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Hey guys,
i have been browsing for some time now and i'm looking to buy a regular 29 Gal Marineland Eclipse tank for my room.
30"L x 12"W x 18"H

I'm going for a tropical community tank and i'm going to start the cycle with 2 fish, but i am hoping to eventually get all of these fish:

Banded Barb x 3 (2"ea) (6"=6g)
Lyre Swordtails x 2 (4"ea) (8"=8g)
Danios x 3 (1.6"ea) (4.8"=4.8g)
Guppies x 2 (2"ea) (4"=4g)
Phantom Tetra x 5 (1.4"ea) (7"=7g)
Otto x 1 (2"ea) (2"=2g)

Total Fish = 16
Total Gallons Needed = 31.8
Will fit in a 29 Gallon Marineland Eclipse?

pH = 7.0
Temp = 77F
dH = 12

Does this seem alright to you guys out there? Is the tank maybe overstocked? Its my first tank... all help is appreciated. Thanks!

I think that this is a good plan. You aren't overstocked, so you could always add more fish over time. I would get maybe 3 ottos rather than one. But a 29 gal is a nice size tank for a beginner you should have a blast!!!

Welcome to Fishprofiles, and good luck!!!!!!

What fish do you plan to cycle the tank with?

†Aquapickle†

i was planning on starting the cycle with 2 guppies. any better suggestions? thanks again for the input.

I suppose you could use guppys, but i would maybe go with a hardier fish like the danios, i heard that they were very hardy, and that is what my friend used on his tank.

You can do whatever you think would work best but IMO i would cycle with the danios and at least for 1 week or more since it has never been used.

Good luck!!!!

†Aquapickle†

okay, i'll use danios then, thanks.

I changed around the fish i would like to have in my tank, any feedback is good feedback. tell me what you think!

Banded Barb x 3
Lyre Swordtails x 2
Guppies x 2
Phantom Tetra x 5
Powder Blue Gourami x 1
Otocinclus x 1

pH = 7.0
Temp = 78F
dH = 13

Looks ok be careful with the swordtails and guppies they are extremely prolific breeders, I would suggest 2 males.

You can do whatever you think would work best but IMO i would cycle with the danios and at least for 1 week or more since it has never been used.

I wont get into details about the nitrogen cycle here (see FAQ) but its probably not a good idea to cycle with danios or only for one week. I think a better route would be a fishless cycle as it is cheaper than cycling with danios. You could either use a bacterial starter like Cycle, use plants and gradually add stock or use pure ammonia and a bacterial starter.

I have cycled one of my tanks with danios but the problem is its cruel to the fish (almost always lose at least 1) and it takes a long time to complete.

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

I agree with cat. I used 3 black tetras to cycle my 10 gal and lost 2. I would recommend cycling with some live plants, anacharis is easy to find and pretty cheap, and some form of bacterial starter for atleast a week.

Congrats on your first tank, if you are like me, one will not be enough.

Aren't Dainos and Barbs shoaling fish? Also, what type of Daino?

And the ottos need more friends!

Danios are schooling fish and would appreciate about 5 or 6 of them. Not sure about banded barbs. Some barbs do school, so I would have about 6 of them also.

I see you are using the inch per gallon rule. That's ok for beginners. I wouldn't necessarily follow it though. Because think about a 4 inch oscar...you shouldn't put that in a 4g tank.

I would add the ottos last...to make sure you build up some algae for them. I would add 3 of them...instead of one.
For the guppies and swords..I would get only males. That is a pretty stocked tank, once you up the schooling fish, so you wouldn't want to overstock the tank with fry.

Other than that...it sounds good.

*Kristin*

Banded Barb x 3 (2"ea) (6"=6g)
Lyre Swordtails x 2 (4"ea) (8"=8g)
Danios x 3 (1.6"ea) (4.8"=4.8g)
Guppies x 2 (2"ea) (4"=4g)
Phantom Tetra x 5 (1.4"ea) (7"=7g)
Otto x 1 (2"ea) (2"=2g)

What i would do, is choose 2 schholing fish, and have 6 of each, and then have 3 Ottos, and 2 Male Guppies and 2 Male Swordtails. I think then, as well as the fish being happieer, you will have a nicer tank to watch.

Alright guys how bout this, i dropped the Barbs and the Swordtails...

As for the cycle, would you recommend maybe using Bio-Spira?

Lemon Tetra x 6 (1.4"ea) (8.4"=8.4g)
Guppies x 2 (2"ea) (4"=4g)
Phantom Tetra x 6 (1.4"ea) (8.4"=8.4g)
Powder Blue Gourami x 1 (3.5"ea) (3.5"=3.5g)
Otocinclus x 3 (2"ea) (6"=6g)

Total Fish = 18
Total Gallons Needed = 30.3

pH = 7.0
Temp = 78F
dH = 13

Biospira is good just make sure to provide an ammonia source or it will be useless.

The 1" per gallon rule isnt very accurate and I would suggest not using it.

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

That sounds like a great stocking list. I hope to be getting lemons for a tank I'll be setting up soon. I hear they are very entertaining.

Yes, I have heard that bio-spira is great. It will usually make your tank cycle very fast. Just make sure to add an ammonia source whether it will be fish or pure ammonia.

You could add the lemons first and use bio-spira to help the cycle alone. They are hardy little guys. Good luck!

*Kristin*

bcwcat22 Wrote:
Biospira is good just make sure to provide an ammonia source or it will be useless.

The 1" per gallon rule isnt very accurate and I would suggest not using it.

so as for measuring tank size to the number of fish... just use common sense? do any of you have any rules you go by?

I think that is a very good stocking list.

Hi FLEXJr

just use common sense? do any of you have any rules you go by?

It is never a bad idea to use common sense, as long as one knows what happens to be common, in general.

Here are my rules:

- Never ever stock all fish at once (now that is common sense, eh)
- Plant your stocking from various angles:
- First add the cycle fish (if one likes to that rather then wait until a fishless cycle is over)
- Next, create a list of fish that you really want vs. the fish that would be nice additions.
- Add the first group of fish that you really want, beginning with the species that is most shy (to make them feel at home before the wild bunch moves in)
- Continue with the must have fish stocking, in one or two week intervals, depending on number and size of fish
- Next, check if the tank is doing good, everybody is happy, and what not
- If that is the case and the tank doesn't seem full at all, then begin to add a group from the nice addtion gang
- Repeat the last 2 steps until common sense () tells you that enough is enough

Hope this helps,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Flexjr,
I use common sense and general knowledge most of the time. If you use the internet you can accurately get just about any info you need and factor that into your decision. This website is great since so many opinions and expierences can be accesed just by posting a question.

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man" Simpsons

i just wanted to say thanks for everyones input on getting my first tank set up. thanks guys!