Newbie Introduction and Stocking Question

[Artistsheart]

Hello all!

I bought a new 29 Gallon Fish tank last week. I have let it sit for 24 hours.
I have read LOTS of website about tropical fish and I am doing my research before walking into my local pet store.

I went to a store dedicated to fish yesterday and bought some additional live plats and decor for my new friends. At the store there were many dead fish in the tanks, so I have decided not to purchase anyone :-) from them. I have located a very clean and well stocked pet store in my neighbourhood which has been in business for 53 years...so I am feeling confident about purchasing some new friends from them.

I have read cycling and I am going to buy some scout fish today to start my cycling.

After reading many bios on fish, I think I have narrowed it down to the following breeds. Can anyone please confirm that these guys will be happy in a community tank together. I know having all of them would be seriously over crowding my tank, but what combo would be best??

Albino Red Fin Shark
Chinese Algae Eater
Zebra Danio
Bleeding Heart Tetras - 5-6 ( I read they prefer being in groups)
Blind Cave Tetras - 3 ( I read they need to be in groups of three to be happy)
Darter Tetra
Upside Down Catfish
Rainbow fish
Otocinclus
Male Beta

Suggestions, advice and words of wisdom much appreciated!!!:help:

[Dwarf Puffers]

What do you mean by "bio"? are these fish the only ones that your water will allow? or are you concerned about space/size?

[Artistsheart]

I am concerned about space/size and if they will get along. When I wrote Bio...I meant, I had read biographies on the fish, what their personalities are like, how big they will grow.
Sorry for the confusion :-)

[ct-death]

Welcome to AC! ;)

Just quickly --

Albino Red Fin Shark I think is an agresisve fish and does not do generally well in community tank of smaller fish. Or is it the red "tail" - Sorry I cannot remember - anyone esle?

Chinese Algae Eater - Generally these come large (~11") and very territorial towards smaller fish and can become very problomatic (my own personal experience included).

Zebra Danio = Good communal fish (may get nippy to smaller fish w/ flowing fins). They also like to be in a school (5-7)

Bleeding Heart Tetras - 5-6 ( I read they prefer being in groups) /agree

Blind Cave Tetras - 3 ( I read they need to be in groups of three to be happy) = Don't know sorry

Darter Tetra = Don't know this fish sorry, but probably a schooler too.

Upside Down Catfish = Always wanted one. They should be a nice addition

Rainbow fish - Which type?

Oto's = Are very cool :cool: A note: please wait to add them until after your tank has been up and running for a while (1-2 months) to allow algae a time to build up so they do not starve. They are also very susceptable to water quality, especially at first. Once established they generally do very well.

Male Betta - He may become quite territorial towards your other schooling fish.

I also have a 29/30G tank. Instead of the betta (was what I was going to do too) I went with Dwarf Gouramis. You are going to need to narrow the fish selection a bit though.

[captaincrampton]

I'm a little bit worried about the chinese algae eater. They often become aggressive as they get older and try to suck the slime coats off of slower moving fish. I predict there maybe a problem, especially with the betta.

[Erikajo]

I wanted to second the opinion on the Chinese Algae Eater. I had one many years ago & it was a pain. It only ate algae for a brief period and then preferred to constantly harass my other fish & try to suck their slime coat off. I returned it to the store, but I have read they get very large.

A better choice would be the SIAMESE algae eater. I have no personal experience, but I've read a lot of good things about them. They stay smaller (about 5-6" full grown) and are true algae eaters. They are also peaceful and much better for community tanks. Here's a link to a good page about them:
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_sae.php

[Que]

I really like my 2 SAEs. They nibble the algae off the plants, the gravel, the decorations and the tank. Very peaceful and always hang together. They look pretty cool too.

Q

[NinjaPenguin]

My upside down catfish isn't very active - hangs in his plant all day and only moves around for a few minutes at feeding time. Very low entertainment value...

[Flying_Diamond]

I think if I were you, I'd stock something like this...

8 Bleeding Heart Tetras
1 Upside Down Catfish
5 Otos
1 Siamese Algae Eater (AND/OR) 1 Bristlenose Pleco
1 Male Betta (AND/OR) 1 Dwarf Gourami

And you'd need to supplement the Otos' and SAE/Plecos' diet with wafers or such, since there probably won't be very much algae right away... I think if you stocked with all of these, you'd be right about fully stocked, but I'm not positive about that... I'm sure you'd be close... if you decided to go with the OR's, you could probably up the tetras and otos, depending on which OR you chose...