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Yup, if anyone does remember about 3 or 4 years ago I would go on these forums all the time, but then I lost interest, fish died, and now I am ready to go again...I have a 29g with an ebo-jager 150 watt heater, and a Penguin Biowheel one, the one rated for up to 30g and I want to start over, probably with something like a school of Neons or Harlequin Rasboras. I do not want discus or anyhting that high maintenance(forgot how to spell it >.< and I am going to do good with it I think this time, and I will not take the fish back when I find out something that I should have researched more, this time I am doing it right *nods head*

Any ideas for a nice community tank?

WoW Addict and proud of it
1.66g Hex - Nothing as of yet
29g - Nothing as of yet

Start with tank maintenance fish first.
Otocinclus Algae Eater Otocinclus affinis AKA Oto Cats get 2" no mor than 1 per 3gals
Dwarf Cory Cat Corydorus habrosus 6 to 8 only get about 1"
Than look at maybe:
Neons
Pandas
I like these fish and they stay small so you come get a skoal of each

If you stick to smaller fish you can have more of them, but remember to not over stock.

Your going to want to have plants, so look for slow growers that match you lighting



Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

I think you should have a think about what you'd like to keep to give us some direction, there are just so many options with a 29G.

I have a 29G, the current inhabitants are:
1 BN
10 Neons
7 Corydoras Sterbai
1 DG
2 Kuhlis
1 Botia Sidthumunki (was a school of 5, but I moved them to a 2nd tank but have been unable to catch the last one).

You could have a similar tank, bottom feeders (Cory's), a mid-water school, an algae eater, and a 'centre-piece fish' in the DG (was a pair but the female recently died). Once you have an idea of what you'd like, post it here and we'll be able to advise.

I have to disagree with DJRichie here, I would start with a small school of Corys (after the tank has cycled, I'm presuming as a previous fish-keeper you know about this - please ask if not) which I have found to be very hardy. After this, you can gradually add a school of neon's or harlequin's and increase your school of cory's. I would leave this to run a while before you add your 'tank maintenance' fish such as Otto's or a Bristlenose Plec. This will give time for algae to build up in your tank, which these fish feed on. If you add them too early they may not have any easily available food which may cause stress and death. I also have a 2nd tank which I allowed to get to the point where I couldn't really see into the tank due to algae build up, before adding Ottos. They cleared it in a couple of days!! This may have been taking it to an extreme, but you get the idea.

After this you can then look at extra fish, whether it be a bigger school of neon's / harlequins, another school of small fish or a larger fish, such as Dwarf Gourami's, Ram's etc.

I would recommend a trip to your LFS, see what fish interest you from there, a good look round at all the profiles on this site, and then come back here and ask what will fit in your tank? what fishes are compatible? what order should they be added to your tank?

Oh yes, and welcome back!!

I already know about cycling, I was thinking of using some Zebra Danios, and I was thinking of keeping a school of them when the tank gets started too. I would prefer a pair of rams, my LFS has some which I was really estatic about because before when I had it set up I wanted to put some in it but they did not have any.

So Im looking at the school of cories, an otto or two, and the school of zebras and a school of neons, then a centerpiece of a Bolivian Ram, or would I need another one due to differing Ph requirements?

Any help would be appreciated and I am going to start cleaning it out this weekend, and then next friday I get paid, so how many zebras would I need to cycle it, and I do have some packets of proper 7.0 ph solution, and is stress coat a dechlorinator, I am ashamed to say I forgot, or would Aquasafe be better.

Oh, for tank decorations I have some rocks I boiled a few years ago and I think with a good scrubbing they would be usuable again, and I liked them because I used some aquarium glue to make a cave like structure.

WoW Addict and proud of it
1.66g Hex - Nothing as of yet
29g - Nothing as of yet

Your ideas are really good. I'd substitute Harlequin rasboras for the Neons though. They are a bit more active (like the danios) than the Neons and IMO more beautiful.

So, how about:

8 Harlies
8 Danios
8-10 Cories
3-5 Otos
1-2 Rams

so how many zebras would I need to cycle it

I'd start with atleast 6...you could do 8 if you decide to keep that many.
Remember when doing a fishy cycle, you'll need to do frequent water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down. This may mean doing daily small water changes.
Have you thought about fishless cycling? Its much easier on the fish. You could throw a raw shrimp (from the seafood dept. at the grocery store) in and let it cycle the tank for a few weeks. That way the fish are spared of the effects of ammonia and nitrite.

