Re-Doing My 29 Gallon Tank

[ozzkilledtoto]

Hello everyone, I recently decided to re-do my 29 gallon tank, i have given away some fish and moved the others to my other tank, so as of now the tank is fish free. I have changed the substrate, added new decorations. (Synthetic plants, but really good ones designed to look like real species of plants, and theyre extra soft material as to not hurt the fishys) Did 2 or 3 small water changes a few days apart, cleaned the filters and now it's just been running. I think it's ready for fish, all my water parameters are good to go. Now I wan't a community tank, or atleast 2-3 species. I was thinking maybe a community tank based around a beta, But I do not know what make good tank mates for beta. Also i'm not even sure that's for certain if I wan't. I would like to know what are some of the people on this forums favorite community tank set ups for tanks around the same size, as far as species selection goes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

- ozz

also, i'd like to know your reasons for liking the set ups you may suggest... thanks in advance..

 

[Curiosity101]

Oh no, you're going to need to recycle the tank by the sounds of it. The reason your stats are perfect is because there are no fish in it creating any ammonia. Therefore your stats will slowly turn to be tap water stats.
You can seed the 29gal filter from your other mature tanks (ie. take a little bit of filter gunk/media out of them and put it in the 29gal filter).
Then either decide if you want to recycle with fish, or if you want to do fishless.

I personally wouldn't have a male betta in such a large tank as often they get grumpy when they have to share their water level with other fish and you also have to be careful to avoid fin nippers.
A group of female bettas may be a better alternatie for you?

So perhaps:
10 Neon tetra
5 Female Bettas
6 Kuhli loaches

That would get you started and you could possibly up the numbers in the future when you know if your water stats are holding or not.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

that doesn't sound too bad.. any other suggestions people? the more the merrier..

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

bump..

 

[karin]

In my 29 gallon I have

Pair of Breeding Bolivian Rams
One Koi Angel
10 neon tetras
4 blue danios
1 BN

I like my set up.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

what is a BN?

 

[hamfist]

what is a BN?

A BN is a bristlenose catfish.

As for your filter, you have not given enough info for us to know whether it is cycled and mature, or not. if you know about these things, then fine. If not, then you might want to give rather more detail about how you have set up the tank.

For reference, I have a very peaceful 80 gallon community containing ; -

1 x giant male plakat betta (two "t"'s !)
1 x large angelfish (angels and bettas do not always mix well)
8 x neon tetras
6 x red eyed tetras
4 x otocinclus
1 x BN
1 x L134 pleco
5 x Stiphodon semoni gobies
3 x pygmy cories
1 x bamboo shrimp

Peace and harmony reigns in this tank. The Betta gets on with everyone, although if you were setting up a new tank with similar fish, I would be very careful about mixing angels and a betta.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

It is not a new tank, it has been running for years.. it has two standard power filters.. just gradually changed substrate (over the course of a week, week and a half).. changed decorations (was trying to make it look more like a natural environment).. performed a few 30 % water changes over the course of another two weeks and in the meanwhile taking my fish to a reputable lfs to donate. Their is like 3 or so guppies left in the tank which will also go soon.. was just asking for stocking suggestions. I was looking into the Bolovian rams and they seem really cool. I would like a tank set up around them. How would they go with kuhli loaches.. and with the bristle nose?

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

wow and the the L 134 is beautiful. Which is the pleco that has really long tail/fins? Do they get very big? Would they be ok in a 29 gallon? I really am excited to restock this tank and their is just so many options. i assume if i get pleco's i should get actual wood though.

 

[spectrum]

If it was me I would do:

A pair of BNs (what I have in mine)
A pair of German blue rams (More colourful, also more picky than Bolivian Rams)
6-10 Cardinal tetra

The tank would be densely planted with lots of bogwood/Mopani wood

IMO this would look great

 

[hamfist]

wow and the the L 134 is beautiful. Which is the pleco that has really long tail/fins? Do they get very big? Would they be ok in a 29 gallon? I really am excited to restock this tank and their is just so many options. i assume if i get pleco's i should get actual wood though.

L134's are stunning, it is true ! They are also a very small species of pleco, and only get to about 4", and would be fine in a 29 gallon. Some pleco's need wood, to supplement their diet, but many do not. They all appreciate wood and rocks to hide in though.
L134's are one of the mainly omnivorous pleco species, and do not need to eat wood. They will not keep your tank clear of algae either. L134's are also pretty nocturnal (like many plecos), so you you should see them about a bit in the evening, but not during the day.
Bristlenose's have a lot of plusses. THey are cheap, are usually active during the day, clear algae well, don't need wood to eat, and don't grow very large. On the negative, they do not have the beautiful patterns of most of the other (much more expensive) small pleco species and some individuals can get very, very aggressively bossy at feeding time.
For the best info on all the different plecos go to http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/family.php?family_id=4

 

[Curiosity101]

If you look to my sig you'll see I have kuhlis and rams together.

They live together fine, dont even acknowledge eachother. The only thing you have to be aware of is that they stick to the bottom level of the tank. So if you have rams, kuhli and a BN then you really need to think about what other fish that you want. (Fish that occupy higher levels). Otherwise it'll get very crowded at the bottom of your tank and none of the fish will thank you for it.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

Ok so If I wanted say, a breeding pair of the german blue rams (they are quite beautiful), one or two of the smaller pleco species (L134 or something similar, also have always been a fan of the pleco that has really long fins and tail, just dont know much about them) and maybe like 3-4 kuhli loaches.. what else would I be able to get to get some action going on in the top and avoid overstocking?

Ok so If I wanted say, a breeding pair of the german blue rams (they are quite beautiful), one or two of the smaller pleco species (L134 or something similar, also have always been a fan of the pleco that has really long fins and tail, just dont know much about them) and maybe like 3-4 kuhli loaches.. what else would I be able to get to get some action going on in the top and avoid overstocking? any ideas will be greatly appreciated. you all have been very helpful thus far.

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

imma try to post some pics of said tank so you all can have an idea of what i'm working with...

 

[ozzkilledtoto]

Won't be able to post pics, I left my digital camera on accidentally so it's batteries are dead, and it only takes lithium which I have no more of.