighty acidic and soft water.

 

[Jeremy180]

 

 
I've heard it can be a bad Idea to mix african and american cichlids, so these get a seperate list.

Unless I am mistaken Africans need very hard and base water, while SA prefer slighty acidic and soft water.
 

As a general rule, yes with the rare exeptions being some of the riverine species like kribensis.
another problem is that when mixing cichlids from different continents/reigons, frequently one group will be unable to "walk the walk" and can end up getting it's tailfin kicked.

 

[RyanTheFishGuy64]

Hello! Thank you for the information, My water is 8.2pH.
There obviously isnt any Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrates because there isnt any water in the tank yet...lol
As for bioload, I have 2 30g filters on the tank, so that should help.

 

[Byron]

The pH is important, but more important is the hardness, expressed as general hardness (GH).  You should be able to find out the GH from your municipal water authority who may have a website.  GH has a major impact on many fish so you/we need to know this before we start recommending species.
 
Byron.

 

[RyanTheFishGuy64]

The webiste says 160ppm for Gh....that seems like a lot, lol

 

[Byron]

The webiste says 160ppm for Gh....that seems like a lot, lol

 
Actually, that is not bad at all.  GH at 160 ppm is equivalent to 9 dGH.  Except for some very sensitive wild-caught soft water species, this is quite good.
 
You mentioned the pH at 8.2 earlier...now that you've found the website, see if they concur with this number.  Also see if you can find the KH (carbonate hardness, or Alkalinity).  Ths latter buffers the pH to prevent fluctuations.  My thinking here is that the pH may tend to lower naturally.
 
Byron.

 

[Jeremy180]

As I said before cichlids are not my specialty, ang hardwater cichlids are less so, But I know enough to tell you that there aren't many south american cichlids (inclding angels) that will do well in water this hard.
 
Basically with your water and tank size, you would be limited to cichlids 5" long or less from either:
Central American Cichlids
Lake Malawi Cichlids
Lake Tanganyika Cichlids
Or maybe Orange chromides
 
I don't know much at all about central american cichlids compatibility and less about African lake cichlids, beyond the fact that one should not mix different groups, so I'm probably best sitting this out after now.

 

[RyanTheFishGuy64]

 

The webiste says 160ppm for Gh....that seems like a lot, lol

 
Actually, that is not bad at all.  GH at 160 ppm is equivalent to 9 dGH.  Except for some very sensitive wild-caught soft water species, this is quite good.
 
You mentioned the pH at 8.2 earlier...now that you've found the website, see if they concur with this number.  Also see if you can find the KH (carbonate hardness, or Alkalinity).  Ths latter buffers the pH to prevent fluctuations.  My thinking here is that the pH may tend to lower naturally.
 
Byron.
 

I looked and the pH did match with them, I could not find the kH at all....

 

[Jeremy180]

Okay, anytime my post disagrees with byron's I know I'm probably on the wrong track, lol
Before I get out of the way, Here's something that may help, Ryan.
 
http/users.tinyonline.co.uk/chrisshort/waterhard.htm

 

[Byron]

Okay, anytime my post disagrees with byron's I know I'm probably on the wrong track, lol
Before I get out of the way, Here's something that may help, Ryan.
 
http/users.tinyonline.co.uk/chrisshort/waterhard.htm

 
That is a useful link, thanks for posting.  When a member uses one of the less-often seen units like English Clark or French something, I am hunting all over for conversions.  I will save this site.
 
Where did we disagree?  If on the cichlids...with the GH at 9 I would forget rift lake cichlids unless it is raised.  Central American would be fine, but here we have some larger species so tank size has to be considered.  South American, the two rams should work, but wild-caught dwarfs might be an issue.  Angelfish would be fine (commercially tank-raised ones) but this tank is no where near large enough for a small group (which is how they should be maintained, naturally-speaking).
 
Byron.

 

[RyanTheFishGuy64]

 

Okay, anytime my post disagrees with byron's I know I'm probably on the wrong track, lol
Before I get out of the way, Here's something that may help, Ryan.
 
http/users.tinyonline.co.uk/chrisshort/waterhard.htm

 
That is a useful link, thanks for posting.  When a member uses one of the less-often seen units like English Clark or French something, I am hunting all over for conversions.  I will save this site.
 
Where did we disagree?  If on the cichlids...with the GH at 9 I would forget rift lake cichlids unless it is raised.  Central American would be fine, but here we have some larger species so tank size has to be considered.  South American, the two rams should work, but wild-caught dwarfs might be an issue.  Angelfish would be fine (commercially tank-raised ones) but this tank is no where near large enough for a small group (which is how they should be maintained, naturally-speaking).
 
Byron.
 

Ive been looking at a pair of convicts, they seem very interesting, and I just like the look of them. Multiple sources state that I could pull it off with the right amount of filtration. What are your thoughts?

