Stocking medium to heavy planted 29g?

[Abilor]

So if I have a fairly heftily planted 29 gallon tank, something to the tune of 2 large plants, 4 java ferns, a carpet of java moss, and some val spiralis hugging the corners and walls, and a few others, how much can I stock? The real question, can I hold 1 seargeant major loach, 2 yo-yos, 6 glass cats, and anything else beyond that? I'd like to keep the 6 glass cats and 3 loaches for sure, but 2 SMALL algae eaters would help, something that's not going to get much bigger than 3 inches, if such a creature exists. 5 neon tetras on top of that is overkill? Any recommendations on small algae guys (no snails please), and practical advice on the bioload? Obviously I'd like to err on the side of caution, I'm not out to win any "monster stocking!" medals here...

:read:

 

[budrecki]

Here are my concerns.....

1. I believe your tank dimensions 30x12x18, yes? So your foot print is 12x18. That's not much floor space for bottom dwellers.

2. 2 yoyos and 1 "mystery" sergeant major loach. :joke: Loaches are very familial fish, they need to be in groups. 2 is not a group, 1 is not a group. You will never see their true loach behavior unless you have 4-5 at a minimum. You do not have room for a loach family.

3. As for algae eaters, 3-5 otto's, that's my final answer.

 

[Abilor]

You are indeed correct about my footprint. Hmmm.... The loaches this morning are all puttering about, and the "major" as I call him, seems much happier. I believe what you say about them needing a proper school, but also I don't have room. Are the the three of them a reasonable compromise? I don't want to take away the yo-yo's now that the major is much happier...

I will research the otto's, thanks for suggesting. are these replacing or in addition to neon's in your school of thought?

 

[budrecki]

I would use neon's or danios, not both. maybe increase the size of the school by 2-3.

 

[carpguy]

Isn't the footprint 12 x 30 (18 tall)? 12 x 18 and 30 inches tall would tend to go over pretty quick. (At least around my graceful feet it would.) 12 x 30 is plenty of room.

B. rostrata gets to be a pretty good-sized fish. Yoyos are a bit smaller but a very similar branch of the loach world: I'd expect them to school together. I have a a B. striata with two B. histrionica and the three are definitely a group (next time I see the one or the other I'm hoping to add one or two more). I'd try to confirm the species ID on the Major but yo should be OK with the loaches (they like caves, perches, hideouts).

You might add an SAE, not much different from 3 to 5 otos as far as bioload, different activity level. Shrimp are interesting: I think it was the gourami that killed mine but the loaches were suspects. With the loaches, snails are not an option: you're unlikely to ever see a snail.

I'm agnostic on algae-eating fish. If you like them and want someone to tidy up around the tank, they're great. IME they're not a solution to hardcore planted tank algae. Not a requirement: get 'em if you like 'em.

Following the profile at Planet Catfish and other things I've read, I wouldn't expect the Glass Cats to get much past 3 inches or so.

I wouldn't sweat the neons, even add 2 or 3 more: I think you're fairly moderately stocked.

 

[momar]

You might add an SAE, not much different from 3 to 5 otos as far as bioload

This depends on the size of the SAE - a 2-inch SAE will have the bioload equivalent of roughly 8 1-inch ottos. So an adult SAE will = approx 30 ottos in bioload. However I would not recommend getting 30 ottos on top of the rest due to swimming space.

 

[Abilor]

See now, this is encouraging.

Yeah, I miffed on the 12x30 footprint, which it is. The 3 loaches are definitely schooling, and the major is definitely a major. I think of them as a little unit now, especially since the yo-yos are half the size of the major. I think the major is full-grown, as I've had him about three years now, and he's about 2 1/2 to 3". He's so much happier with nice water, yo-yo's, and lots of crannies, especially now that pleco-zilla has been sent back to LFS to find a suitable home.

I would rather keep the 6 cats, 7 or 8 neons, and the 3 loaches, and that's it. I'm going for a medium to heavy planted tank (don't want to freak the cats or steal swimming space), so I would imagine that would address most if not all of my algae concerns. Besides, I don't mind a little algae anyway, since it's something to nibble on and I don't mind scraping it off the front of the glass from time to time. I'm also not sure if I would even generate enough algae to keep otto's happy, from what I've read.

 

[Abilor]

Forgot about the shrimp. Would a shrimp do well in my tank? Would it get eaten? Are they social? I have been thinking I would like some sort of funky invertebrate, a shrimp might fit the bill. But what kind?

My LFS has an electric blue lobster that's really cool, but I doubt that would work well, except maybe for the lobster after he eats everybody...

:read:

 

[momar]

Shrimp would be fine. If you want something big (up to 6 inches) but harmless get a Cameroon armoured shrimp. They can be dark blue or pinky grey and filter food from the water with their arms which they wave around, so they need frozen daphnia/ground up flakes etc (small particle-type stuff). They have sort of fans instead of claws - if you want something really weird get one of these.

Or get some amano shrimp (6 or so) - get to 2 inches and are semitransparent. Excellent scavengers and add very little to the bioload. they will also eat some algae but may damage your plants but this shouldn't be a problem if your going for a well planted tank as they don't eat much. If you choose amanos they wont get eaten, but I'd watch the sergeant major just to be sure. Given your current stocking you could add both amano shrimp and a cameroon shrimp. You could also add 3 or 4 more neons, then they will school better.

 

[Abilor]

I have to say, the cameroon really gets me excited. Also very hard to find, and I would probably have to air-order over the internet, which I would consider once my tank is really healthy. Do you really think that the major would leave him alone, or at the very least, wouldn't be able to hurt him or hound him stressfully?