It's good to ask up front. Personally for a beginner I think it's better to go fresh as it's easier to go fresh, and cheaper. There is more hardware and upfront expense in salt, and mistakes are usually pricier, lots, lots pricier.
It's up to you what sort of fish you like, and if you want colour or behaviour or whatever. I guess you need to trundle round and look at what you like. If you're asking question now I'd assume you're fairly smart. Go to a good fish shop, not petsmart, and see what cichlid fish they have. In a 29 you can keep some fish like julidochromis or neolamprologus, maybe a pair of each (thoguh sexing is difficult). Look at cichlidae.com or cichlidrecipe.com for pictures, or search on those genus names. I think that these can make good fish for a person who wold soon find pretty little community fish boring. There are also numerous cichlids and interesting catfish from S America, but you won't get many in a 29. Resist the urge to get any fish that reach more than 4 inches in lengh. Fish grow quickly, and they don't stop when you have a small tank. So no oscars.
Also lok at fish profiles here, and ask questions in the cichlid forum. Also feel free to totally disregard this! Good luck
