First low tech 29G Planted need feedback!!

[Moose8888]

Hey everyone i got my first 29g tank and i need some feed back..

so i had some swords but since im a noob i got a crayfish and he wrecked them so now that i got rid of the crayfish i got

wisteria
java fern
java moss

and the fish as of now are

1 Rainbow Shark
5 cherry barbs
5 guppys
1 upside down catfish
1 tiger barb
1 black molly
1 eel

i already planted everything so ill show pics before i planted

any feedback would be well appreciated also any suggestions on more plants?? i was thinking dwarf babytears to cover the ground..

first time planted but the moss was in there for 2 1/2 weeks and it still doesnt seem to be growing.. some of it is brown but only a little and a little bit looks like its attaching.. i have it tied to the driftwood with rubber bands.

then the goldfish and crayfish ruined everything now this was done today
so scattered pieces or not?

the cool thing about the pot is its against the rock and it has a back way out directly into the cave the rainbow shark has alot of fun with it =)

now this is with scattered pieces

 

[misterking]

Your tank's looking nice, should grow into something lovely if you take care of the plants.

However.. I'm confused. Are these old pictures? I see a convict cichlid, goldfish, and what looks like a serpae tetra in one pic, and also platies in the final pic.. unless, of course, they're just older pics showing the progress.

My suggestions on the fish.. tiger barbs need to be in groups, they're shoaling fish as it is and get quite aggressive the less of them they are. You could check on AqAdvisor if you can add more, and if you can I'd strongly reccommend it. I wouldn't, however, say it's a good idea to keep them with guppies...

Also, what type of eel do you have? Some of the ones (actually, most) that are readily available (spiny eels, tiretrack eels, peacock eels, fire eels) grow quite huge, and they're quite the escape artists.. I'd suggest rehoming him, and if you still want something long, wiggly and eel-like, you could try kuhli loaches (although, also prone to escaping the tank should you not have a well-fitting lid).

And on plants.. be careful of the java moss if you don't want that as your cover plant, it spreads very quickly over the gravel. You could try something like dwarf hairgrass or pygmy chain sword (a foreground type of amazon sword) if you want something low-tech. you could also put some vallis in the background.

For future reference, you shouldn't keep crayfish with fish. Small fish = lunch for crayfish.

 

[Sharkee]

I'm sorry but I just noticed something that has nothing to do with plants. You have a goldfish in a tropical setup. Goldfishes are coldwater fishes, therefore not suitable to your tank.

Also, rainbow sharks are territorial and yours will probably terrorize your smaller fishes.

How old is your setup by the way?

 

[misterking]

I'm sorry but I just noticed something that has nothing to do with plants. You have a goldfish in a tropical setup. Goldfishes are coldwater fishes, therefore not suitable to your tank.

Also, rainbow sharks are territorial and yours will probably terrorize your smaller fishes.

How old is your setup by the way?

I think the goldfish is from older pictures.

Also, the rainbow shark won't really "terrorize" the other fish. It might get a bit territorial but I think the other fish in there should be able to hold their own.

I would keep an eye on him with the upside-down cat though.

 

[Sharkee]

shark AND guppies?

 

[IceDragon]

I dont have any advice but wanted to tell you the tank looks nice. I especially like the pot idea going into the cave. That was a great touch

 

[Moose8888]

Your tank's looking nice, should grow into something lovely if you take care of the plants.

However.. I'm confused. Are these old pictures? I see a convict cichlid, goldfish, and what looks like a serpae tetra in one pic, and also platies in the final pic.. unless, of course, they're just older pics showing the progress.

My suggestions on the fish.. tiger barbs need to be in groups, they're shoaling fish as it is and get quite aggressive the less of them they are. You could check on AqAdvisor if you can add more, and if you can I'd strongly reccommend it. I wouldn't, however, say it's a good idea to keep them with guppies...

Also, what type of eel do you have? Some of the ones (actually, most) that are readily available (spiny eels, tiretrack eels, peacock eels, fire eels) grow quite huge, and they're quite the escape artists.. I'd suggest rehoming him, and if you still want something long, wiggly and eel-like, you could try kuhli loaches (although, also prone to escaping the tank should you not have a well-fitting lid).

And on plants.. be careful of the java moss if you don't want that as your cover plant, it spreads very quickly over the gravel. You could try something like dwarf hairgrass or pygmy chain sword (a foreground type of amazon sword) if you want something low-tech. you could also put some vallis in the background.

