Stocking a new fish tank

[Cwinn71109]

My son is working on starting a new fish tank.  We have a 29 gallon tank and we got fish and have subsequently had a massive algae bloom that caused us to loose everything in the tank.  We got it cleaned out and have begun cycling it to prepare for when we get new fish.  In the meantime, we've done a little research to see what we may have done wrong.  I think the 2 biggest issues was my son misunderstood me when we were discussing feeding fish and was giving the 1 pleco 2 algae wafers twice a day and I think we also overcrowded the tank.  We had 6 tetras (3 different types), 6 plates (2 different types) 2 dwarf gouramis, 3 black mollies, and 2 snails.  I guess before going into what he's thinking he wants when the tank finishes cycling I am wondering if I am on the right track for what went wrong with this first attempt.  Any advice I appreciated. 

[Levi_Aquatics]

It sounds like the aquarium was probably overstocked for a newly cycled tank. I would suggest that next time you add fewer fish and not all at the same time. 

[Native Keeper]

yeah, that was definitely overstocked, plus, Mollies should be in groups no less than 6. 

If ur looking for better stocking options, I'd recommend 

10 Harlequin Rasboras (hardy schooling fish)

1 Honey Gourami (much better option than a Dwarf Gourami)

10 Kuhli Loaches (bottom-dwelling catfish ur kid will love)

Make sure to have a heater for this, and I'd highly recommend plants. They'll lessen the chance of algae growing.

[Aqua junky]

Have you ever seen  Cherry Shrimp?  They are pretty hardy in my opinion and with a planted tank they graze all day and is stunningly captivating to watch?. 

[Cwinn71109]

On 1/19/2022 at 12:49 PM, Aqua junky said:

Have you ever seen  Cherry Shrimp?  They are pretty hardy in my opinion and with a planted tank they graze all day and is stunningly captivating to watch?. 

Do the cherry shrimp take away from having the other kinds of fish.  I've heard them mentioned but haven't seen them.  We tried regular little shrimp when he first got a 10 gallon tank but he complained he couldn't see them.

On 1/19/2022 at 12:41 PM, HydraSlayer said:

yeah, that was definitely overstocked, plus, Mollies should be in groups no less than 6. 

If ur looking for better stocking options, I'd recommend 

10 Harlequin Rasboras (hardy schooling fish)

1 Honey Gourami (much better option than a Dwarf Gourami)

10 Kuhli Loaches (bottom-dwelling catfish ur kid will love)

Make sure to have a heater for this, and I'd highly recommend plants. They'll lessen the chance of algae growing.

Is there a way to do a pleco with this type of setup.  He REALLY wants a pleco.  He just thinks they are cool.

[Aqua junky]

There are certain fish thats not a good idea but theres also lots that can cohabitate 

[Gannon]

one thing I recommend to everyone is to cycle your aquarium using ammonia dosing. You never know for sure how strongly your tank is cycled otherwise. I use Dr. Tim's ammonia which you can find on amazon and dose the fish-less tank with the amount on the bottle to get 2ppm ammonia. I then repeatedly test for ammonia and nitrite until both are 0 and after a couple weeks the tank gets through the ammonia and nitrite like this. Then I repeat this process until the tank is able to process a whole round of ammonia completely in 24 hours or less. Then you know the tank is ready for sure. Let me know if you have any questions. 

[AndEEss]

Unless it's a bristlenose, no, a normal pleco will rapidly outgrow a 29 gallon. 

Re: cycling, Gannon's post is pretty spot on. 

I'd just add that a liquid testing kit is better than test strips. Don't be afraid to run two or three Ammonia or Nitrite tests simultaneously; nothing worse than getting an inaccurate result that makes you think you're at 0 ammonia or 0 nitrite when you really aren't quite there yet.

 

[David W]

A good starting point is really understanding the nitrogen cycle. I read a few articles and thought I understood it well, It took a little longer for it to kick in and really understand how bacteria built up in the tank over time. How much is fed is as important to how many and what size fish. 

Understanding water changes and how a tanks maintenance routine can change over time is important too. 

Here is a video that helped out when I got started. 

Plants also help and have been my favorite part of setting up new tanks. Here is some info on cycling a planted aquarium. If you are interested there are related video's in Cory's Plants 101 series. 

 

You tube has made it a lot easier to get into the hobby and can help get through some of the early speed bumps.  You can't go wrong with any of the tutorials on the Co-op channel.  

 

[JettsPapa]

On 1/19/2022 at 11:23 AM, Cwinn71109 said:

My son is working on starting a new fish tank.  We have a 29 gallon tank and we got fish and have subsequently had a massive algae bloom that caused us to loose everything in the tank.  We got it cleaned out and have begun cycling it to prepare for when we get new fish.  In the meantime, we've done a little research to see what we may have done wrong.  I think the 2 biggest issues was my son misunderstood me when we were discussing feeding fish and was giving the 1 pleco 2 algae wafers twice a day and I think we also overcrowded the tank.  We had 6 tetras (3 different types), 6 plates (2 different types) 2 dwarf gouramis, 3 black mollies, and 2 snails.  I guess before going into what he's thinking he wants when the tank finishes cycling I am wondering if I am on the right track for what went wrong with this first attempt.  Any advice I appreciated. 

