Bioload Question for 29 Gallon

Fangirl

Fangirl

AC Members
Jan 14, 2005
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Tennessee
Hi, like many people, I'd like to get some feedback on my proposed stocking for my new (currently still cycling) 29 gallong tank. The cycle is not complete yet, so I have time to ponder my choices. Also, I realize that I will have to add the new residents just a few at a time so as not to overload.


Currently...during cycling (5 weeks now and still no Nitrites darnit!)
3 Headlight-Taillight Tetras
3 Zebra Danios

Hoping to add in addition:
3 Red Velvet Swordtails (1 male, 2 female)
3 Small Corys (type will depend on LFS stock)
3 Leopard Danios
3 Black Mollies

and... do Ghost Shrimp add to the bioload? could I have any of them too?

Also, I really like the look of guppies too, but they may be a bit big for my tank, as I really want as many fish as is safely possible.

Filter - Penguin 170 Biowheel
Bubble wall for extra Oxygen

Thanks for any advice. I want to have a colorful community tank.
 
That sounds like it will work. Not sure about ghost shrimp, probably only slightly add to bioload. I'd suggest at least 4 cories though because the more you get the better their personalities. That's probably about all I'd add once you get everything.
 
Hey, Fangirl, good luck with the cycle. It can be frustrating sometimes but it will work.

Based on sheer numbers your stocking plan looks okay but here's a couple thoughts (I'm certainly not the be all end all of fish stocking knowledge :) )

Three tetras is not a lot. They are a schooling fish. As with most schooling fish you should probably look at a minimum of 6 or so.

The two different kind of danios will likely school together and look fairly similar to each other. If you haven't had them before be warned that they are SPASTIC. They are in constant near frantic motion. Some people don't like this about them and other love it about them but they definiet don't make for a serene tank. They are not aggressive though so they don't cause any real problems. (I have 7, by the way).

You may want more cories and they don't have to be small ones. Cories like company so three is often stated as the minimum for a tank. Since they hang mostly at the bottom of a tank its okay to have four or five as they will occupy a different zone from your other fish.

I don;t know much about swordtails but I believe Mollies appreciate slightly brackish water which your other fish do not so they are likely a mismatch. Something to look into.

Ghost shrimp do contribute to a bioload but not by much. You can add plenty of them but they don't often last long. A few drops of marine iodine added to the tank at water changes will help them molt and prolong their life in your tank but they usually last a year at best. If you try some and like them, look for Amano shrimp which are a bit nicer looking and heartier.

Tom
 
Yeah looks good. Tetras do prefer larger schools (more of them). Not that they'll freak out and die b/c there's only 3, they just act more natural and generally are more relaxed with more. Having other peaceful fish around is good. The shrimp do add to bio-load, one shrimp, not much, a dozen shrimp should be considered a substantial increase in your bio-load (for your tank). Mollies appreciate water with a higher mineral content. If you have hard water, you shouldn't need to add salt.
 
I'll second (third?) the fact that tetras prefer a larger school. If you look at the link in my sig, you can see my 29g setup. We had some similar choices :)

I went for higher filtration on mine, two Penguin 125s. My ghost shrimp do fine in my tank. As to what they add to the bioload, not too darn much. I had 6, but I think I lost one during a gravel vac (and man, are they hard to see when I have the light removed!) I probably will not look to replace mine once they all expire or get sucked away. (le sigh)

I have 3 cories right now, but I am about to add three more. They really are neat fish with amazing personality. Guppies are actually smaller than mollies. Really, if you want as many fish as possible in a tank, I would skip the danios and head and tail lights (mine are just too aggressive for me to enjoy. Sure the agression is spread throughout their school, but they are stil always after one another, plus they hardly school because there is no bigger fish in the tank to scare them into it) and even sword tails and go with lots of small fish. A good school of neons, or black neons if you prefer their color, say 10-12 of them, 6 cories and then a trio (or two) of guppies and you'd be set. It would be a nice community of peaceful fish and you could certainly expect some fry. So, instead of the 18 fish you already have in mind, these 19-24 smaller fish would give you more fish in the tank and with guppies, there are a lot of color choices available. Also, if you can find Pygmy Cory cats, they would be an awesome fish for this setup, you could swap about 8 pygmy cats in for the 6 regaular cories. From what I understand, they have an even better personality and will utilize the mid to low levels of the tank very well.
 
Thanks for the guidance :dance

I think that I will substitute guppies for the mollies. That will give me more color and avoid the water problems that I might have with the Mollies. I may also up the Cory number to 4 and keep a look out for the pygmies. I am going to keep the danios though, as I love the fact that they are Spastic. They keep me entertained with their antics. They don't bother the tetras. They only seem to chase each other. I am not sure about the tetras though. I know that they might be happier with more friends, but would my 29g allow for three more tetras in addition to my proposed...

Total Proposed
6 Danios
3 Guppies
3 Swordtails
4 Corys
3 Tetras (could I up this to 5 without overloading?)

Thanks again!!!! :)
 
since they're all such small fish you should be ok with a few more tetras. I was going to add that I have had very bad luck with mollies, so I'm glad you decided against them! Not being in brackish water just makes them disease prone, I had two for over a year and they were constantly battling cotton fungus among other things, only one is left from the original 3 bought about a year and a half, seems to be fairing quite well, but we'll see !@ good luck
 
My mollies do fine in my freshwater tank. Of course, my water is as hard as a rock, so... I forgot what my gH was last I checked. It was something like 420.
 
Okay, I think that I have a plan now. Your advice has been very very very helpful. Now I have to sit and wait for those darn bacteria to do their thing. Still virtually no nitrites, but I do have a few nitrates, so some bacteria may be active. Nope, haven't tested my tap water for it's "latent" nitrate content, but I will probably do that today. That way I can know if the nitrates in the tank are more than I put in with the tap.
 
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