Possible 29 Gallon?

JavaJinx · May 30, 2015

My fish mood seems to get stronger whenever I look at my betta tanks (Very dangerous). I think I might want to try to convince my dad for a 29 gallon. It seems like a good size tank for what I *think* I want. I have had my 10 gallon set up for a while, and recently set up a 5 gallon. Each house a betta. I want something a bit different. My dad originally wanted a much bigger tank (too much watching fish shows on TV for him?) but he doesn't want to do any work, so I'm left to do that stuff, and want to aim for smaller.

I was thinking 5 or so male guppies and then some Pygmy Cories. How many Pygmy cories would be a good number? I don't want a lot, but they are better in groups. Maybe 6-8? Are these and the guppy numbers good? I was also wondering what else would go well in this tank.

If I would go for live plants, what do I need to know? Both my tanks have silk plants, I am clueless when it comes to live.

I believe we have hard water if that helps anything.

~Jenna

Vethian · May 30, 2015

i would consider 10 cories. you should also use sand as a substrate and live plants help out too. Im partial to rummy nose tetras. they make great schooling fish.

JavaJinx · May 30, 2015

Vethian said:
i would consider 10 cories. you should also use sand as a substrate and live plants help out too. Im partial to rummy nose tetras. they make great schooling fish.

Thanks for the reply! Okay 10 cories then if I can find them. I know about the sand, as I wanted some pygmy cories with my betta then didn't get any. I'll be reading up on plants a lot.

RainboWBacoN420 · Jun 2, 2015

Everytime I walk by the 29 gallon at PetSmart, I can't help but just stare at it... Nice size.... Prefect size.... It would fit perfectly on my dresser.... *sighs*

In the future, one day, I will definitely get this bad boy. That is, if I don't give in to this lovely 65 gallon with a stand...

So many choices... So little money.

Byron · Jun 2, 2015

JavaJinx said:
My fish mood seems to get stronger whenever I look at my betta tanks (Very dangerous). I think I might want to try to convince my dad for a 29 gallon. It seems like a good size tank for what I *think* I want. I have had my 10 gallon set up for a while, and recently set up a 5 gallon. Each house a betta. I want something a bit different. My dad originally wanted a much bigger tank (too much watching fish shows on TV for him?) but he doesn't want to do any work, so I'm left to do that stuff, and want to aim for smaller.

I was thinking 5 or so male guppies and then some Pygmy Cories. How many Pygmy cories would be a good number? I don't want a lot, but they are better in groups. Maybe 6-8? Are these and the guppy numbers good? I was also wondering what else would go well in this tank.

If I would go for live plants, what do I need to know? Both my tanks have silk plants, I am clueless when it comes to live.

I believe we have hard water if that helps anything.

~Jenna

My first suggestion is to pin down your water parameters (of your tap water). The online site of your municipal water authority likely has this data somewhere. You want the hardness numbers, being GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) primarily, and pH. Suggesting fish and some plants will be easier once we know your water. Pygmy corys for example will not be healthy long-term in very hard water.

To the plants, the main thing here is the light. If you do get a 29g, it may come with a hood containing a light, or you may decide to buy the tank stand alone and then you can get a glass cover set and a light fixture which obviously opens up possibilities. When selecting the light, know what sort of planted tank you want in the end. Lighting is not inexpensive, and there is a wide variety between moderate (or even low) lighting and very high lighting, and "one size does not fit all" is very true. Too much light, or too little for the plants, and you will have nothing but algae problems and dying plants.

Bright light means a high-tech approach, requiring diffused CO2. This (CO2) is not necessary to have a healthy and lovely planted tank, but the higher the light the more the need for added CO2 to balance, along with more nutrients period, and that is a whole new level.

Byron.

jag51186 · Jun 2, 2015

I believe the actual perfect size is as much fish tank as you can afford that won't fall through the floor of your house!! Lol

Pygmy cories are amazing, and paired with some tetras would be great!

JavaJinx · Jun 2, 2015

RainboWBacoN420 said:
Everytime I walk by the 29 gallon at PetSmart, I can't help but just stare at it... Nice size.... Prefect size.... It would fit perfectly on my dresser.... *sighs*
In the future, one day, I will definitely get this bad boy. That is, if I don't give in to this lovely 65 gallon with a stand...
So many choices... So little money.

