Please help with suggestions and recommendations
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Can you get java moss at your LPS? Is it hard to maintain? I don't really know anything about java moss and the aquarium 
Would it be okay if that was the only actual living plant? I don't really intend to have any live plants in this aquarium, but if java moss is easy, maybe
Would it be okay if that was the only actual living plant? I don't really intend to have any live plants in this aquarium, but if java moss is easy, maybeyes, java moss is very popular and is high in demand. They require very little maintanance. Since they are the only plant in your aquarium, you wont need a co2 unit. They also dont have roots so they dont need fertilizer or a specially made gravel. The only downside of this plant is that it grows quite fast and you might need to give some away every few months. And they can spred to your filter even clogging it. Just as long as you check the filter every month and clean it you wont have a problem of filter clogs
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Nope. Javan moss are quite easy to maintain. They do not demand too much lighting so a 1wpg(watt per gallon) should suffice.DanaJ said:Can you get java moss at your LPS? Is it hard to maintain? I don't really know anything about java moss and the aquarium
It's fine to have one species of plant. You will want more though. Elodea densa is another plant I recommend. Undemanding and fast growers.
Other plants worth a try are hornworts(Ceratophyllum demersum) and Javan fern.
Javan ferns are low-light plants but they are quite slow growers so don't expect any much growth from them.
By the way, I'm thinking you are referring to Colisa labiosa as the thick-lipped gourami. They should be fine in your tank. Provide your tank with floating plants such as elodeas and hornworts.
Oh and the side note for you. You'll notice some dangling white roots on the elodeas. Not a problem. They just look messy but I love messy-looking tanks if they are because of dangling roots.:crazy:
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There's nothing wrong with a messy-looking tank because of the plants.:mrgreen: The gouramis do like to have territories. They are anabantids hence they have a preference for dwelling on surface areas. There are exceptions though. Some anabantids differ from each other so the rule of dwelling too much on surface will not apply on every species of anabantids.DanaJ said:So it's basically necessary to have floating live plants if you want gouramis?
I'm not sure I'm ready for that step!
I wouldn't even know where to put the moss either. I'm a mess!
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Doesn't matter if your plants would be fake or live. I prefer live ones though. They can consume excess nitrates thereby ensuring the nitrates won't exceed to dangerous levels which would inhibit your fish's growth and even kill them. I prefer elodeas for floating plants.DanaJ said:Ahh okay, I read they do tend to stay toward the surface bc they need air.
Can they be fake plants at the top?
Oh and yes those were the thick lipped ones I was referring to.
If you want duckweeds(Lemna minor), prepare for trouble.:mrgreen: Because they can reproduce so fast that they are almost impossible to control.:shake: Good at clogging filter intakes and depriving other plants of light. Hence they are considered as 'pests'.:wink2:
There are advantages though. They discourage your fish from jumping if your tank is open-topped and serve as hiding sanctuaries for fry.
That's all very interesting.
I guess I will have to look into the floating plants you recommended. Could be nice. I was just worried because I don't know much about planted aquariums and what that entails etc. This sounds pretty easy and straightforward.
Question: Could you get 2 gouramis of differing varieties? What about a pair of gouramis, and a pair of dwarfs? Just curious.
I guess I will have to look into the floating plants you recommended. Could be nice. I was just worried because I don't know much about planted aquariums and what that entails etc. This sounds pretty easy and straightforward.
Question: Could you get 2 gouramis of differing varieties? What about a pair of gouramis, and a pair of dwarfs? Just curious.
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Not a good idea to have all males. Male gouramis often bicker with each other so the presence of females would be recommended. My lfs had a tank full of male dwarf gouramis(females are so rare here) and I was shocked that most of them have their fins already torn badly.:shake:DanaJ said:Hm okay interesting. I definately like the male gouramis. Not a huge fan of the females, but we'll see and think about the situation and stocking list
Male dwarf gouramis tend to be aggressive. I had one without the female and he guarded his territory aggressively. Mind you, he creates a bubblenest using bits of plants and thread algae.:shock2: Whether you have females or not, it's best not to have more than one male gourami in a 29 gallons.
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Hi Dana,
I will agree about the "shark" not being suitable for your tank. They average 6 - 8 inches long when full grown, and can be VERY aggressive, especially in a smaller tank such as yours. I have one right now that is approaching the 5 inch mark, and he has a 40 gallon tank all to himself. Eventually he'll go into the 180, but for now, he's alone because he's fond of eating and harrassing his tank mates. This is normal behavior.
The same thing is going to apply with any of the gouramis if you choose to add neon or cardinal tetras to the tank. Keep in mind that neons are more tolerant of higher pH, cardinals can be tricky. All of the gouramis, even the "peaceful" ones will be too aggressive to keep with fish like neons.
Gold Nugget plecos are awesome, but will get way too big for a 29 gallon. The last one I had was about 10 inches and still growing. There wouldn't be enough space or food supply in a 20 gallon for a gold nugget.
The bulldog pleco, aka rubbernose pleco... another of my favorites. These guys stay smaller, but I have seen them up to 5 inches already. Two things to note about these: they are very sensitive to water quality and they eat A LOT! If you have live plants, expect these guys to devour the plants in a short period of time.
