29 low light planted

[Daniel1]

im starting my first planted tank..ive been keeping fish for only4 months.....i started with a betta in a 1 gallons tank( i loved him).then to 5 gals tank....then a 10 gals tank( he died in this tank) and now im settin up my 29 gals tank...
i was wondering if im okay with the following:
Tank
29 Gals

Ligthing:
36 w PC lighting fixture.....1 full spectrum bulb and 1 6700k bulb

Filtration
2 Aquaclear HOBS...1 AQ 50 and 1 AQ 20...total GPH : 300

Substrate
50% fluorite 50% pea size gravel

150 w heater

Plants that i want:
Java Fern
Java Moss
Wisteria
Water Sprite
Narrow Leaf Chain Sword
Green Temple..
Wendtii Red

any suggestions are welcomed
thank you

[Daniel1]

any suggestions ...yes no...maybe

Thank you

[HybridS130]

Everything seems to be put together pretty well but, I think you should consider adding some taller plants to give the tank more character. Plants such as vals, cabomba, swords, anacharis etc. Also you might want to try and bump up the wattage a little more to give healthy plants, that might be okay in a 20 gallon long but, being that the 29 is considerably deeper. Such a tall tank would look incomplete if the majority of the plants only grew a few inches off the bottom of the tank. The wisteria will do a good job of filling up a corner but it grows like a weed, a plant that grows uniformly will give good contrast with it.

If you budget allows it, I would opt for eco complete planted tank substrate. This stuff is great and won't cloud your tank not to mention that the black color will really bring out the colors in your plants.

A single HOB will do fine, just choose one with a larger gph rating. Even a penguin 150 would do fine if your bio-load is going to be light.

What fish are you considering for this tank?

[Daniel1]

about the lighting thats as far as i can go...and since its my first tank.....ill consider about taller plants.....and the fish that i know that will be there are:
6 rasbora( i dont know yet...i want a schooling fish)
2 albino cories
4 black neons
2 platies
2 guppies
4 ottos( my cleaning crew withouth counting some ghost shrimp, 6 amanos..and Malaysian trumpet snails...)
im looking for a type of fish that might be my centerpiece....i was thinking about an angel...or a pair of rams...or a gourami....i dont know ..what would you suggest?

Thanks a lot

in total GPH of the filters i bought( i already bought everything) is 300

[JustOneMore20]

Plants such as vals, cabomba, swords, anacharis etc.

IME vals like more light than 1.2wpg. Cabomba also would appreciate more light. Some plants that will grow taller in the light you have would be Anacharis and Bacopa. If you can get some Crypt Retrospiralis, they would grow slowly, but will eventually grow to the height of your tank. I have some in my 29g with 2.2wpg and they are super tall now...took them a little ways to get there though.

I would get several Crypt Wendtii reds and bunch them together. When they get taller they look very nice in groups. You could also throw in some Bronze wendtiis for something with a different color.

I think the tank will look great! And you can use both filters if you want, but the AC50 will be fine by itself. That is what I use on my 29g and it does a good job of keeping the water nice and clear.

Get more than 2 cories. They are very social so I'd get atleast 4. And I wouldn't add anymore fish to the list...you'll be pretty stocked with what is on that list. There isn't room for an angel....and with the livebearers in the tank, you can expect some fry (unless you have all males)...so I wouldn't add anything else. If you could get rid of the livebearers, then you could possibly add a gourami, but I think you are already planning on having the guppies and platies (I think you had another post on stocking...) .

[Daniel1]

hi Kristin i think ive seen you on the Tropical Resources Fish Forum....is there any way i could house one more fish..i really want a centerpiece..like something that can make the shcooling fish school...and i really like the rams..but ive read they are sensitive..well theres still some time after i can add the fish..so i dont know yet....
Thanks

[NewfieFishGuy]

I had the same thought about schooling with my 20 neons. Finally settled on a Dwarf Gourami. The neons schooled tightly for a week. Now they couldn't care less. I have rebel neons that ain't scared of nobody.

[Daniel1]

i was thinking maybe on a dwarf gourami..but i dont know............i really like the Rams...are they that hard to keep??

[JustOneMore20]

hi Kristin i think ive seen you on the Tropical Resources Fish Forum

Yep....I am new there.

Rams aren't really hard to keep. I'd wait and add them last...maybe a few months after your tank is cycled...just to make sure. They are very sensitive to stress IMO, so the slightest change could kill them. I had a female Blue ram that must have had a fight with my Bolivian ram and she had an injury on her face. She lasted about 24 hours after that, so I didn't even have time to treat her. She did survive ich right after I got her though.

