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29 gal community photo log

28K views 266 replies 19 participants last post by  thekoimaiden 
#1 ·
As I've now started to make some serious changes on my 29 gal tank, I thought it would be neat to share them with everyone. I'll try to get at least one picture a month.

This was the tank about 4 months ago. It wasn't anything to look at. In fact, I avoided looking at it.


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This was the tank about three weeks ago, shortly after I added black sand and more plants. You can also see the half-giant betta that is currently calling the tank home. The plants are Rotala in the back left. Dwarf sagittaria in the back right. Pygmy chain sword in the front right. Water sprite is floating. Java fern is tied to the driftwood, and there's a tiny sprig of anubias rooted to drftwood in the back. See if you can find it! ;-)


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I was comparing this picture to how my tank looks now, and there really hasn't been much growth. The stem plants are showing good growth and the pygmy chain swords show some growth compared to this picture. But I tugged on some of the plants and they seem to be getting pretty good root systems. I just added some root tabs, and I'm hoping those will help, too.

The tank is far from done. I'd also like to add chain sword, undulated crypt, and maybe a tiger lotus, but I'm going to let the tank and substrate mature a while before I add them. I'm also on the hunt for a nice large piece of driftwood for the left side of the tank (which is why it looks so bare). I'd like something tall and rooty. Once I get all the plants in and established, I'll go get my cardinals! (And promptly put them in QT.)

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Because I don't know how much of my other tanks you've seen I'll include the most up-to-date pictures of my goldfish tank and betta tanks just for kicks.


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I'm still battling with the plants to get them to grow. I'm hoping some root tabs for the swords will make a difference. Next time I set up a goldfish tank, I'm doing a freshwater refugium and only have a hardscape in the tank.


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The betta tower! What's the best thing to do when you have too many tank? Stack them! :-D

Also, any tips for tank photography are much appreciated!
 
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#117 ·
So no new developments. Things have been pretty status quo. The gourami have pretty much set up territories and settled down. Little squabbles around feeding time, but that's it.

BUT! I was able to borrow the camera from work AND I have video!!! This is the after dinner 'rush.' They were fed about 2-3 hours before. When I feed them again on Saturday I will get the loachy explosion that happens when the sinking pellets go in! For now, enjoy!!!



Because I have no where else to put it, I also took a video (and edited it go me!) of my divided betta tank.

 
#119 ·
Thanks, Boxer! I'm really happy with the progression.

I also forgot to mention that I know the right side of the 29 gal looks bare. I'm going to buy some wendtii crypts in a few weeks that I'm hoping will fill it out rather nicely. That dwarf sag hasn't done much. It says something when the crypts grow faster than them. I'm going to put them in my betta tank and see how that works out.
 
#121 ·
YAY, videos! Really nice camera you've got there, the vids are so nice and CLEAR. . . and three cheers for neat-o screen fades, lol! That's so fun. . .

The 29 looks amazing, it's really progressing quickly now. It makes me so happy to see those loaches out in the open like that - has increasing their shoal size brought the originals out of hiding more? Yes - you are gonna have to get a feeding time video. It's hilarious when they all come out at once like that. Gotta love those loach-butts!

Love love LOVE getting the chance to see your lil' farlowella in action! I've only ever seen still shots of them - he looks like a little leaf scooting around on the substrate! Your Gourami are just gorgeous . . . and I'm giggling at MTS Mountain - with a cherry shrimp on top! So cute!

I really like the way you have the Betta tank divided, your 'no cats' sign cracks me up - especially in light of the recent postings about cats falling into tanks *wince* Is the Betta on the right pure white, too? I've NEVER seen one in person, they're really pretty. . .
 
#122 ·
Thanks, everyone!! I was really happy to be able to get my Farlowella in action, too. He's not normally in view until a bit into the loach feeding frenzy, so I might have to do another video mash to get some movement of him in the next video. I only have this work camera until Monday, so I have to make the best of it!! Can you believe this is just a crappy $120 Kodiak? Imagine what I'll be able to do when I upgrade my home camera?

Funny thing about that NO CATS sign, Jes. My cats have never taken an interest in my tanks. Even the tank that is on their level gets not so much as a perk of the ears. So that sign is kinda ironic in my house. And yes, the betta on the right is my pure white halfmoon plakat, Lumi. He's a bit shy, hence why he hid for a lot of the video.
 
