Tropical Fish Keeping banner

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.


enlarge

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! ;-)


enlarge

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.)

--------------------------------------------------

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.


enlarge

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.


enlarge

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!
 
See less See more
4
#28 ·
I would LOVE it if my crypts didn't melt! They have such cute little leaves! I'd kinda like them to stay that way, but most descriptions I'm reading say they get about 6 inches tall. That's still fine.

Thanks, John! I'm really proud of how it's coming along.
 
#30 ·
Izzy I am falling in love with your driftwood! :D (But then again, I love wood - but yours is excellent!)
Cute loaches - are they ****** loaches?? I thought you can only get them in Tiger stripes....
 
#32 ·
Oh wow, I am loving how this is turning out. I do hope all the plants bounce back quickly.
 
#34 ·
Thanks, Sang! When I was home last (now visiting family for the holidays) the plants looked pretty good. The lotus was already sprouting another leaf and the crypts had lost a few more leaves but the smaller leaves looked like they were growing. I hope to see some improvement when I return home on Saturday.

Man! I can't wait until the first of the year! I got money for Christmas and it's time to start stocking the tank! ^-^

Jentra, I have Estes Ultra Reef black sand. It's really really soft. And the loaches love playing in it. I couldn't find it anywhere locally and had to order it online. But it was much softer than any black sand I could find locally.
 
#36 ·
:rofl:Olympia!!

That said... I got home today from my family vacation. All the plants and fish look just fine. The crypts actually look better than when I left! New growth on them as well as the lotus.

I'm currently hunting the internet for some P. oblonga or really any Pangio I can get with decent shipping. And of course that coveted Farlowella. I've also changed my mind and going to do a trio of honey gourami instead of the single thicklips gourami.
 
#38 ·
That's wonderful to hear that the crypts are doing well. Great to hear your plants are doing well.
 
#41 ·
Oooooh! That tank is just taking off now! I can't wait for the new additions, and am so happy that your pretty greens are doing so well :) Good luck on the loach hunt. What IS it with loaches? I swear, they were so super common a year or two ago, so silly that you have to order them online! How many more will you be getting?
 
#42 ·
^-^ I'm so excited! I can't contain it. Over the weekend I got in contact with an awesome seller who is shipping me my farlowella tomorrow!!! The pictures will be crappy. But. There. Will. Be. Pictures.

Oh ya... and I decided to add some red cherry shrimp to the tank. Those will be coming in with the farlowella.

Next come the pangio loaches!!!!!!
 
#45 ·
THEY'RE HERE!!!!! They arrived today around noon, and I spent a few hours acclimating everyone. I put them in the tank about 4p. Everyone looks healthy and is eating a ton. (To be fair, there is a ton of algae on the glass). Now for the pictures!! ^-^


This is a whole tank shot. You really can't see the farlowella or the RCS here because they are so small. But you can see that I moved that piece of wood on the right to the far back. It was blocking circulation to the plants back there, so the wood and the plants switched places.


The shrimp move too fast! This was the only one that stood still for any length of time. I guess he found something good to eat right there.

And now... my farlowella.. who I have named Sturgeon because he kinda looks like one.



It's not in focus on the farlowella but I still like it.

 
#170 ·
...



.......
Absolutely beautiful! So many different leaf shapes growing happily together. You've inspired me to keep trying with my plants. I have a hole where the cabomba all but disappeared!
Posted via Mobile Device
Plants can be a bit (read: pull your hair out) challenging, but they are so worth it! I used to have a hole on the right side because the dwarf sag and dwarf chain sword would just not grow. But it was simply a matter of finding the right plants to go there. My crypts flourished, so I added more and different ones. Never thought I would end up with a mostly-crypt tank, but that's just how it works out sometimes! Point is to never give up! There is a plant for every tank!! :)

I also thought it would be neat to pull one of my old tank shots back here so everyone can see how far it has come.
 
#48 ·
They are really neat. Certainly not your average algae-eater.

Yours is so small.. mine was an adult when I got it. o_O
Yup! He's a baby! Just about 5 inches long. I'm glad he still has growing to do. It means he'll have an appetite for algae!
 
#49 ·
Aww they are so cute. The tank looks great too. I'm glad you got that figured out with the circulation.
 
