FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I need some suggests for 29 gallon tank (the long ones, 30x12x18). My fish list has been narrowed down to four Pearl Gouramis, a Pleco, small school of tetra, and a pair of Kribensis.

I'm worried that this may be slightly over-stocking, so I probably need something to over filter it. Also, approx. 50% of the plants will be live.

Will hang on backs work? Or save for canister?

Thanks for any help.

First off, the size you mentioned is a normal 29 gal - I don't think they make a 29 in any other dimensions.

As to your stock list - the pleco, I assume, won't be a common (hits 24", maybe a Bristlenose instead?
The four Pearl Gouramies - since Gouramies are often fiercely territorial and nasty to their conspecifics, you'd really be safer with just one or a pair. Pared down to that, you're not particularly overstocked. I'd recommend a Penguin rated for twice the size of your tank (remember the ratings are done without media in the filter, and they slow down over time).

Make sure you have enough light for the plants - the 29 is a very deep tank, and one 24" bulb isn't going to cut it for much of anything, or at least nothing that will do much to keep the tank clean (java fern is a nice plant, but it doesn't exactly have the nitrate-reducing abilities of hornwort, kind of thing).

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

The pleco I already have actually (in a relative's tank). He's only a little over 3" long now, but if he grows beyond about 7 inches (which he may, as I have failed many times to identify him) we have an agreement that he will return to his original tank.

I really haven't decided on the plants yet. I work at a LFS and we don't have a wide selection (Java fern and anubias mostly), so I'm doing research on those still.

Since 29's have less surface area than a say 30, I'd suggest both a stronger filter like LittleMousling suggested, as well as a powerhead to help prevent any dead or still spots in the tank. Overstocking can be either space or waste wise. In the case of waste (high nitrAtes) increasing the filtration and adding live plants will help. Overstocking as it applies to space, well nothing will really fix that.

^_^

Rena Filstar xp2 or an eheim classic series. Input on one end, outflow on the other.

Commons (Hypostomus, Liposarcus multiradiatus/pardalus spelling?), to my knowledge, only get to about 18", usually a few inches less in the home aquaria. However, they should still be avoided like the plague in a 29 gallon, where they will easily grow to take up the entire tank bottom in a matter of years. Ideally, kribs should be kept in a larger tank, upwards of 40 gallons, due to their territorial tendencies---seeing as how you really have no other bottom dwellers, a pair should do just fine. I'd second the single gourami statement, as 2 full grown males (6" will all but tear apart teh tank, and each other. As for the tets, any small species should work, cardinals being high on my list due to their beauty.

Any filter which is made for tanks larger than 50 gallons should work. The larger the filter, the better.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Klee 2004-08-13 19:47][/span]

I've seen commons at well over 20" - most of the big ones I see are around 18" but they're usually very very stunted - messed up backbones, protruding eyes, permanent stress colors, the whole bit.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Erm, unless those are wild caught, you oughta remeasure. Hyps, the smaller end commons max out at about 13" and Lipos reach a maximum of about 18, probably more (to about 20", but not significantly over 20 inches. I've been keeping trinidad hyps for as long as I''ve had fish (one notable specimen even longer), and none have hit over 13", even in gallonage of 100+. I currently have a large pardalis in my neighbhors pond as well, and it seems to be stuck at around 15" last I checked. It's a pretty decent sized pond, too.

Klee,
My parents purchased a Hypostomus Plecostomus sp. when I was a kid. They had in a 32 inch long tank, they assumed this pleco would stay small like the people in the pet store assured them. It grew so large its tail was in one corner of the tank, it went all the way around, its body against the outside glass, and could almost suck on its on tail if it wanted. My dad measured it after its death, it was 39.5 inches long and 12 inches wide at the widest part of its head. It shared this tank with a large oscar, which when we went away on vacation for 1 week, became dinner to the pleco.
Hypostomus species get very very large. I have heard of ones in the wild clearing 40"+.
My parents pleco was 1 inch when purchased, and grew to this size in a 32x24x18 tank in 1 year. It was tank bred, not wild caught. These things get huge.
The guy at my LFS tried to sell me one for my 90g, despite the fact he admitted to having one is his 150g tank at home that is over 28 inches long.



Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Erinyes,
Might I suggest to you a Cascade hang on the back filter.
You can get one that does a 50g tank for a pretty good price, I paid 44.99 Canadian for mine, and a 100g one sells here for 69.99 Canadian. Thats 34.87 US and 54.25 US dollars at todays exchange rate. They are a great filter, have 4 stage filtration, and work great. I have a 50g one on my 25g and it keeps it crystal clear. Great great filter!
I have pearl gouramis, I have not noticed any aggression from them towards each other, I have 2 and plan on adding another 2-4 of them. They are great peaceful fish.
Beware the Kribensis, my sister had a pair, and they managed to kill 9 different fish in 3 months. She only has the male now cuz the female died, and it has killed 4 more fish on its on. Notably, a pair of gold rams, a dwarf gourami, and a pristella tetra. They also killed another gold ram, 3 danios, 2 cherry barbs, and a red honey dwarf gourami. Good luck with those fish they are vicious.
For a smaller tetra, I would suggest Penguin tetras, Glowlight tetras, or Pristella Tetras they are all great. Bloodfins, Silvertips, lemons, and Emperors are all beauties too!
I do not think you are overstocked, with good filtration, live plants, and a good water change schedule, you should be just fine, just beware the kribensis!!


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Pete, that's WAY beyond a world record, so I suggest you fill someone in on that, if you have any photographical evidence, etc. Even on planetcat, they list H plecs as only getting to be 12". I have seen larger, but not by much. Maybe you purchased a Lipo instead of a hyp. Even then, there's no way any fish can have the metabolism (plus, plecs usually recieve relatively little crude protein) fast enough to grow from a 1 inch specimen to fill a 32x24x18 in a year.

I dunno Klee,
My parents still to this day say it was sold to them as Hypostomus Plecostomus, the common pleco.
They do have a pic of it somewhere, i would have to search through their photo albums.
I should ask the LFS guy if he can get a pic of his with a tape measure!
My parents fed the oscar, pleco, and black shark in there Beef Heart, Crickets and Grasshoppers, Mealworms, earthworms, and occassionaly fish flakes.



[span class="edited"][Edited by Sneaky_Pete 2004-08-15 00:40][/span]

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

The four pearls may be pushing it space-wise, but I didn't think there would be much aggression if I got a 3 female : 1 male ratio.

Is there another dwarf cichlid that would be less aggressive? I considered german blue rams, but heard they were short-lived.

In the case of waste (high nitrAtes) increasing the filtration and adding live plants will help.

Water changes m'dear