#123 ·
What a beautiful tank! I know I seem like a plant voyeur, but is that stand of plants in the middle bacopa? It looks great. I just got some water sprite to try and float in my 75 gallon because yours looks so nice.

RE: the first video: I thought my computer had stopped buffering until a gourami shot past and I realized I was actually still watching! Your farowella is really neat.
 
#124 ·
Thanks, Plummy!! That stem plant in there is actually Rotala rotundifolia. It was sold to me as Rotala indica, but bwguy told me it was most likely rotundifolia. I just call it rotala to be safe lol!

I will have to let my farlowella know about all this love he is getting lol!! He'll probably have the same reaction that he does to everything: sit perfectly still.
 
#125 ·
Since I won't have this camera anymore after this weekend, I took another video last night!! It took me forever to get it uploaded and edited. This is the dinner rush. My farlowella makes an appearance at the end.



I went to the two pet stores in town today looking for cardinals, and both had tiny shoal that looked in poor health. Needless to say, I didn't buy any of them. I will go check again next weekend. I'm excited, but I know I need to be patient to get healthy fish.
 
#126 ·
*SQUEEEEEEEEEE!*

"Feeding rush" indeed! I'm starting to suspect that you sped up the first part of that video ;) Nothing cuter than loaches at feeding time, I swear, they get so EXCITED! You'd think they haven't been fed for days with how they behave, lol! Looking at your lil' Javas, I can really see a difference between them and the P.semicincta/kuhli - they're a bit thicker, and move just a bit differently. Interesting. . . still ridiculously swoonfully cute, though :) D'aaaw, loachbutts. . .

And I'm just in love with your farlowella! Such a neat lil' guy he is. . .

Good call on waiting for healthy fish, bummer though. . . they'll be home when they get home, and it will be a beautiful thing!!! Gorgeous tank! Keep up the good work!

ETA: I'm not sure about the HEALTH aspect, but I saw cardinals on sale either 4 or 5 for $5 at PetCo last week. . . just thought I'd mention it!
 
#127 ·
The loaches are cute and hyper. Still I think my favorite part was around the six minute mark where the brave shrimp is staring down the female gourami for taking the food waiting for a chance to get it back until one of the loaches bumps into it and scares it off.
 
#129 ·
Thank you, everyone! I am so happy with the way this tank is turning out. And I'm glad I could share my loach crazyness with you guys.

Well these guys only get sinking pellets every other day, so in some cases they haven't eaten for days! Those thicker ones are the old females. You can tell there is a difference in color. The lighter, more reddish ones are the oldest, and the smaller more grey-brown ones are the newest ones.

Jes, I'm thinking that sale (and a corresponding one at Petsmart) is the reason that both stores had such poor stocks today. I know Petsmart gets a fish shipment in on Thursday, so I'm hoping they will have more next weekend. I'll run by on Friday and check.

BW, that is my female RCS. She's pretty feisty. The only one who isn't afraid of the gourami. But no one likes it when the loaches bump into them. The gourami just don't know what to do when they get hit with a loach.

Ogre, he does get a lot of attention from the ladies! Well mostly from me lol! The other two were impressed with him for a bit, but now ignore him. The largest one even chases him sometimes.
 
#130 ·
Black Neons? Yay or Nay?

So.... I think I want to add black neon tetra to my tank, too. I originally had them in the plan, but took them out thinking the tank might be a bit crowded (remember I'm used to just seeing a couple of large fish --goldfish-- in a tank or one tiny guy --betta-- in a tank). But I really like these guys. They typically stay in the top area whereas the cardinals stay in the lower part. I would do about 12-15 of each of these species. Would it be too crowded? I know the stocking would be heavy, but I have a lot of plants.

What do you guys think? Too overstocked? Too crowded?
 