I doubt very much that the algae bloom directly caused everything to die.  I suspect that the fish died due to ammonia and or nitrites because of overfeeding and being overstocked.  One algae wafer every two or three days would have been plenty instead of two algae wafers twice a day.  Please don't feel like I'm beating up on you.  You haven't made any mistakes most of us, me included, made when starting out.

If you get tetras again I'd encourage you to get all one species instead of mixing them.  They're shoaling fish and do much better in groups of the same species.  You will often see six recommended as the minimum, but I'm pretty sure fish can't count, so I just say to get as many as your budget and space will allow.  The longer I keep fish the more I enjoy watching larger groups of the same fish instead of more kinds of fish.

Due to frequent aggression and health problems I never recommend dwarf gouramis, but if you (or your son) want to try anyway please don't get more than one.  I know you see multiples in tanks in the stores, but those are juveniles.  When they approach maturity they will almost always fight until only one is left alive.  Most other gourami species can be kept in groups, but not Trichogaster Ialius.

On 1/19/2022 at 12:31 PM, Cwinn71109 said:

Do the cherry shrimp take away from having the other kinds of fish.  I've heard them mentioned but haven't seen them.  We tried regular little shrimp when he first got a 10 gallon tank but he complained he couldn't see them.

Is there a way to do a pleco with this type of setup.  He REALLY wants a pleco.  He just thinks they are cool.

Shrimp have a negligible bioload, so no, they don't take away from the capacity for fish.

As mentioned above, a bristlenose pleco would be okay.  Stay away from common plecos unless you plan to upgrade to a 100+ gallon tank at some point.  They get up to 24" long

[Native Keeper]

with the setup I gave you, I wouldn't recommend it, but I can give you one where it could:

10 Black Widow Tetras

1 Angelfish

1 Bristlenose Pleco.

Bristlenose only get about 5 inches, so they're the best option for beginner plecos.

[KaitieG]

I think the most important advice here is to be sure your tank is cycled--no ammonia, no nitrites, nitrates climbing (you'll need some type of test kit)--and the add fish GRADUALLY.  This gives the tank time to adjust to the bioload of each new addition of fish.  Plus it gives you lots of time to decide on your final stocking decisions AND you get more trips to the fish store 😉 

One thing that might also be helpful would be making a list of what you and your son would be interested in keeping and then run it by people here.  Even if not everything on the list is feasible, people will give you some good suggestions of numbers and combinations that can help you be successful.

If your son is in love with plecos, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to make a bristlenose pleco super happy (plus there are some awesome color options!).  But like others said...stick with bristlenose plecos.  They're easy to find, easy to care for, and get along well with most other fish.  Most other plecos get WAY too big, even though they look tiny and cute at the pet store.

 

[Patrick_G]

It sound like you’re doing the right research for round two. It should be fun for your son so don’t get to bogged down in the details. I’d look up the many Aquarium Co-op videos on stocking and use the website aqadvisor to check if you will be overstocked or have any fish that are incompatible with one another. 

[Cwinn71109]

Thank you so much for all the advice.  We have seen a couple of recommended lists that my son is now trying to smoosh together but I told him he probably will have to make some choices.  Here is what he's giving some thought to and I will add my notes and everyone can give me advice.

2 bristlenose (I think 1 is plenty)

2 powder blue gouramis (is this one that has to be done in pairs or is it better to have a single)

6 cherry barbs (he loves the bright red color)

5 killifish (again he loves the color)

I think he will likely have to make a choice between the barbs or killifish unless he's willing to give up the centerpiece of a gourami.  Overall he is looking for a peaceful and colorful fish tank.  He has AD/HD and OCD and watching them swim is calming and he really enjoys watching them.  Thanks again for the help.

[anewbie]

You could have a clown pleco (3 inch max). I would not put a full size bn in a 29 - tried it - didn't work - removed it (purcahsed at 1 inch and grew to 6); however if you try a super red or lemon bn and it is a female there is a chance it will stay smallish (you won't know until it grow up); to be safe if you must get a pleco just get a clown pleco. There are other small pleco but they are much more expensive; a clown pleco should run between $6 and $12.

You don't have to keep mollies in group of 6 - a group of 4 is fine (if you want molly). However of the live bearers mollies really like harder water - the other live bears (swordtails, platies and guppies) are a bit more adaptable to softer water (but not soft water). In a 29 i would go with platies or guppies - i have swordtails in my 29 (had them for years) but they really do better in a larger tank. My swordtails next tank will be 120 gallons 😉

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Do NOT put an angelfish in a 29 and DO NOT have a beginner start with an angelfish. They are not super fragile but like most cichlid they are also not adaptable to poor water quality.

For tetra there are a lot of options - black neon, ember, white fin rosy, serape (but don't put serape with guppies), ... I think you should decide what your son want and then trim the stocking to a reasonable number. Most tetra should be in groups from 6 to 15 (more is always better - i would recommend 15 but the truth is that it is not feasible to keep 15 white fin rosy or any of the larger tetra in a 29.

Your son might like honey gourami or sparkling gouarmi (DO NOT GET dwarf gourami); if honey or sparkling they should be in a group of 3 (for honey) or 5 or 6 for sparkling (sparkling are just a little larger than guppies). 

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learn about cycling a tank before buying fishes and then start with 2 or 3 for 4 weeks before increasing. Do not panic if you get brown algae the first 8 weeks; it will go away on its own - it takes a tank a while to become stable.

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by anewbie