Roo

im new and not sure ive been doing some research but still dont know what would be the best fish for those sizes and i dont want to kill a bunch fish because of my ignorance, and i know its better to take your time deciding, id really appreaciate any tips people could give me

mosin360

Quite a bit can fit in a 29 or 37. Might be helpful if you get a list of 6-12 types you'd like and go from there.

bolivianbaby

Welcome to Fishlore, Roo!

What kind of fish are you interested in keeping? Once we have a few ideas, we'd be happy to help you set up a compatible stocking list.

Lord of Tetras

welcome to fishlore! i suggest having tetras or guppies in your tank. Small but colorful fish that come in many different colors, peaceful and easy to take care of

catfishlover123

Welcome to fishlore! You could fit a few cories in a 29 gallon. They are irresisteble .

mizzoufan96

Yep always the clasics. Corries/Tetras/shnails xD

jglove276

First of all welcome to Fishlore. Second research, research, research the more info you have the better your first fish experience will be. Also you may want to consider the larger tank they can be easier to maintain.

TedsTank

Welcome!!
As you are looking for tanks, IMO it is best to find the "long" version to the tank...unless you are interested in angel fish and others that get quite "tall". A 30 gal or 55 gal long tank has so much more swim room for the fish, and decorating options for you...its a win, win!!!

AlyeskaGirl

Hello & Welcome to Fishlore!

Since you are starting out I would start with a 29 gallon. It's not too small and it's not too big. You can build a nice peaceful or active community. You need to decide that first. Fish are compatible with each other. You need to research and find out how big a fish will get will full grown not when they are a baby. Some fish get big. Like the Oscar, Clown Loach, Tinfoil Barb, bala shark, Kissing Gourmai and Common Pleco. You also need to know their temperment. Some fish are aggressive & territorial, like the red tail shark, Rainbow Shark and most Cichlids. Some are nippy, like the Tiger Barb (very active) and some Tetras. You need to decide if you want sand, fine gravel or gravel for your substrate. There's also rounder more smoother pebbles you can get for a substrate. If you like the smaller Loaches for the bottom, like the Kuilli Loach they prefer sand or fine gravel. All Loaches need a soft substrate. They have skin not scales. Corydora Catfish need sand or fine gravel so they don't damage their barbels. Corys are a fun active schooling fish. Always lookin for food scraps!

Anyway, there was some things to remember. I hope it was helpful. Ask questions no matter what it is and good luck!

Roo

hey thanks for the advice i decided an got the 29 gallon and i plan to start out with 3 zebra danios 3 white clouds and as small as i can get a rainbow shark to see if i can grow it for a community tank, and would like to get cory cats to but not sure cause i would like to use aquarium salt, all i have right now is very basic tank setup i dont even have gravel yet im unsure if i want to go with a few types of scaleless fish i think u can mix scales and noscales? im doing research but cant find good info,

some of the big questions i have are:

is there a such thing as over oxidation?

is that too many fish to start with or could i get away with more?
(so u know i dont have any fish yet)

will sand or fine gravel destroy my filter even if i wait for the tank to settel befor putting my filter back on?

if a firends tank got ICH and he gave me some old decor would there be a chance of my tank getting it easier or vise'versa if i boiled them before?

will putting your fish that arnt natural to pitch black in to that kind of darkness hurt or cause health problems and can or should i get some kind of colered night light?

please bare with me if my questions sound kind of dumb i am new to this and learning alot, id appreaciate any hepful info and thanks alot for all an any of the help u give or gave

potatos

I have not heard of over oxidation

i would not add that many fish immediatly. do you know about the nitrogen cycle? it is EXTREMELY important, and if you do not cycle your tank, your fish will get stressed and probably die (new tank syndrome)

if you boil the decor, i imagine it would kill the ich, but i dont know for sure. if your friend has a desies free tank, you should ask him for some other media (gravel, old filter, fake plants) they will have the benificel bacteria vital to the nitrogen cycle, and will help your tank cycle faster, so you can add fish sooner.

i have never heard of fish suffering due to night time darkness, as long as they get enough light in the day

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

the rainbow shark is like the red tailed shark, they take the bottom as their territory and can be aggressive. i dont know how they would tolerate corys, who are also bottom dwellers. if you want a peaceful community tank, i would suggest a different fish

Roo

is there anyway to use a filter from smaller size behind a new filter i dont know anyone close enough to get my size?

yea ive been reading up on the the cycling process i jus thought since i have a bigger tank maybe i could get more, oh well thanks for the info really good to know

are there any middile and bottom dewellers that would be suitiable with a rainbow shark

i still dont have any fish but am really interested rainbowsharks and was thinking of maybe trying for a semi aggereseve comunity but not sure if that would be good for a beginer or at all i jus read about it while researching fish

GaryS

If this is your first tank, i would recommend guppies, swordtails, corys and serpae tetra and danios. Remember to cycle your tank to give all new additions a chance to survive. By a few at a time abd see how it goes. add more in a few weeks.

kcarmartinez

Sand won't kill your filter, you might just need to clean off the impeller if it gets stuck in there. I have heard Pool Filter Sand is a little heavier so won't kick up as much. Also be careful with coral sand or aragonite... they raise your pH (which is good for some fish like some Cichlids).
I would definitely boil the decoration to make sure there is no Ich hanging on. You could also try a bleach bath for a few minutes (1 part bleach to 19 parts water).
If you have room you could put a friends used filter cartridge (disease free tank) behind the new filter cartride in you filter. It would get you started, you would still have to feed the tank and keep an I on your ammonia. The less fish the easier it is to maintain, so take it slow and get use to it.
As for a rainbow shark, I am pretty sure I read they need a 55 gallon or larger because of there territorialness. 55G has a 48" footprint. Maybe some others with experience with rainbow sharks can give their opinions on that.

aquarist48

Welcome to Fish Lore Roo!
I hope you enjoy the site.
Ken