Suggestions

[amandalynn]

I'm saving up money to get a 29G tank (in addition to my 10G and my betta tank! hehe) and while I have some ideas, I was wondering what others thought would be good for it. I'm wanting some fish that aren't terribly difficult to take care of, as this will be my first "big" tank. So what would YOU put in a 29G if you were a beginner?

 

[Matty P]

There are quite a lot you could have it really depends on what kind of fish you like. Do you like lively fish or slow graceful fish. Do you like colourful or fish with personality or both! You should have a look around some of the fish libraries and pic out some of your favourites and we will advise you from there. I should also add that the bigger the tank the easier it is to keep the water parameters stable so theoretically it should be easier to keep than your 10G.

 

[amandalynn]

I'm thinking maybe some slow, graceful, pretty fish as a "centerpiece" fish, so to speak, with maybe some smaller, more lively fish? I was thinking maybe a few angel fish with some cardinal tetras or something like that and corydoras catfish. But, I've heard that tetras would nip the angels' fins. So, idk.

 

[Matt_northants]

Cardinals do have a reputation for being a bit nippy, but other tetras such as Beacons and Glow lights definately arent. I have beacons and neons in with my angels and have never seen either nip the angels fins.

 

[amandalynn]

How would three angelfish, 4 mollies, 3 cory cats, and 4 compatible tetras do in the tank?

 

[Matt_northants]

The problem with having three Angels is that if a pair forms then they will be very territorial to the other. Angels also get pretty tall so IMO its best to keep them in tank that are 18inches tall.
Also corys seem to do better in groups of 6, when choosing your corys be sure that you choose a tropical rather than sub-tropical species as some prefer their water temperature lower than would be beneficial for your angels.

 

[amandalynn]

The problem with having three Angels is that if a pair forms then they will be very territorial to the other. Angels also get pretty tall so IMO its best to keep them in tank that are 18inches tall.
Also corys seem to do better in groups of 6, when choosing your corys be sure that you choose a tropical rather than sub-tropical species as some prefer their water temperature lower than would be beneficial for your angels.

Okay. Thanks! The tank I am going to purchase is about 18" tall. I'll probably only get two instead of three. Six corys would be okay in a 29G with the other fish? I am concerned about overstocking. Of course, I could just get the angels, mollys and corys and not the tetras.

 

[Matt_northants]

IMO you could keep 2 Angels, about 10inches, 6 Corys, about 18 inches, and 4 Mollies, 16inches, so a total of 32inches in there without any problems. IMO with slow stocking and good maintenance you could fit a maximum of 43 inches of fish in there.

 

[amandalynn]

Ok, super! That sounds wonderful! Thank you for all your help!

 

[Tommy Gun]

Hey amandalynn

you could fit a maximum of 43 inches of fish in there.

Be careful when using any 'inch per gallon rule' because it can easily lead you into problems. For example, the "one inch per gallon" rule in freshwater tanks was originally intended to address a select few fish - basically fish which reach only 4 inches as adults and have a body type similar to the neon tetra. It does not take into account that some fish generate more wastes than other (e.g. a lot of plecos/algae eaters need to consume a lot of food to gain enough nutrition and hence, create more wastes), nor does it take into account that some fish may enjoy more room to swim (e.g. you wouldn't want to put a very active, one inch fish in a one gallon tank), it doesn't address the fact that 20 one inch fish will probably utilize more oxygen and generate more wastes than 4 five inch fish and of course, longer fish need more room to turn around so tank dimensions then become equally, if not more important than gallonage (but the fish you have spoken of so far wouldn't fall into that category).

IMO with slow stocking and good maintenance

The best advantage of stocking slowly is that it lets you continually test your water parameters and hence, you will be able to tell if you can safely add more fish later on. For example, if you want to do a maximum of one water change per week, then you would want to set a limit of nitrates (e.g. 50 ppm) that can accumulate before you do a water change --- so if your nitrates are 80 ppm in three days, you could reduce the number of fish in the tank. Of course, there are some other ways to get around this (added filtration not really being one of them) but for most of us, this method is viable.

Congrats on your new "big" tank! I agree, you will probably find it easier to maintain 30 gallons of water versus 10 gallons....if your husbandry practices are good.

 

[amandalynn]

Okay, thank you!