Is 29 Gallon Tank Worth It ?

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade my existing 29 gallon , the 29 gallon is not allowing me to enjoy the hobby as there are way too many restrictions , and most importantly even a slight change in water chemistry seems to impact the fish badly ...

I seem to be spending too much on maintaining water quality , I have almost the entire range of seachem products with me now ...

I even do over filtration still some problems keep propping up from time to time...

I have a place in room where I can adjust a 60 inch long tank, can you guys suggest the best dimension with max water capacity so I can experiment with fish stockings and also not be too worried about minor changes in water chemistry due to high volume of water...

Thanks
David

 

I don't know why people keep having issues with small tanks. I have a 5 gallon and 10 gallon with no issues so far and it's not hard to maintain good water quality at all :/

 

HI there. Sorry to hear you have a hard time with your water.

I don't know where to go in a profile to find your tank details (ph, kh etc) and your stocking and your water change schedule. Lots of folks on here are able to help when we have a bit more information.

It would also be interesting to hear if you have tested your tap water and if you have ever noticed if it changes from time to time.

For some of us the conditions of our water supply mean we just do have to do a lot of treatment or conditioning of water before it can go in the tank, and that means buying products. I personally have to treat with Seachem alkaline buffer every single time.

Without knowing a bit more about what's going on in the 29 gallon, it's hard to say if the problems will go away with a bigger tank.

But gosh you could have a lot of fun with a 60 inch tank!

 

Hill Dweller - Thanks , I have 3 gold fish about 3-4 inches in there , I use aquaclear 70 , a jumbo sponge filter, water change every 10 days (30%) ...

My well water has .25 ammonia, so I add prime ...

Recently as I removed my activated carbon my tank went through a minI cycle , I am adding seachem prime, seachem stress guard , seachem stability right now ...My last ammonia reading was between .5ppm to 1 ppm

So how many gallons are considered a safe buffer from such issues that one faces with small tanks , can u please suggest like 180 gallon, 280 , 300 etc...

Mary765 .. Well I guess sometimes it works but sometimes not, may be having a bigger volulme will allow me to keep some bigger less skittish fishes as well ...Thanks

David

 

I think the first thing you need to do, is research very thoroughly before getting new fish. Of course, you're having water problems. Three goldfish in a 29 gallon is quite overstocked. That makes it harder on YOU. A 29 gallon is a great little tank .. you just made it very hard by choosing the wrong fish for it. I have 3 goldfish (all fancies .. I assume you have fancies and not commons). They are in a 46 gallon. You can see why you would be having such a hard time.

Just having more water doesn't mean that any fish will work. You will still need to figure out which ones can exist in that tank, at what temperature, and compatible to which other fish. Decide what fish you like/want, then research and find out what you need to do to keep them in the best possible condition.

 

Galathiel - Thanks, yes 2 are comets and other one is the same as you see in my profile pic...
So why people always say you need big tank for better chances of avoiding any water quality issues in case you end up unknowingly make a mistake ...

So for my current minicycle I am using prime, stressguard and stability , is that enough ? Kindly suggest ...

David

 

It's not just about water quality issues. Long-term, your comets will not do well in the tank. A healthy comet gets quite large and in your tank, just can't reach their full growth and will become stunted (that's not healthy for the fish). If you want to keep your comets and keep them healthy and happy, then you really need to get a small pool to keep them in .. at least 100 gallons.

Right now, you probably need to do at least 3 water changes a week ... of at least 50 percent, maybe more. They will still become stunted, however, due to lack of room.

 

Galathiel , Thanks , so a 5 feet long 2.5 feet tall and 2 feet deep tank with about 190 gallon , will that be enough because I am looking for an upgrade, kindly suggest ...

David

 

Sounds like with that stocking you and Galthiel are both thinking towards the outcome of a bigger tank (or a pond)

So yes, in this case a much larger volume of water will help you smooth out some of the issues for keeping these particular fish. I hope you enjoy planning the new build!

 

If you would like to continue keeping commons/comet goldfish, then yes, then a 190 gallon tank would be wonderful for the ones you have. Here's an information sheet on them. You can see the size of some of the adult singletail goldfish ... they're enormous! What Size Tank for Goldfish? - INJAF

 

If you would like to keep goldfish then you are correct in thinking you will need a larger tank.
Given you can fit a 60" long tank you will probably looking for tanks that are around 100 gallons (60×18×20) 120 Gallon (60×18×26) 145 gallon (60×18×30) 150 gallon (60×24×24).
Now these other two are even bigger but they are not common shapes these dimension tanks are made in so you'd be shelling out a good hunk of change because you'll probably never ever see these on craigslist. 185 tall is 60×24×30 and a 225 tall is 60×24×36.

Honestly goldfish do best in a pond. Which is a fun DIY project where you can create something with far more gallons than any of these tanks, for far cheaper than it would likely be to get any of these up and running.
Then you'd have a 29 which could be properly stocked so it wouldn't constantly be giving you a headache with chemistry swings.

 

Galathiel -thanks, that was a wonderful link, I have bookmarked it, indeed they grow huge , no wonder with so much filtration still its not enough ....
I will get a bigger tank soon and hopefully that will be great ...

Nataku - som e very valuable info there again, I will go with 60×24×24 seems the best choice, some days still before I make a purchase, as I will need atleast 2 more Aquaclear 110 along with the one aquaclear 70 I have and the sponge filter as well, not to mention about 20kg worth of gravel along with the current I have ...

I will keep updated ... thanks a lot..

David

 

Welcome of course and good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Also as far as filtration goes, for such a large tank you should really look into a sump.
Here's a couple links to get you going on those.



Some Sump Basics - Reef Aquarium

 

Nataku - thanks , the tank is going to be in my living room, will the sump not make too much noise , also what about smell..

David

 

The sump will sit under the tank in the stand. Most stands have doors so you won't even see the sump. And no I find a properly set up sump to be no more noisy than a HOB. Some even quieter. The occasional sounds of some tricks king water, but it tends to be muffled by being inside the stand.
Also no, they don't smell unless you have some massive imbalances in your tank like a bunch of dead fish.