my new tank!

travislopez

travislopez

AC Members
Oct 19, 2004
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Moline, IL
hello all, my first post. i just bought a new 29 gallon tank (i have been on a 10 gallon). i have my fish from my 10 but i'd like to run a list down of what i'd LIKE to do. please tell me if i'm off my rocker with this setup:

5 red-eye tetras
5 black neon tetras
3 clown loaches
2 powder blue dwarf gourami
2 pearl gourami
2 lyretail mollies
2 swordtail
1 rainbow shark
1 australian rainbow
1 boesemani rainbow
1 albino bushynose pleco

that seems like a lot to me when i write it out but really, the biggest fish would be the clowns once full-grown (of course). let me know if this will work. if not, i would probably exclude the black neons. thanks!
 
Whoa, if you put all the fish you listed in your tank, that will SERIOUSLY overload your tank. The loaches will take a while to get to full size, but what will you do with them when they're 10-12" each? The powder blue gouramis, if they aren't the dwarf species, will get to be pretty large as well. Perhaps try to cut your list down by half? The tetras, dwarf gourami and pleco might make a good tank. I hope this helps a little :) Good luck
 
5 red-eye tetras
5 black neon tetras
2 small schools really won't work well in this size tank. I'd cut one group entirely, and add 1-2 to the other.

3 clown loaches
They will outgrow the tank. Slowly, but eventually. If you don't have plans for a much larger tank down the line, plan on trading them in. I seldom advise that, but it seems to work with clowns as many LFS will gladly accept them, unlike other fish that get big.

2 powder blue dwarf gourami
May fight--hard to say. Temperments vary widely. In an appropriately stocked tank with lots of hiding places, it will work--with all the other fish you currently want, I think you'll have problems. See below as well.

2 pearl gourami
I'd go with either these or the dwarves. Just me, but the two types tend to compete with other for space, and the larger ones usually win. Are these the Pearl Leeri, or the Pearl (often called opalescent)? Different sizes for them, and that could cause a problem as well.

2 lyretail mollies
YMMV, but I've never had success keeping mollies in a tank with a neutral to near neutral pH. They do fine for me in hard water or a mildly brackish setup (the marine salts buffer the tank sufficiently). I tend to class mollies as moderate to difficult fish, and wouldn't put them in a new tank. Unless you get just males, you'll end up with babies--most will be eaten, but the survivors will contribute to the overstocking.

2 swordtail
Also livebearers, so a gender mix may cause problems.

1 rainbow shark
These get aggressive as they mature, and at 5-6 inches, will be a significant bio-load. Neat fish, but they can cause problems.

1 australian rainbow
1 boesemani rainbow
5-7 inches, big fish. They do better in a group, and your tank won't support a group. I'd leave them out entirely.

1 albino bushynose pleco
Good cleaners. Tend to hide as they mature, prefer some wood in the tank, and like treats of fresh veggies.

Just my advice, but I would go with one pair of gouramies, one school of either neon, a few more swords, and the bristlenose (or a pair). A 29 really isn't a huge tank, and has a small foot print, so really can't support a whole lot of fish.
 
thank you so much! i'm glad i came here and asked before i just started adding fish. your advice will not go ignored. i will see what my lfs will take back of the fish you mentioned and hopefully get some credit there. thanks again!
 
I had an albino rainbow shark in wih my swordtails this summer. I purchased him when he was just a skinnly lil' rod, then within three months he plumped up quite a bit as well as extended his length by two inches. He got to torturing one of my male swords, and even after I traded my rainbow shark back to the store, the poor swordtail ended up dying. He didnt eat or even swim for fear of the rainbow shark. It was fun to watch him grow, someday I want to get another one.
Good luck in raising your new pets!
 
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