# Suggested stocking in a planted 29 gal



## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

Ok, so I'm stocking a 29 gallon, and I planned to do this 








However, I've read that it's not wise to keep neons due to over/interbreeding. So... I'm looking for suggestions as to what to replace them with. This is my first tank, so I want a hardy breed of fish. Any suggestions?
My ph and hardness are:
pH: 7.8
gH: around 7


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Neons are hit or miss. Many people have no trouble with them whatsoever.

I would ultimately get 12 cherry barbs in a 29. Too, a couple more corys. As for the tetras - neons tend to spend their time in the lower half of the tank, as do the rest of the fish on your list. I would skip them and get a species that will spend it's time in the upper half of the tank. How about some furcata rainbows, or some other blue eye rainbow? Then, you will have them up top, cherry barbs in the middle and the corys on the bottom. That would make for a very nice tank.


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

Maybe I could do this:








Or:









What about some Harlequin Rasbora? They stay in the top portion of the tank, right? Something like this:









It also depends on what the store has... I think I'll be going tomorrow, so I'll see what they have then.

Thanks for the feedback!! Any other suggestions are welcome!


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Don't be afraid of going over 100%...... aqadvisor is VERY conservative in their estimates.


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

Do most tetra hang out in the bottom of the tank as well? Or do some types go to the top portion? I can't seem to find anywhere where it says where they hang out...


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

depends on the species. Black neons, for example, stay in the top half of the tank.


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

Is there a site that will tell me for the specif species? I haven't found any mention of where the fish stay.


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## newtchaplin (Oct 19, 2011)

spreadtoothinly said:


> Is there a site that will tell me for the specif species? I haven't found any mention of where the fish stay.



http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/fishlevels.htm

Along your search for the fish you want information will tell you what you seek.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

You can start a thread here and people will tell you what their fish do....


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

> http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/be...fishlevels.htm
> 
> Along your search for the fish you want information will tell you what you seek.


Thanks!

How does this sound: (top and mid)








Or there are a TON of ones that "prefer all levels"... I'll look into those later.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I'd still get more cherry barbs, but you can always add to them later.


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

Ok so what I've found so far is the rainbows, Harlequin Rasbora, and Lemon tetra. (Decided against the bloodfin tetra) Something like this for the Lemon Tetra








I'll also see what they have at the store.


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

And Silvertip Tetra:


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## candymancan (Aug 16, 2013)

FYI my stank stock is at around 180% using those silly advisors.. I have a 27g hex.. Honestly I have no problem keeping the fish and keeping them alive... I don't do anything special either just water changes.. Its mostly what kind of filtration you have.. I have both a UGF and HOB filter...

I have 

3X Celebes Rainbows
3x Dwarf Neon Rainbow
3x Gold barb
7x Neon Tetra
1x Penguin tetra
9x Snails ( 1Mystery) (4 Horned nerite) (4 zebra Nerite )
4x Glow light tetra
2x Oto's 
2x Red/blue fin tetra
1x black skirt tetra 

See how many fish I have ? I might have to transfer some as they get bigger to my 55g.. but for now I have mostly small fish and I have ZERO problems


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

I have a marineland penguin 200, a HOB. I'm leaning towards the Lemon Tetra... What do y'all think about that?


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## newtchaplin (Oct 19, 2011)

candymancan said:


> FYI my stank stock is at around 180% using those silly advisors.. I have a 27g hex.. Honestly I have no problem keeping the fish and keeping them alive... I don't do anything special either just water changes.. Its mostly what kind of filtration you have.. I have both a UGF and HOB filter...
> 
> I have
> 
> ...


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I "overstock" without plants or bubblers. Just big filtration.


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## BWG (Oct 11, 2011)

newtchaplin said:


> Over stocking leads to a lot of problems. From my experience yes you can over stock if it is a fully planted tank, Lots of filtration, and bubblers. I over stocked my 75 with over 100" of fish but I have lost three so far. With all fairness I do have a ghost knife fish in there and he did shock dead two of them. I am at 96" and doing fine with that. but that is my situation anyway.



100" of fish in a 75 gallon doesn't necessarily mean you are overstocked. It simply means you're using the inch per gallon "rule" which really isn't much use in my opinion. Stocking can't be simplified like that since so many factors come into play. If you're just basing on fish size then mass is more important than length in regards to stocking density.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

blackwaterguy said:


> 100" of fish in a 75 gallon doesn't necessarily mean you are overstocked. It simply means you're using the inch per gallon "rule" which really isn't much use in my opinion. Stocking can't be simplified like that since so many factors come into play. If you're just basing on fish size then mass is more important than length in regards to stocking density.


Agreed 99%. I do believe the inch per gallon rule is a good rule for beginners to follow, so long as its applied in the correct manner. The rule is for small schooling fish, and is a rather conservative method of stocking.


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## BWG (Oct 11, 2011)

jaysee said:


> Agreed 99%. I do believe the inch per gallon rule is a good rule for beginners to follow, so long as its applied in the correct manner. The rule is for small schooling fish, and is a rather conservative method of stocking.


I completely agree that those are the fish to use it for. That is what the rule had in mind. My problem with it though is that so many people forget that part and just apply it to everything. When that happens it can go from conservative to just plain wrong (What do you mean I can't keep an oscar in a 20 gallon? It only gets 13 inches!). Beginners just often forget the qualifiers.

Spreadtoothinly-Sorry about the hijack  I prefer harlequin rasboras and lemon tetras to silvertip tetras. No actual important reason, just prefer the looks.


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## spreadtoothinly (Jul 5, 2013)

> Spreadtoothinly-Sorry about the hijack  I prefer harlequin rasboras and lemon tetras to silvertip tetras. No actual important reason, just prefer the looks.


lol, it's fine  
Yea, I think I'll probably do the HR or the LT. I did go the the store on Friday, but I didn't have time to look around, so I'm not 100% sure they have the lemons, but they do have Harlequins, so I'll get those if they don't have them.


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