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29 Gallon Tank Advice


rjohnson16
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Hey all. 

I am beginning to plan, on paper, an upcoming 29 gallon (upgrading from a 10). 

Is this an appropriate stock:
1 Bolivian Ram 
1 Bristlenose Pleco 
1 Nerite Snail 
6 Male Guppies 
6 Harlequin Rasboras 
6 Corydoras 

More? Less? 

Will have live plants, driftwood…

And what do you recommend for substrate? Any specific recommendations (links would be awesome)? Mostly worried about the best compromise for the Cory’s and plants. 

Do you have a favorite Filter, Heater and Light for this size? (I am eyeing the Fluval Plant 3.0 for a light) 

Thanks a bunch!

Edited by rjohnson16
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I like sea chem flourite black sand, it works for plants (especially with root tabs) but it should be soft on fish.

For filtering on both my tanks I use tetra whisper air pumps and sponge filters, both rated for higher gallons than the tanks actually hold.

As far as stocking you could check out the website aqadvisor. It tends to give conservative estimates but is a nice resource.

I would say the bottom might be slightly crowded, but I don't have personal experience with that combo of fish.

Do you like bristlenose as an interesting fish in their own way, or mostly want it for cleanup? As I understand their cleaning capacity is pretty much offset by their relatively high bio load. Meaning the nerite snail would be a more efficient algae eater (even a few nerites if you produce enough algae for them.)

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I think your stocking will be fine Bolivian rams are one of the more peaceful dawrf cichlids  I would recommend fluval 07 series external canister filters I  use sand substrate better for Cory's to dig  and  Juwel aquarium heaters on my tanks

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I'd suggest starting with 3 Cory's and see how they do, they are pretty efficient breeders so my initial 5 are approximately 12 in community tank with no intervention.

And you can always add more later if you feel the floor space is can take it.

I use a fine smooth gravel wish I could send a link I've been trying to get more for months now.

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I just redid my 29 gallon for nanos. Here's what I got
7 Neons
6 Black Neons
2 Emerald Corys (it's all the store had)
6 Black Kuhlis
1 Hillstream Loach.

I think I could add maybe a Ram for a centerpiece or something else in a clean-up crew because Corys don't eat algae and idk about Kuhlis, but I don't think they do.

I fell like this is close to what I am capable of handling. It's my 1st planted tank and right now there is only a few Crypts and a Val, but I'm looking into an Anubias and Dwarf lilly so that's much more plant volume and could handle more. It seems right now like everything is fine but Nitrates are a bit of a struggle with that much life in it.
I have the Fluval Light, I just got it so it's hard to tell. Seeing algae growth for the 1st time in years so I may have to tweak it, but I'm happy with it so far. I have old gravel that's been jammed with nutrients over the years but use the Easy Trio. I have a Large Co-op sponge filter and a standard chain store 100W heater but it rarely needs to come on. I have the powerhead, but it's a little much for a 29, and I have it facing back to front in a corner so it's only high flow on part of the tank and the other side is more normal. I do have a favorite food. I use the Extreme flakes and pellets and everything goes absolutely nuts at feeding time. They love it!

I think what you have should be pretty fine. I don't know much about Rasboras and how big they get but the rest seems like it should be manageable with plants and frequent testing. I test twice a week just to be safe, and do water changes if it needs it.
 

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I am very happy with CaribSea "Peace River" substrate in my tank--it is smaller than typical aquarium gravel, but larger than sand. I find it small and dense enough to hold plants in place even with active fish, easy to stick root tabs into, and it is pretty smooth for preventing wear and tear on cory barbels. I also like the color as it doesn't show mulm the way a solid color substrate does. If you need or want a really dark substrate to highlight your fish's coloration, it's not dark enough, that's the only down side I see to it.

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On 10/7/2021 at 6:35 PM, stowcenter93 said:

Ditto on Seachem Flourite black sand. This is mine.

It's super expensive, and it used to have a carpet of Dwarf Sag until I stopped ferting with root tabs for a while. I love the look so much.

20211007_213508.jpg

Can you easily vacuum the Flourite black sand without it all getting sucked up? 

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I would return the hillstream loach if you can as it is a cold water fish and the other are warm water. It also requires a lot of current. 

I would not put a bn pleco in a 29; as an adult it will be problematic (size issue).  I like estes stoney river black substrate. It is cheap and fine enough for the fishes to dig but coarse enough to breath (less issue long term). 

 

You should add a few more emerald cory (do not mix species). Kuhli do not eat algae. nerite snail is your best bet or maybe shrimp but skip the shrimp if you get the ram. If you do get a bolivian ram only get one more than one will create issues. DO NOT GET german blue ram they would not survive in your aquarium.

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That stocking plan sounds good. Have you considered maybe 3 or 4 ottos over the pleco?  They are smaller, way better algae eaters, peaceful, and produce a lot less waste. As for substrate, many will recommend sand because of the barbels on the Cory’s. If you watch the videos where Cory collects them in Peru, they are on sharp substrate. So don’t be afraid to venture away from sand. I use pea gravel from home depot (make sure you wash it really good. It is very dirty), it’s very cheap in comparison, and my Cory’s and Bolivian Rams do just fine on it.  One last suggestion with the guppies - make sure you have all males unless you want an explosion of baby guppies very quickly. 

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