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here would be a perfect mix
2 bolivian rams
6 small tetras(neons, von rios, black neons)

There are plenty of easy plants that will do nicely under the lower lights. Try Java moss, Java Fern, Bolbitus, many of the Anubius, Hornwort, Anacarus, and yet many others.

As for the decor, try some DIY things, as you already DIY stand. There are many great ideas out there that can really save the money. Clay pots for caves, vases for caves, clay pipes, ect. Heck, I go to the hobby and craft stores all the time looking for different things. I usually just brouse through the discount isle. I have one tank, that has a pair of clay baby shoes, looks cool, get complements on it all the time. I have another that has a full size clay tennis shoe. I found a couple of those boat like shelves, sank them a few months, and now I have some sunken ships, lol. One I knocked a hole in it and put a rock there, to look like it had wrecked on the rocks. I am waiting for some underwater skeletons I ordered, to put in the boat, lol. It is in my shark tank. lol.

Just go looking, you will find many things to decorate your tank with. I know one guy in Texas, that washed some beer bottles out, and put them in his tank. Along with some other garbage items that would not deteriorate or hurt the fish. This is just one of his tanks, but its theme was what our lakes are going to look like, if we don't start cleaning up. Smaller fish love the bottles.

HTH...

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There is always a bigger fish...

Well, just get fake plants then. If you go for shellies, you don't need plants really in the first place as they like shells for security anyways. If you get a 29g, you could get some shellies and a few Calvus. That would be a gorgeous tank. It's what I plan on doing when I get a 29g. If you still are thinking about a shellie tank, check out http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/shelldweller_corner.php

If you go w/ the rams or apistogramma (I'd suggest borelli or cacautoides), this would be a nice set up for 29g.

1 pair ram/apisto
6 cardinal tetras or harlequin rasboras
4 smaller cories (5mm or under)
3 otos in the future (like 6 months or so down the line) if you have algae growth.

Last edited by chapman76 at 27-Dec-2004 08:20

well this summer i put up about 60 dollars and got wood,screws,etc and then my dad and i built a fish stand with 2 shelves and a cabinet area at the bottom.we built it out of 3/4 inch plywood. i planned on getting a 29 gallon and built the stand to these specs. it is neither sturdy enough to hold a 55 gal nor does it have enough room in between the shelves. i have no problem with getting the tank, but its the accessories that will drain my $$$. i looked around at my 2 fish stores and i couldn't find a solution for my lighting. the hood that comes with the tank is only a single fixture and even if i got a double fixture, the highest wpg i could get is 1 something

Theresa's Right!!! Definitely go with the tank!!! But, if you received enough money I would go with a 55 gallon, there is even more you can do with it, and honestly it isn't that much more I know PetSmart here has one with hood/lighting for $99...WalMart here has a tank/hood/lighting/stand for under $200....just my thoughts on the idea, but definitely go with a bigger tank...Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Personally I'd go with the tank, but instead of a 29g get a 30g. The 29g is 30 x 12 x 18; a 30g is 36 x 12 x 16

I have both and like the looks of the 30g better. If you have the money and space go for it

edit: for cichlid stocking ideas check out the cookie-cutter setups here



Last edited by Theresa_M at 26-Dec-2004 08:25

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Go with the tank!

Rams are gourgeous I would definatly get some. Or you cant go wrong with some diomond gouramis

well i got alot of money for christmas so i have been considering the idea of getting a 29 gallon and just using the ten i have for a quarantine tank, but i also want to get a guitar and maybe put some money in my bank account. i dont really know what to do so im kind of reluctant to get a 29.....decisions,decisions.

im starting a new tank (ive had fish, but im getting another tank)

10 gallon tank:
all fluorite substrate
small drift wood

im thinking of getting some keyhole or maybe elecric yellow cichlids, are these good fish for a 10?

Clown loaches: No, they get much too big (usually over eight inches)
Kuhli loaches: It is possible. They reach four inches, but are really skinny. They should be kept in groups of at least three though, so it would be a stretch.
Cories: Sure thing! They are pretty small, and don't need tons of room. They should be kept in shoals of at least six, so smaller cories would be best in a ten gallon tank.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

ok,i'll do some research on shell dwellers. last night i made up a list of fish i might want to get as an alternative to cichlids:

clown loaches
kuhli loaches
corys

would any of these be suitable for a ten?

I agree. A pair of rams in a planted ten gallon is quite peasing to the eye. Better yet, get a cauk. apisto. .

I would go with just one pair of either rams or Apistogramma cichlids. They are small, peaceful, and are happy in pairs.

Two pair of rams wouldn't fit in a ten gallon tank though. Just one pair would be enough for stocking, with maybe a little bit of room left over.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I would go with some rams. You could get a pair in there or 2 until the other of the pairs started breeding then you would have to move the remianing to rams. Remeber to keep rams in even numbers so that if a pair did form and there was only 1 rams w/o a friend that one would go down the drain.

*Dies*
I can't believe I didn't think of rams! Thank goodness for Janna! My recommendations were horrible. Definitely go with them, you won't be disappointed.

If you got the shellies the flourite and driftwood would go to waste, since shellies like sand and rock decorations. They wouldn't apreciate the tannins either. I'd go for some SA dwarf cichlids. You could have a couple blue rams, Apistogramma borelli, or something of that nature. They'd look really nice

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

No, they both get much to big and the electric yellows need very hard water.

The only cichlids you could fit in there I believe are shell dwellers. They live in discarded snail shells... Really quite interesting fish.