What fish are you definitely putting in the tank (I think you were moving some from another tank?)? That will tell me what I can't suggest you get rid of. Because I think you were definitely adding the livebearers, right? I think you will have room for a pair of rams in the stocking you listed above. I would get more cories than 2 though...get 6. There will be room.

So you are looking at:
6 rasboras
6 black neons (should be ok to add 2 more)
6 cories
4 ottos
2 platies
2 guppies
2 blue rams

Looks like alot and it would be even better if you didn't have to keep the livebearers. I think with that stocking though, and regular weekly water changes of 50%, you should be fine. Put as many plants in there as you can. You can use both filters, since you already have them. The tank should be nice like that!

I am a terrible overstocker in my tanks. I have lots of plants though and do weekly water changes, so it works. My nitrAtes don't ever get too high (~15ppm) so that tells me I'm doing good. Plants will help out alot to keep nitrAtes down. Anacharis is a good nitrate sponge, so definitely get some of that.

[Zoe]

If I were you, I'd go either with rasboras or black neons. This is just me talkin, but I prefer a large school to two small ones. More impressive.

Also, if you're hovering anywhere near fully stocked to slightly over stocked, you'll want to skip the ottos. They are very sensitive to water quality.

Then the livebearers and the rams.

And some shrimp and some MTS?

Just a thought, a dwarf gourami might make a better centrepiece fish than the rams. I believe rams like to stick near the bottom of the tank and hang out there. Whereas a gourami will be out and about in the middle - upper level of the tank.
Although, if you love the rams, go for 'em, just give your tank time to settle before adding them.

[HybridS130]

I know they would like more light, that's why I suggested more light. Really not going to get much to grow in such low light conditions, some might live but, very little plants will actually thrive in a tall tank with just over 1wpg.

[HybridS130]

I know they would like more light, that's why I suggested more light. Really not going to get much to grow in such low light conditions, some might live but, very little plants will actually thrive in a tall tank with just over 1wpg.

[HybridS130]

I know they would like more light, that's why I suggested more light. Really not going to get much to grow in such low light conditions, some might live but, very little plants will actually thrive in a tall tank with just over 1wpg.

[HybridS130]

I know they would like more light, that's why I suggested more light. Really not going to get much to grow in such low light conditions, some might live but, very little plants will actually thrive in a tall tank with just over 1wpg.

[HybridS130]

I know they would like more light, that's why I suggested more light. Really not going to get much to grow in such low light conditions, some might live but, very little plants will actually thrive in a tall tank with just over 1wpg.

[JustOneMore20]

Also, if you're hovering anywhere near fully stocked to slightly over stocked, you'll want to skip the ottos. They are very sensitive to water quality.

I have to disagree. I will say that you should add the ottos and the rams last...atleast a couple months after your tank has been cycled. 2 of my tanks have otos in them and they are both slightly overstocked. As long as they have algae to eat and the parameters are stable (ammonia 0 and nitrite 0), then they should do fine.


Well he already has the light fixture...so I just suggested plants that would do ok in the light he has.

The Water Sprite and the Chain sword would be the two plants I'd worry about not doing well. The chain sword should grow, but probably really slow. I'd make sure it doesn't get overshadowed and has full light. I've never tried Water Sprite. I have heard it likes a little more light though, so maybe you should drop it. The wisteria looks pretty much like Water Sprite.

[HybridS130]

Whoa, wtf happened, I think the browser reset itself a couple times or something because haha, wow five posts. I've heard of double posts but that is something new to me.

[JustOneMore20]

I thought maybe you were just trying to get your point across.

No, I'm just kidding. Something crazy must have happened! I haven't seen 5 posts before. That has to be some sort of record.

[Daniel1]

Kristin...umm im not sure yet...about the guppies..they are two very young male guppiies....i want my 5 gals tank to be a QT...and i might leave the guppies there and if theres a problem and i have to isolate a fish ill change them.....but i dont know....whats definately going is..2 platies..3 albinos..4 black neons( i have these right now)....the 6 rasboras( dont have them yet so i might get another schooling type of fish.......the 4 ottos...the rest i dont know yet...i dont know if is should get the angel...or a dwarf gourami or the pair of rams.......
Zoe....i dont know yet....the thing is that i really find the rams more interesting than the gouramis( their coloration, etc)...but i was considering the same about the dwarf gourami....

Hybrid...umm i know i should get more light..and i will....next summer when i start working im gonna get a better light system...more fluorite...maybe a CO2 reactor.......will that be ok..?...for now i just want to start easy with a low light tank..then i will be improving some things...

Thanks a lot