Ideas on stocking new 30 gal

[stevedoug]

I used to be huge into small aquariums, and maintained three that were under 10 gallons. Things got in the way back then, so I let my aquariums slip and everything died and I got rid of my equipment. So currently all I have is a good lighting retrofit fixture and a powerhead.

But... A good friend of mine is willing to sell me his 30gal tank with wooden stand/canopy for a decent price (also includes filter, some accessories). I know that he has taken good care of it, but still I'm going to have to thoroughly clean and cycle the sucker before I use it.

Seeing as I've never had a tank this large before, I am overwhelmed by the stocking options. I do have one definite item, and that is a group of three swordtails that I will be adding after the cycle. After that, I'm open to your opinions. I already have the plants planned out - heavily planted with amazon swords and a common lilly variety - if that helps.

I have thought about buying a small angelfish so that I can watch it grow with the tank. I've also heard conflicting reports on male betta splendens, but since I cannot determine an aggressive personality while still in a store, it looks like a no-go on this species. Then again, neons and corys are always cool.

Mainly, I just want something that won't grow more than about 6 inches long and is relatively hardy. Thanks in advance for the suggestions and sorry for the long post.

 

[bball4life]

I like your idea about the cories and the angelfish. i have a 29 gallon with 2 angelfish and a school of 8 tiny albino cories. I love them

 

[shadrac]

i have a 29 and i love it im in the middle of getting more plants in (im growing all new plants) you could put rams in i have one and i love him so pretty and colorful. gouramis are good i have a dwarf one and he love inspecting things with his feelers. if your worried about the betta agression go with a female i have one and shes one of the nicest fish in the tank dosent bother anyone.
pretty much any of the basic schooling fish tetras,danios,rosaboras,clown plecos, but since they dont really eat algea that much you would have to have some bog wood for them. thats about all i can think of right now.

 

[Stix87]

some shiny pretty ones, angels sound like agood idea, or eletreact yellow cichlids

 

[TipStylez]

i love my electric yellow cichlids, there playful and likes to explore things like swim around rocks and plants to see where they end up.

 

[judgemax]

ummm if you add an angel in with your swordtails and they reproduce your angel will eat all of your fry ...and since you said you wanted them mostly that is something to bear in mind now if you want to watch nature take its corse then go right ahead because an angel will do a great job at population control..

 

[stevedoug]

Also, would three swordtails be enough to cycle the tank, and are they hardy enough to withstand all that ammonia?

 

[Holly9937]

If you use them to cycle the tank, you'll still have to add only a fish or two every couple of weeks after that, to allow the bacteria to catch up with the new load. Going fishless is alot easier. If you do it with fish you are looking at 50% daily (or more) water changes if you want to keep the fish alive, a real pain. Also going through a cycle is really stressful, so even if they survive, chances are they may suffer some longer term damage and won't live as long/be as healthy as they could be