I do have some packets of proper 7.0 ph solution

I would not mess with the pH. That will cause more problems than a "wrong" pH would. What is your tap pH after sitting for 24 hours?

and is stress coat a dechlorinator, I am ashamed to say I forgot, or would Aquasafe be better.

Stress coat is a dechlorinator. I personally prefer Prime (by Seachem) because it is more concentrated, and you use less (so it lasts longer).

Sounds like it will be a nice tank!

*Kristin*

Are panda cories good for the setup I proposed? Also are swords good plants, or would they need special lighting and such. I am ashamed that I have forgotten this much, but I want to get back into this.

Oh, last word is I am completely rinsing out the old gravel I had which sat in there for almost a year (with VERY HOT water) and then filling it back up again, and then all I will just need some Prime and some zebras and I will be set, and I like the 8 neons, 8 danios, 8 cories, 2 rams, and 4 otto idea.

Thanks for the input, I am really looking forward to getting this running again.

WoW Addict and proud of it
1.66g Hex - Nothing as of yet
29g - Nothing as of yet

Panda cories would work nicely. They stay pretty small, so they are excellent for a 29g. A school of 8 of them would be awesome. They are such fun cories to watch.

Sword plants need atleast 2 watts per gallon IME, so atleast 60 watts or so over a 29g. If you can find a 65 watt fixture (compact fluorescent) that would be excellent lighting for swords. Amazon swords, which are probably the most common swords sold, will eventually get too large for a 29g so just keep that in mind. The folks that frequent the plant forum can help you pick out plants once you figure out how many watts you'll have over the tank.

If you are looking for some low light plants (if you have the stock lighting), then Java fern, Anubias, Anacharis, and Cryptocorynes are your best bet.

*Kristin*

Definitely do not start with ottos, as they are not hardy at all and should only be put in well established tanks. since you said yourself you don't want anything high maintenance you may wish to avoid them altogether as they do need very clean water and low nitrates. I'd go with about 7-8 harlequin rasboras. very hardy and easy to keep. a few cories after cycling is complete. perhaps some mollies hardy yet nice looking fish. A bn pleco or even a rubbernose. they only get about 4". even a male or female betta, although then yu would need to stay away from anything with long flowing fins.
Mine holds just that. 1 female betta, a black molly (the last of the hoard), seven harlies a rubbernose pleco and a pair of yo-yos.

ottos are very hearty once they are situated. The reason most of them die and get the unhearty tag put on them is because they go through so much stress shipping. Once they are in an established tank, they rarely if ever die off or get disease.

I'd go with a school of red eye tetras, some yoyo loaches and maybe a blue acara or something like it to take up the middle ground and really catch your eye in the tank.

OK, so they go through so much stress shipping and they die. Does this mean that all the other species that go thru the same stress and are shipped in the same manner are super hardy if they survive? No, the reason they get the un hardy tag is because they Do die. Don't want to upset a lot of folks here, I love my ottos too. Even when placed in well established and very well maintained tanks their mortality rate is about 50%. But I do agree, place them in the best tank with the best conditions and you will have a much better chance. So will they.

I also have a 29gal Tank aswell. My Stocking is as follows

6 Panda Cories
4 Black Skirt Tetras
4 Cherry barbs
2 Gold Barbs
1 BN Pleco
1 Skunk Botia
2 CAE
2 Pinapple Swords
2 Bolivian Rams

I have now a very healthy tank, I also have like the AC 300 on my tank with a Fluval UW Filter too. But my tank has been working very well for some time. I have not had a fish lost out of that group for a number of months.

I hope this give you some more ideas. I also used BIO Spira to setup the tank so i didnt need to cycle either. Bio Spira works really well.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Bio Spira, wow, I forgot about using that....hmmmmm.....

*is deep in though*

Ok, thanks for the info, I will look around at the pet stores in the area, but I want 2 bolivian rams for the centerpiece fish, I love those things.

WoW Addict and proud of it
1.66g Hex - Nothing as of yet
29g - Nothing as of yet