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Hi! I'm new to fish keeping. I've had my fishes for a bit(I have 2 tanks, one a 10 gallon I started with and all thats left in it is a VERY territorial blue jewel ciclid and a 29 gallons tall that I was recently given by my step father.) Now with his help, I have maintained my tank well, but after reading through some of the posts I figure I have very little knowledge of the fish themselves.
My main question I guess is would anyone have suggestions for making my little fishies happy. They seem to be happy now, but I'm not sure of what to do. I want to begin naturalizing te tanks seeing as I have no natural ornaments but I have no clue where to start of what to do! Thesres just so much out there, I don't know where to start
Well, heres the rundown of my tank:
10 gallon w/ 1 6 in. 2 yr old blue jewel ciclid. He kills any other fish I put in there evn when I got him w/ several other ciclids. I have a bannana plant leaf floating in there...it seems to be growing roots...

29 gallon tank w/:
1 male paradice albino gourami/1 pearl gourami/2 panda corys/1 rafiel pleco(I found out he was a catfish after I bought him) 6 dannios(striped and leopard mixed)/ 1 gold alge eater/ 2 croaking gouraimis/ 3 honeygouramis. I have a green hedge plant I am going to place in there after it sits in my 5 gallon tank for a week(the fish store guy said I should always do that just in case). I have some plastic plants in there, but Ima get rid of them once I get some good plants and I'm saving up to buy some natural rocks to make caves.
Sorry about the post being long, but I want some advice from actuall peopl and not store employees who are trying 2 make a sale. Thanks!! /:'

Welcome to FP!

You seem to have alot of gouramis in the 29g, but I think if they are getting along, they will be ok. Just watch them, especially the Paradise gourami, as they can be aggressive sometimes.

Cories are a type of fish that likes groups, so as long as the Raphael catfish isn't aggressive, or eating the cories, I would add 4 more. 6 is a good minimum number for cories, and I've found that Pandas especially do much better in larger groups. I have 8 in my 29g.

The gold algae eater, a type of Chinese algae eater, will outgrow the tank. They can get 8-10 inches and get more aggressive with age. I suggest taking it to the LFS now, before it gets aggressive. They also get more carnivorous with age, so eventually will stop eating algae.

The plant you are planning on putting in that tank, the Green Hedge, is not an aquatic plant. Some LFS sell them as aquatics, but they will only last a few weeks and then die and foul the tank. If you want some plants, and you have stock lighting, I'd look for Java Fern, Java Moss, Anubias (many types), and cryptocorynes (many types). Those should do well in low light, assuming you have stock lighting.

If you can't find some good rocks, you could get some driftwood as well. Most LFS sell it. You will probably have to soak it a couple weeks to make it sink. I personally like Malaysian driftwood because it looks nice and sinks easily.

If you eventually want more plant choices, you should upgrade your lighting. A 65 watt compact fluorescent light fixture will give you alot more plant options for a 29g tank (I have one on mine).

*Kristin*

Thanks 4 the advice. I have found out about my paradice gourami's aggresiveness problem when he killed the other paradice gourai. Now he seems perfectly content. The rafiel pleco hasen't bothered the cory yet. He seems content in his little cave...very few get near it except 4 the danios. So, besides uneaten fish food, what could I feed the cory's. they are faily small and I wouldn't want them to starve, esp. since thei so small in a large tank.

I didn't know that about the green hedge, thanks for telling me. Now, on the rock isue, LFS charge a bit much for them, can't I go 2 a local quarry or some place like that 2 get them there, money's tight here, so I can't be spending like 6 bucks on a small rock, let alone enough to make a cave or 2 for my bottom feeders and little honey gourami's

So, besides uneaten fish food, what could I feed the cory's. they are faily small and I wouldn't want them to starve, esp. since thei so small in a large tank.

You can get some shrimp pellets for the cories. They will sink and expand and the cories will eat them. Thats what I feed mine. The Raphael catfish might like them too.

Something like THIS would work. You may not be able to find that brand at a LFS, but just look to make sure they sink.

Now, on the rock isue, LFS charge a bit much for them, can't I go 2 a local quarry or some place like that 2 get them there

You can do that. Just make sure you clean them really well. Rinse them and scrub them with water and maybe let them sit. You have to be careful what rocks you pick because some, like limestone, will raise the hardness and pH of the water. If you get something inert, it is fine. Some people bake rocks in the oven to kill organisms, or pour boiling water over them, but I just rinse mine really well and soak them in dechlorinated water for about a week

*Kristin*