View Full Version : Stocking a 29g
My 29g community is emptying as my fish become old and die off. Most of the fish I have now are on their last legs (It's so sad!), and I'm trying to plan what I'm going to do when they're gone, since I won't be able to bear to have an empty tank for long.
Since I'm most likely going away to college next year, I want something that'll transport easily (ie, no reef or planted tanks), and that won't need any fancy expensive equipment. I have an HOB filter and a heater, and lights.
I'm thinking more along the lines of 1-2 decent-sized "pet" fish. Some of the ideas I've had are:
Fancy goldfish
A fuzzy dwarf lionfish (I know it's a saltwater fish and this is a freshwater forum, but maybe someone has an opinion on it)
An African clawed frog
Any suggestions?
cblin
10-27-2003, 10:35 PM
Goldfishes are not ideal in a 29 gallon tank and I think an African clawed frog gets to be about the size of your palm.
Personally, I think goldfish and frog are going to be high maintenance and soon become boring.
I wouldn't go with a dwarf lionfish either, unless you have previous saltwater aquarium keeping experience. With a saltwater aquarium, there is going to be a really high maintenance. Reasons are, you're going to have to mix salt, test salinity, alkalinity, nitrate, and test for ammonia. Don't get me wrong, dwarf fuzzy lionfish has a lot of personality.
If you like to keep one fish in the tank, I'd recommend a firemouth cichlid or a jewel cichlid. However, not together, as the jewel cichlid will kill the firemouth.
andruboz
10-27-2003, 10:38 PM
i heard others who have been in dorms say they are only allowed 10gallons, no reptiles/ amphibians, just fish. sure you can smuggle a frog in but it would be a hard sell trying to convince someone a 29g is a 10g. there may be space issues.
you dont know just what kind a roommate your going to get either.
maybe a whiner who complains about filter noise, or a party poodle who comes home smashed and thinks your fish are begging for a shot of jagermeister.
ask your folks or younger brothers/sisters what kinda fish they would be interested in, just incase the fishies have to stay home. then after the first month or so at school, if everything is cool, bring the tank out.
if the tank is ok then i'd look for a fish that doesnt have expensive dietary requirements- so that would mean stay away from live food only predators and puffers.
a cold-er water fish would probably be good as not having a heater leaves one more electrical outlet for all the toys in a dorm room.
thats all i can think of for now.
Captain Hook
10-27-2003, 11:04 PM
Originally posted by andruboz
you dont know just what kind a roommate your going to get either.
maybe a whiner who complains about filter noise, or a party poodle who comes home smashed and thinks your fish are begging for a shot of jagermeister.
Haha, I could really see that happening. You brought some really good points up about space issues and rules.
Another thing to consider will be the effort of emptying the tank (or pretty much) and transporting it and the fish. If the college you are going to is far away you may not want to bring the fish with you.
I'd actually taken pretty much all of that into consideration. I'll most likely be in a single, so roommates aren't a worry. I'm also only going to be 3 and a half hours from home, so transportation isn't a big deal.
I'd actually thought a goldfish would be ideal, because I love goldies (we have quite a pond, and many goldies), and I know that one fantail would be absolutely fine in a 29 gallon tank.
The couple of schools I've been looking at have 30" or less rules for tanks, but I have friends who are allowed to have up to 40g tanks in their dorms. Of course, I will check with the rules of the school before I pack my tank up and move it there, but even if whatever I have can't be kept in my dorm, it'll be easy enough to leave it here and have someone else care for it. My family is a fishy family.
Thanks for your concerns, but I had thought about these things in advance (I'm not really a beginner!), and am just looking for suggestions for occupants at this point.
Oh, and I do hear you about the lionfish. I hadn't been really seriously considering that, it had just crossed my mind. Flight of fancy, I suppose, I can't wait till I actually can have one.
PumaWard
10-28-2003, 6:34 PM
How about some paradise fish? Hardy, colder water, pretty, and have a lot of personality. What more could you ask for... (well...maybe they could be a little nicer to their tank mates :D).
You could also go with the good old fashion guppies :)
Ashes
10-30-2003, 10:47 AM
The guppies are an idea... I'd thought about it, my mom has some in a tank already, and it'd be easy enough to "steal" some. They're less of a pet than I was looking for, though. Pretty, but not much personality.
OrionGirl
10-30-2003, 11:02 AM
The primary concern would be to have a low maintenance tank, so I would go with just a single medium sized fish. A tropical tank may be easier--I've never lived in a dorm that had good temperature control. Keeping the water warm would be easier than keeping it cool.
So, with that in mind...Maybe a gouramie, with some cories on the bottom and a handful of hatchetfish (if you can cover the tank).
Agree on the SW--not really a good choice for a first tank, IMO. A 29 would be the bare minimum in size, and while they can be trained onto prepared foods, you may need to offer live foods for a while. Also, some dorms are not going to make it easy on you to dispose of the SW and prepare the new stuff.
Check the specific regs--some dorms say you can have anything that CAN stay under water for 10 minutes. This means an african clawed frog would be okay. They do not leave the water. One in a 29 would be pretty sparse though--and only larger fish would be safe, as they will eat anything that fits in their mouth. Otherwise they are very low maintenance and easy to feed. I really like my girl--she enjoys a belly rub, and is pretty easy to care for.
andyman98
10-31-2003, 1:45 PM
my personal opinion is you could have a betta that way you can have the filter off when ever you want ,they don't have much worry about temp you could have a single male and no filter or a male and a female with a filter on.oh and tank size wouldn't be an issue considering some people keep them in cups
I visited the school this weekend and a 40 gallon or smaller is acceptable, so my 29 will not be a problem. Also, it's anything that's completely aquatic, not just fish.
I love bettas, but I can't see myself with a 29g tank with nothing in it except a betta...