Stocking Ideas For A 29 Gallon Tank

[NorthEastFisherman]

Hello everyone! I've had my 29 gallon fish tank running for about 2 months or so and got my decorations like 2 weeks ago and started adding some fish. So far i have 1 Rainbow shark who's healthy but gets spooked easily and hides in his cave, a very interactive male gold gourami who likes to spit water at me when im nearby (i think he likes the attention), and 1 neon tetra. YES i do know that neon tetra need a school of 5. Well being an idiot like i was when i got my first ever tank i saw the neons and decided they would be awesome looking and i basically forgot about getting my water adjusted to house them so when i bought 6 of them they all died off and now im stuck with this one who looks healthy and is eating. I ordered 6 pygmy cory cats for my tank that should get here soon. I was hoping to get 6 rummy nose tetra but the pet store near me that orders fish told me that the farm they buy their fish from doesnt cary rummynose tetra so unless i want to spend 30-40$ on shipping then im out of luck! Im wondering what you guys think i should stock my tank with and i dont want babies to care for every month so dont suggest the livebearers i have a pregnant guppy in my 10 gallon right now anyways.

So heres my tank:
-30 Gallon Aqueon Filter
-Heater
-pH of about 7.4-7.5 (im working on getting it to 7 but my live sand isnt really helping)
-Gold Gourami 4''
-Rainbow Shark 3''
-Neon Tetra 1''
-6 Pygmy Cories 6''

I might buy 4 neons for a school but if not then im going to buy 5 of a different species of tetra. I'd like another little school of fish 3-5. And maybe a single bigger fish like my gourami or shark. What do you guys think would go good with my tank? Im trying to keep this tank non-aggressive.

 

[Questions?]

no other sharks since rainbow sharks are territorial and can be agressive. if you want another gold gouram you could get one of the opp. sex. i think you could up the pygmy corys to 8. if you are using the 1 inch per gallon rule, it is only accurate on slim bodied fish under 3", but even then it should only be a guideline

 

[Blitz]

The gallon per inch rule doesn't pertain to all fish. I never use the gallon per inch rule when calculating about fish. In my opinion, I don't really trust it. how are Pygmy cories 6"? If you have 6 Pygmy corked that are 6 inches each.... WOAH. I thought the Pygmy cories were two inches big. Such as the Sterbai Cories. Aren't they two inches?

 

[NorthEastFisherman]

no other sharks since rainbow sharks are territorial and can be agressive. if you want another gold gouram you could get one of the opp. sex. i think you could up the pygmy corys to 8. if you are using the 1 inch per gallon rule, it is only accurate on slim bodied fish under 3", but even then it should only be a guideline

SOrry maybe i shouldve clarified. I dont want another shark or gourami i mean i want a fish of a single species like how i have only one shark and only one gourami. I was thinking some sort of ram if thats possible.

The gallon per inch rule doesn't pertain to all fish. I never use the gallon per inch rule when calculating about fish. In my opinion, I don't really trust it.

how are Pygmy cories 6"? If you have 6 Pygmy corked that are 6 inches each.... WOAH.

I thought the Pygmy cories were two inches big. Such as the Sterbai Cories. Aren't they two inches?

When i said 6'' for pygmy cories i mean since there are 6 of them then its 6inches total. I believe the pygmy cories get just over 1'' when fully grown. Sterbai, albino, spotted, emerald, all get 2-3'' and panda, pygmy, dwarfs, all get 1-2inches i believe.

 

[sadguppy]

My pygmies have yet to hit an inch, I have had them almost a year in a variety of different sized tanks, but I would totally recommend them for even very small set ups.

 

[NorthEastFisherman]

Yep thats why i like the pygmy cories since theyre small i can have more of them! They should be in my pet store on wednesday so hopefully that will be the same day they arrive or i might have some sick fish.

 

[Questions?]

oh, if you want rams you could maybe get 1 bolivian ram but since the temperature cant be in the 80's you can't get a German Blue ram and gold, electrc blue,etc (those are just color morphs) Bolvian rams are also hardier then GBRs so it should work out fine. but have a second tank ready incase something goes wrong

 

[NorthEastFisherman]

oh, if you want rams you could maybe get 1 bolivian ram but since the temperature cant be in the 80's you can't get a German Blue ram and gold, electrc blue,etc (those are just color morphs) Bolvian rams are also hardier then GBRs so it should work out fine. but have a second tank ready incase something goes wrong

Ok so he will be fine with a gourami, shark, and some small schooling fish including cories? If all goes bad he can jump in my ten gallon since that tanks getting a bit boring anyways. Ive heard about bolivian rams but not enough to buy one yet. Ill start researching!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

They are hardier than the other rams, and peaceful.

 

[NorthEastFisherman]

They are hardier than the other rams, and peaceful.

Do you know how big they get and where they will stay in my tank like bottom mid or top water?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

They get to be about ~3 inches (Males a little bigger, females a bit smaller), and stay close to the bottom. I'd say bottom 1/3.

Quick bio on them.

 

[NorthEastFisherman]

I did a little research and cant seem to find a difference between all the types of rams. You said bolivian rams would be best for me but how would i know if the fish at my lfs is a bolivian ram or not, they dont have pictures of them there its just like a whiteboard and marker type thing. Sorry i have never heard about these little guys and they look cool and i read some reviews of people saying they have great personalities! How many should i get 1? 2? a group??

 

[eaglesaquarium]

In that size tank... I'd stick to one, or maybe a pair. They are less colorful than the other rams (commonly called Blue Rams, Gold Rams, or German Blue Rams). The easiest way to tell though is the temp of the tank. Bolivians don't require the same high temps as the other more delicate rams.


BTW, I just reread your first post and it said you were working on getting your pH to 7. Don't bother. Just try to keep your tank water conditions the same as your tap conditions. No need to try to mess with your water conditions for your fish. They can acclimate to your tap water. The fish you have aren't overly sensitive, and unless you are looking to breed them, they should be just fine. ;-)

 

[NorthEastFisherman]

Well actually the water i use is from the bath since its faster and that pH is just above 7 and its at like 7.4pH and i think the cause is my live sand i have which is changing the water pH. The fish i have now are fine with it, i actually recently used pH adjuster to get it to 7 but i havent checked it lately. I guess ill acllimate the fish for a longer time.

I wish the bolivians had more color since theyre easier to keep. Guess thats how it goes.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

They have spectacular color in their own way, just not as vibrant as the other rams.


The pH adjuster stuff is garbage, honestly. It is not permanent, and the pH will eventually go back to where it was before. It's actually better to leave it be, as the fluctuations in the pH will be the bigger issue rather than the pH value itself. If you want to try to curb the pH the "natural" way. You can add some wood to your tank, and the tannins which leak out, will lower the pH SLOWLY. (tannic acid) Another option would be to put some peat into the filter and create a bit of a 'blackwater' tank. Many of your fish actually prefer that.