#51 ·
Lovely new additions, and the tank is looking great!!! Farlowella are really neat little critters, and I've always wanted some shrimp. I've always been kind of afraid to get them because I thought they'd need harder water, though I know some types do live in softer water areas. You'll have to keep me posted on how they do in there. Shrimp are just. . .cool!
 
#52 ·
Thanks, Sang and Bekah! I'm totally enamored with these little guys now!

I will certainly keep you guys updated on how things are going. The shrimps have actually gotten more red. They were a little pale yesterday from the stress of the trip.

And I have more pictures!! You have no idea how much fun it is to have fish that STAY STILL as I'm learning the finer points of using my camera.


Pardon the dirty glass... I left it on there so he would have something to eat when he first came into my tank. But I just love this guy.


Here is one of my shrimps... Just look how much more red s/he is compared to yesterday! And I've named the shrimp collectively Chrimps after a hilarious enrish mistake we found in a Chinese restaurant menu last summer at the beach.

Since I have become so in love with my little red cherries, I'm having second thoughts about getting a shrimp-destroyer like cardinal tetra. My hope is that my plants will grow thick enough to hide at least some of the babies, but I'm also considering getting green neon tetra instead of cardinals. AHHH choices!!!
 
#53 ·
. . . You have no idea how much fun it is to have fish that STAY STILL as I'm learning the finer points of using my camera.
Oooh, believe me - I know!!! ;-)
Wow, the color has become SO much more vibrant from yesterday - that's really amazing, and very pretty! Green neons are pretty little dwarf tetra, they'd look good in that tank, I think - can't wait to see what you do end up with eventually!
 
#54 ·
Awwwwww SHRIMP :lol: For once I comment something other than wood!
Your snails are so cute too :D
Catfish look awesome, I seen then once in a pet store in aus, it was $40 each for a 2.5 ish long cat...

Love the wood!
 
#56 ·
So I think I am going to go with the cardinal tetra. They have been a dream of mine literally since I saw them. (But I will probably get green neons when I can have my cardinal shoal in a discus tank) Since I know they will eat the shrimp babies I'm going to start up a 10 gal shrimp colony to supplement the pop in my 29 gal. I'm also getting some moss shipped by a friend on the forum, so that might give the shrimp a boost.

Awwwwww SHRIMP :lol: For once I comment something other than wood!
Your snails are so cute too :D
Catfish look awesome, I seen then once in a pet store in aus, it was $40 each for a 2.5 ish long cat...

Love the wood!
:shock: $40 for a 2.5!!! That's crazy! My little guy is about 5 inches and was only $7!

And because I couldnt help it.. Two more pictures. I'm going to try to use an algae wafer to get some pictures of my loaches tonight. Everyone was all over it last night!




Can you see the farlowella? ;-)
 
#60 ·
So I was kind hoping this would be a surprise, but I've told so many people already. I'm getting in more loaches and my honey gourami in Tuesday!!!! (does happy dance)

But also... one of my loaches stayed still long enough for me to get the tripod out and get the camera in focus! So I present you the first up close and in focus pictures of my brown kuhli loaches!! Pardon the green glass and poop. It comes to you courtesy of the snails.





Oh and both of my female red cherries are now carrying eggs! I can't wait to get my colony started this spring.
 
#61 ·
LOACHBUTT!!!! Great shot of the little guy - he thought he was hiding, oh I LOVE HIM!!! How accurate is the coloration on this shot? He looks nearly red! Beautiful lil' thing. . . OMG! Snail poo!!! o_O That's a darn PILE of it, sheeeeeeesh! And people use them as their 'cleaning crew' Psssh.

I am SO excited for your new additions! I hope everyone arrives in perfect health - I know they'll settle right into that tank, it's perfection. Be watching to see how much the original loaches behavior changes as you up their numbers - and gourami are so lovely. :) Are these guys hitting a QT first, or straight into the 29?

Berried shrimp! That's so exciting! SO much exciting news this post!!! Is this the first time you've kept shrimp? I've really wanted to give it a try, I'm just not so sure about my rams. . . or my soft water, really. Never got too far into the research after figuring out that they'd probably end up dinner for my rams, anyway. Hope all continues to go well with your pretty little chrimps colony!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top