The pitbull pleco would be a better option, but I would make that the only pleco in that size of a tank because of their impressive eating habits.
If you want multiple "plecos" in the tank, even tho its not a pleco, what about otocinclus? These top out at 4 inches, are slow growing, eat A LOT, and won't bother your live plants or fish? The otos are cool, peaceful, and pretty tolerant of water conditions if acclimated properly. Otos would be the first I'd suggest in a smaller tank with something like neons.
As for rummynose tetras, again you're talking about a "difficult" fish to keep. IF you can get them to settle in, they tend to thrive, but the hard part is getting them to settle in to begin with. Rummynose will be less tolerant of condition changes, much more prone to stress, and need extremely passive tank mates, such as the neons. I'm not sure I'd mix the rummynose with fiesty danios, as the stress of the chasing would be a bit much for them.
May I make some suggestions for you to consider? I am considering the size of your tank, the idea that you want bright and colorful fish, peaceful enough for neons and still able to hold their own with danios (watch the danios with the neons, too).
coral platys
scarlet badis or badis badis
marble hatchet fish (specifically the marbles due to aggression levels)
glolite tetras
green fire tetras
cory catfish
botia loach (lots of types of botia to choose from)
rasbora het
gold tetras
ghost shrimp
Now, my other suggestion would be to skip the neons and/or caradinals, and work with fish that are better able to hold their own with those danios. Here is a list of what I'd suggest based on your dainos and the size of the tank:
cherry barb
gold barb
neon rosy barb
odessa barb (the males are extremely bright and colorful)
dwarf gourami (like the thicklips that you mentioned)
diamond tetras
blue tetras
neon dwarf rainbows
botia loaches
cory cats
These are only SOME of the possibilities out there for you, but I hope this helps a little. These are all "easier" fish to keep than some of what you had named, but still colorful and active, compatible with the danios you have currently. I would suggest watching stocking limits, as 29 gallons still won't hold "a lot" of fish. Best to choose just a few species, and if you need more ideas, I can give those, too. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask. I will watch this thread to try to keep up on it faster. Sorry for my delay in getting here.
I will agree about the "shark" not being suitable for your tank. They average 6 - 8 inches long when full grown, and can be VERY aggressive, especially in a smaller tank such as yours. I have one right now that is approaching the 5 inch mark, and he has a 40 gallon tank all to himself. Eventually he'll go into the 180, but for now, he's alone because he's fond of eating and harrassing his tank mates. This is normal behavior.
The same thing is going to apply with any of the gouramis if you choose to add neon or cardinal tetras to the tank. Keep in mind that neons are more tolerant of higher pH, cardinals can be tricky. All of the gouramis, even the "peaceful" ones will be too aggressive to keep with fish like neons.
Gold Nugget plecos are awesome, but will get way too big for a 29 gallon. The last one I had was about 10 inches and still growing. There wouldn't be enough space or food supply in a 20 gallon for a gold nugget.
The bulldog pleco, aka rubbernose pleco... another of my favorites. These guys stay smaller, but I have seen them up to 5 inches already. Two things to note about these: they are very sensitive to water quality and they eat A LOT! If you have live plants, expect these guys to devour the plants in a short period of time.
The pitbull pleco would be a better option, but I would make that the only pleco in that size of a tank because of their impressive eating habits.
If you want multiple "plecos" in the tank, even tho its not a pleco, what about otocinclus? These top out at 4 inches, are slow growing, eat A LOT, and won't bother your live plants or fish? The otos are cool, peaceful, and pretty tolerant of water conditions if acclimated properly. Otos would be the first I'd suggest in a smaller tank with something like neons.
As for rummynose tetras, again you're talking about a "difficult" fish to keep. IF you can get them to settle in, they tend to thrive, but the hard part is getting them to settle in to begin with. Rummynose will be less tolerant of condition changes, much more prone to stress, and need extremely passive tank mates, such as the neons. I'm not sure I'd mix the rummynose with fiesty danios, as the stress of the chasing would be a bit much for them.
May I make some suggestions for you to consider? I am considering the size of your tank, the idea that you want bright and colorful fish, peaceful enough for neons and still able to hold their own with danios (watch the danios with the neons, too).
coral platys
scarlet badis or badis badis
marble hatchet fish (specifically the marbles due to aggression levels)
glolite tetras
green fire tetras
cory catfish
botia loach (lots of types of botia to choose from)
rasbora het
gold tetras
ghost shrimp
Now, my other suggestion would be to skip the neons and/or caradinals, and work with fish that are better able to hold their own with those danios. Here is a list of what I'd suggest based on your dainos and the size of the tank:
cherry barb
gold barb
neon rosy barb
odessa barb (the males are extremely bright and colorful)
dwarf gourami (like the thicklips that you mentioned)
diamond tetras
blue tetras
neon dwarf rainbows
botia loaches
cory cats
These are only SOME of the possibilities out there for you, but I hope this helps a little. These are all "easier" fish to keep than some of what you had named, but still colorful and active, compatible with the danios you have currently. I would suggest watching stocking limits, as 29 gallons still won't hold "a lot" of fish. Best to choose just a few species, and if you need more ideas, I can give those, too. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask. I will watch this thread to try to keep up on it faster. Sorry for my delay in getting here.
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