For future reference, you shouldn't keep crayfish with fish. Small fish = lunch for crayfish.

Thanks for your comment! so about the goldfish i had him in a 15g tank as a tester and then put the shark, serpae tetra, peacock eel and black molly in for about a year and they got along really well then i got this tank and wanted more fish but the guy at the pet store was dumb sand i didnt do my research =/... so i got the chiclid a crayfish and some plants and i found out that them plus the goldfish destroyed my plants so i retured them and put my goldfish in my uncles outdoor pond and hes doing really well.. then i actually researched and got the guppys and cherry barbs.. at first the shark chased them but didnt nip and now it seems he claimed the pot and spends most of the time swimming through it... and as for plants i wanted to do baby tears and mix it with a little bit of dwarf hairgrass in the front what do you think? also what can i grow on the round rock wall? the java moss is not working out and all the food gets caught in it because thats where the filter drops the water.. i kinda wana make the drift wood look like a tree with the java moss any tips?

 

[littletankbigworld]

Be patient, and the java moss will cover whatever it is you want it to cover. Just use clear fishing line to tie thin strands to the rocks. Try this link: Step By Step Guide - Riccia And Java Moss - Tropical Fish Forums
What species of eel do you have?

 

[misterking]

Be patient, and the java moss will cover whatever it is you want it to cover. Just use clear fishing line to tie thin strands to the rocks. Try this link: Step By Step Guide - Riccia And Java Moss - Tropical Fish Forums
What species of eel do you have?

I think in the last post he mentioned a peacock eel as I feared..

You might want to consider rehoming him in a bigger tank, a 29 is a bit small for a fish which can reach a foot.

 

[Newman]

save your self the pain and the wasting of money of putting dwarf baby tears into your fish-filled tank...
1. it won't root in that gravel the way you want it to and will looks sparce as opposed to the ideal thick mat.
2. it will not creep and spread into the mat you want in your low light, but rather it will grow upwards and look kinda bad...
3. your fish will uproot it and that will have you going bonkers everyday.

A similar story with the HG but you can try that one, some people have success with it in low-light tanks
however if you pick HG you will still be angry at your fish

 

[Moose8888]

save your self the pain and the wasting of money of putting dwarf baby tears into your fish-filled tank...
1. it won't root in that gravel the way you want it to and will looks sparce as opposed to the ideal thick mat.
2. it will not creep and spread into the mat you want in your low light, but rather it will grow upwards and look kinda bad...
3. your fish will uproot it and that will have you going bonkers everyday.

A similar story with the HG but you can try that one, some people have success with it in low-light tanks
however if you pick HG you will still be angry at your fish

hmmm lol i really wanted the baby tears... do you think my tank would look good with brighter light? how many watts would that be?

 

[Sharkee]

do you want baby tears to be your foreground plant? I've read somewhere that with bright lights they kind of creep close to the ground.

 

[Moose8888]

yea i kinda want em to cover the pot to make it look like a plant igloo haha and yea all over the ground like a blanket but i dont want the bright light to make my tank look bad

 

[Newman]

This is HC in my 10 gallon at 4.8 watts per gallon, just to give you an idea of how much light it needs to creep:

 

[Moose8888]

wow that looks great! so about 5 watts per gallon you would say? also i just looked at my tank and my eel is upside down at the bottom but he is breathing what is happening to him?!

 

[Newman]

have you tested your water recently? sounds like your either have ammonia or nitrite in your water or high nitrates or maybe not enough O2 in there...

 

[Moose8888]

i think it might be the oxygen thanks alot! btw where did you get your baby tears?

 

[misterking]

Have you actually tested your water parameters? How can you know it's oxygen if you haven't tested?

Low oxygen is actually also a sign of bad parameters.. eutrophication is what it's called in wild ecosystems, I won't go too far into it but ammonia-containing fertilisers get into the river systems and lakes, causing high ammonia, causing an explosion of microscopic organisms and bacteria which deplete oxygen from the water, killing fish etc etc whilst allowing algae to thrive.

It'd be a good idea to test your water. Do you have a test kit?

 

[Newman]

Test the water lol

I got my HC at my fish-only LFS.
I also ordered some off Liveaquaria.

 

[littletankbigworld]

I would make establishing your tank your first priority. Did you say 29 gallons? If so, you would need bulb(s) with a total of 145 watts to get 5 watts per gallon.


P.S. Gorgeous tank, Newman!!!!!1