#131 · (Edited)
PERSONALLY, I prefer to see one larger shoal . . . and with the gourami that you have reigning at the top of the tank. . . I'd stick with the ones that tend to be mid-swimmers, so that each species can have their own level of the tank. Some of the smaller Tetra get nervy when there is a larger fish occupying the same level of the tank as them, just based on what I've read while figuring out my eventual stocking. . . but I have no hands-on experience keeping either of these fish together, lol! So my opinion of sticking with one shoal is pretty much personal aesthetics. . . I'm sure you could get away with it, stocking wise - with your care to parameters and all the beautiful plants you have, and if you did, I'm certain I'd absolutley love it! So I'm no help! ;)
 
#133 ·
I've always been in love with shoaling species and tend to have a top, bottom, and substrate fish. If I have a centerpiece I never really counted that as one of the levels, it was just an addition. I reread some profiles on black neon tetras and recommended tank mates do include small gouramis. I don't think you'd have a problem with compatibility, with the possible exception of if the gouramis spawn again. I actually kept dwarf gouramis and black neons together with no problems, but that was probably almost 20 years ago so my memory might be a bit fuzzy. I had more problems with the gouramis fighting each other than any other fish.

The good thing is that you're going to be getting the cardinals first so don't need to make up your mind right away. You can see how the tank looks and go from there. If you think it would be too much then you can get more cardinals. If you think it would look better with the black neons than you can get them. Change your mind and you have that empty 20 gallon.
 
#134 ·
Jes, I'm with you in that I normally like 1-2 large shoals of fish, but this is probably the last community I will have a chance to stock for years. So I'm kinda trying to put a bit more in there than I normally would.

Boxer, even I think my tank looks empty right now lol! Unless of course you look at the substrate when I'm feeding them. Then it's like my sand comes alive!

Cory, I think you hit the nail on the head. I don't have to decide right now. I've been thinking about this a lot while I've been cleaning stuff for my shrimp tank I'm setting up tonight (super yay!). I'm going to see how my cardinals look in the tank before I get any black neons. I'm also going to use them to "test" how aggressive the gourami can be to other fish in their space. They completely leave the loaches alone, but that might be because they don't look fish-like lol. But I'm really glad to know that you did at one time keep the black neons with gourami.
 
#137 ·
I'm excited about the cardinals since I'm stocking my 30 gallon Pleco tank so far I've put in 2 gold ram and I'm going to put in 12 cardinals and maybe some kuhli loaches
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Yes! Add kuhlies!! They are adorably fun to watch!!

I showed some pictures last night in chat, but I figured I should share them with you guys, too. Introducing my (work in progress) shrimp tank!!



This is the whole tank. That betta in there will be going into a breeder box once the shrimps are in. Even though the filter is cycled, I'm doing tests on the tank for about a week to make sure it's safe for shrimps. I'll put the shrimps I have in there, and then in about a month I'll order some new ones. I have some more plants coming in on Friday, so it will look a bit more filled in by then.
 
#139 ·
So. HUGE update. My plants came in today so the shrimp tank looks much more full! And I stuffed the 29 gal with crypts!! Unfortunately I dug up a lot of unused root tabs (those dwarf sag and pygmy chain swords just never grew) so the water is horribly cloudy. I did a water change to remove some of the excess nutrients. Now for the pictures!


I added Myrio and Bacopa to the shrimp tank. It looks so much more full now! I tested the water, and it all looks clean. If it stays this good I'll put the remaining cherries in the tank! Jes, the substrate is eco complete. I wanted to try something new. I'll see how it works for me.


These are the new crypts. Any full tank-shots I took just came out terribly. I even had to edit this one to get the plants to show up better. I really hope these guys recover from their trip and grow nice and big!
 
#143 ·
Will do! The only thing I really have to compare it to is my 29 gal, so I'm not too sure how much of a comparison it will be. I want to try to take daily pictures of it. Maybe I should just start a new thread.... (goes to start a new thread)

What kind are the new crypts?

The 10 gallon looks really good! Bacopa caroliniana and Myriophyllum heterophyllum? Shrimp should be very happy in there. If you decide you want some moss too I can hook you up.
I'm pretty sure there is red and green wendtii in there as well as some spiralis. They all came packaged together, so I'm really just guessing as what is what. But already that forest seems to draw the aggressive female gourami, so I'm really hoping it will get rid of almost all the aggression!

Thanks! I'm happy with the way it's coming along, too. You're spot on with your plants! lol! Myrio's name is just too long for me, so I'm calling it Myrio!

awesome aaaaas usual Izzy :3
Awww thanks, Bekah!! ^-^
 
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