 

[Byron]

The 29g is pushing it, but I have not myself maintained this species so I can only offer the accepted recommendation that a pair in a 3-foot (40 gallon) tank is best.  I authored over 200 fish profiles for another form a few years back, after extensive research with the accepted authorities.  As we cannot link other forums (and rightly so), I will copy my original draft on this species which may be of interest.
 
Amatitlania nigrofasciata

​

Family: Cichlidae, Subfamily Cichlinae

Common Name: Convict Cichlid, Zebra Cichlid

Origin and Habitat: Widely distributed in Central America: Pacific slope from Guatemala to El Salvador, Atlantic slope from Guatemala to Honduras. Not native to Panama, Costa Rica or Nicaragua (as previously thought, but see additional species comments under Description). Introduced elsewhere, including the USA and Australia. Occurs in flowing water streams and rivers, also in lakes and ponds, preferring a rocky habitat with wood and debris; never in open water.

Compatibility/Temperament: This is not a community fish. Best in a species tank; a pair may be kept in a 36-inch (40+ gallon) tank. In much larger tanks (over 6 feet) it may be kept with a few other Central American cichlids that are robust. This species is very aggressive and territorial, and when spawning becomes very violent to all other fish including much larger cichlids.

Convict Cichlid Diet

Convict cichlids are omnivorous feeding naturally on worms, crustaceans, insects, fish and plant matter. They are not fussy eaters and will accept any food, but a variety will ensure better health.

Size

Males attain 10cm/4 inches though some sources report 15cm/6 inches; females slightly smaller.

Minimum Tank Suggestion

36-inch (40 gallon) for a pair alone.

Water parameters for Convict Cichlid

Medium hard to hard (9-20 dGH), basic (pH 7-8), temperature 20-36C/68-100F. This is the "tolerated" temperature range [Fishbase] but the fish will be better within a more normal range with a maximum of 26C/79F.

Description

Convict cichlids, also sometimes seen under the common name of Zebra Cichlid, are widely available; they are very hardy, very easy to spawn, and are thus frequently sold as good beginner fish. This is unfortunate, since this fish is not a community fish; and being easy to spawn and prolific, the fry are not easy to get rid of.

It is best in a species tank with a pair. Pea gravel substrate, several rocks, and chunks of bogwood will replicate its natural habitat. Rock must be secure, as this fish will dig and dislodge everything. Substrate-rooted plants are not possible, but Java Fern and Anubias secured to rock and wood are useful. Floating plants are advisable, as this fish naturally never ventures into open water but remains under cover.

Sexual dimorphism is very easy. Males are the larger and have a more pointed tip on their dorsal fin. Females, on the other hand, are smaller with an orange patch on their bellies.

In recent years, a convict with red on the fins has become popular. This may be a distinct species [see below] but this is uncertain, and now hybrids are also available, so the species may not be true. It is generally referred to by the common name "Honduran Red Points" or HRP Convict.

The species was originally described by A. Gunther in 1867 as Heros nigrofasciatus. The species epithet is Latin, meaning black banded. In 1980 it was transferred into the genus Cichlasoma and the species epithet was changed to nigrofasciatum to agree with the gender of the genus name. It was moved into the genus Archocentrus (as A. nigrofasciatus) by Kullander & Hartel (1997). R. Allgayer (2001) moved it into Cryptoheros, but it wasn't there long.

In his revision of the genus Archocentrus, Juan Schmitter-Soto (2007) identified four distinct "convict" species and placed them in his newly-erected genus Amatitlania. The genus was named for the type locality of the type species; 'Amatitlan' means 'a place abundant in amate' in Nahuatl, 'amate' is a kind of rustic paper made from the bark of Ficus petiolaris or Ficus indica [source: Fishbase]. A. nigrofasciatus, the type (and original) species, occurs throughout the given habitat range, while A. siquia occurs on the Atlantic slope of honduras and Costa Rica, A. coatepeque is endemic to Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, and A. kanna occurs on the Atlantic slope in Panama.  This classification is accepted as valid, except that A. coatepeque was subsequently determined to be conspecific with A. nigrofasciatus by McMahan, et al. (2014).

References:

Fisbase: Amatitlania nigrofasciata, Convict cichlid : aquarium

Kullander, S.O. and K.E. Hartel (1997), "The systematic status of cichlid genera described by Louis Agassiz in 1859: Amphilophus, Baiodon, Hypsophrys and Parachromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae)," Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, volume 7 (no. 3), pp. 193-202.
 
McMahan, C.D., W.A. Matamoros, E. Barraza, J. Kutz and P. Chakrabarty (2014), “Taxonomic status of the Lago Coatepeque endemic convict cichlid Amatitlania coatepeque (Teleostei: Cichlidae),” Copeia 2014 (no. 4), pp. 633-638.

Schmitter-Soto, J.J. (2007), "A systematic revision of the genus Archocentrus (Perciformes: Cichlidae), with the description of two new genera and six new species," Zootaxa No. 1603, pp. 1-76.