It really seems like a nice size to me too. I think I have a nice spot for it.

Byron said:
My first suggestion is to pin down your water parameters (of your tap water). The online site of your municipal water authority likely has this data somewhere. You want the hardness numbers, being GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) primarily, and pH. Suggesting fish and some plants will be easier once we know your water. Pygmy corys for example will not be healthy long-term in very hard water.

To the plants, the main thing here is the light. If you do get a 29g, it may come with a hood containing a light, or you may decide to buy the tank stand alone and then you can get a glass cover set and a light fixture which obviously opens up possibilities. When selecting the light, know what sort of planted tank you want in the end. Lighting is not inexpensive, and there is a wide variety between moderate (or even low) lighting and very high lighting, and "one size does not fit all" is very true. Too much light, or too little for the plants, and you will have nothing but algae problems and dying plants.

Bright light means a high-tech approach, requiring diffused CO2. This (CO2) is not necessary to have a healthy and lovely planted tank, but the higher the light the more the need for added CO2 to balance, along with more nutrients period, and that is a whole new level.

Byron.

Thank you very much! I'll ask my mom what company we have when she comes back inside. I feel like I know this! Most kits I see come with LED lighting. Is this good or bad for plants?

jag51186 said:
I believe the actual perfect size is as much fish tank as you can afford that won't fall through the floor of your house!! Lol
Pygmy cories are amazing, and paired with some tetras would be great!

I think I want a bigger tank someday, but I think a 29 gallon is a good "step up" size for me at this time. I have fallen in love with them ever since I decided to not get them lol. Of course I won't get them if my water isn't right.

Thanks so much everyone for your advice so far! I'm such a newbie. Anything other than bettas just makes my mind go a little nuts.

Byron · Jun 2, 2015

Most kits I see come with LED lighting. Is this good or bad for plants?

I have seen some very good LED for planted tanks, but also a lot of useless junk that will only grow algae. I'm not up on LED so I will leave it for members who are to advise you on specific units. I would suggest however that most likely the lighting that comes with a kit is not going to be worth it, so it might be better to purchase tank and light separately. But others can comment.

Byron.

JavaJinx · Jun 2, 2015

I asked my mom, and she says since we live in the country and have well water, we don't really have a website to go to for that. She says we can get a test kit from Home Depot. I would be better off getting a test kit made for aquariums, right?

I will look into lighting further. My dad will most likely want nothing but the best.

Byron · Jun 2, 2015

JavaJinx said:
I asked my mom, and she says since we live in the country and have well water, we don't really have a website to go to for that. She says we can get a test kit from Home Depot. I would be better off getting a test kit made for aquariums, right?

I will look into lighting further. My dad will most likely want nothing but the best.

Just so I understand, you are on your own private well, correct? In that case, perhaps your parents have had the water tested professionally, to know just what is in it? It seems a waste of money for a test kit for GH/KH when you may use it only once; perhaps a local fish store will do water tests? Make sure they give you the numbers, not some meaningless generality like "average" or "medium." A pH test kit is worth having. The API liquid test kits are reliable. You also want to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Again, a store can do this, if you don't already have a water report. Nitrate is often present in agricultural areas and can be an issue for humans too.

JavaJinx · Jun 2, 2015

Byron said:
I asked my mom, and she says since we live in the country and have well water, we don't really have a website to go to for that. She says we can get a test kit from Home Depot. I would be better off getting a test kit made for aquariums, right?
I will look into lighting further. My dad will most likely want nothing but the best.

Click to expand...

Just so I understand, you are on your own private well, correct? In that case, perhaps your parents have had the water tested professionally, to know just what is in it? It seems a waste of money for a test kit for GH/KH when you may use it only once; perhaps a local fish store will do water tests? Make sure they give you the numbers, not some meaningless generality like "average" or "medium." A pH test kit is worth having. The API liquid test kits are reliable. You also want to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Again, a store can do this, if you don't already have a water report. Nitrate is often present in agricultural areas and can be an issue for humans too.

Yes, it is. My mom said that it hasn't been tested in a while. I'll look into it further. There are quite a few fish stores around here so I'll hopefully contact them soon. Thanks for helping me out!