Setting Up First Aquarium. Do My Plans Make Sense?

So I just made my intro post. My homeschooled almost 6 year old and I are setting up a 29G aquarium as a mom/daughter project. We're following the instructions found on this site for cycling using TSS with fish. Right now our tank is in the run for 24 hours with Prime part of the instructions. We should be adding TSS and the first fish this evening or tomorrow. At this point everything seems to be going as expected, and we will be testing the water again before adding TSS.

We tested with the API master test kit before adding Prime and the parameters were:
pH: 7.6
High Range pH: 7.8
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm

We are also waiting for a GH/KH test kit to be delivered today.

We have a plan of what we would like to eventually have in this tank. I wanted to check here that we are on the right track? Our pH is a little high for the angelfish my daughter eventually wants, but it is within range of the profiles for everything else we would like to eventually have in the tank. We plan to add the angelfish very last so I think we have loads of time to work on that if we need to by then?

Our water temp has settled to 75

What we would like to see in the finished tank:
1 - angelfish - my daughter is especially taken with these guys
3-4 - Mickey Mouse platies
3-4 - male guppies
1 - bristle nose pleco

Is this too much for the finished established tank?

I was thinking we would start with the platies? Is 3-4 enough to get the tank started with TSS? Then add the guppies after the tank is established. Then a few weeks later the pleco, and finally a small angelfish. I've read that the angelfish will eat smaller fish, but I've also read where a lot of people had good luck keeping guppies with the angelfish if they started the angelfish small with mature guppies? I've talked this over with my daughter. She is fairly mature for her age and has been around farm animals her whole life. She has a firm grasp on the idea that some animals eat others and is game to try the angelfish with the others if it can be done.

Any suggestions?

 

It's great that you are embarking on this journey together and being conscientious about it. I will let others with more experience answer questions about stocking and compatibility. However, platies and guppies are livebearers. If you have a mix of male and females, you may get quite an overload of fry very quickly. Just something to consider. As for TSS+ to start your tank, I used it with success, and added 3 fish at a time. (I have tetras) in approximately 2 week intervals. I also had a quarantine tank, not sure if you are planning that. Others will be along with more advice, and good luck!

 

It's great that you are embarking on this journey together and being conscientious about it. I will let others with more experience answer questions about stocking and compatibility. However, platies and guppies are livebearers. If you have a mix of male and females, you may get quite an overload of fry very quickly. Just something to consider. As for TSS+ to start your tank, I used it with success, and added 3 fish at a time. (I have tetras) in approximately 2 week intervals. I also had a quarantine tank, not sure if you are planning that. Others will be along with more advice, and good luck!

Thanks! Yes! I know they're live bearers! My goal would be to try to have only male platies and guppies. I did mean to add that to the post! I had read that the platies were more likely to eat their own fry, and honestly that was one of the reasons I'd wanted to start with them as I have a harder time telling the male and female platy apart than I do the male and female guppies!

 

So I just made my intro post. My homeschooled almost 6 year old and I are setting up a 29G aquarium as a mom/daughter project. We're following the instructions found on this site for cycling using TSS with fish. Right now our tank is in the run for 24 hours with Prime part of the instructions. We should be adding TSS and the first fish this evening or tomorrow. At this point everything seems to be going as expected, and we will be testing the water again before adding TSS.

We tested with the API master test kit before adding Prime and the parameters were:
pH: 7.6
High Range pH: 7.8
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm

We are also waiting for a GH/KH test kit to be delivered today.

We have a plan of what we would like to eventually have in this tank. I wanted to check here that we are on the right track? Our pH is a little high for the angelfish my daughter eventually wants, but it is within range of the profiles for everything else we would like to eventually have in the tank. We plan to add the angelfish very last so I think we have loads of time to work on that if we need to by then?

Our water temp has settled to 75

What we would like to see in the finished tank:
1 - angelfish - my daughter is especially taken with these guys
3-4 - Mickey Mouse platies
3-4 - male guppies
1 - bristle nose pleco

Is this too much for the finished established tank?

I was thinking we would start with the platies? Is 3-4 enough to get the tank started with TSS? Then add the guppies after the tank is established. Then a few weeks later the pleco, and finally a small angelfish. I've read that the angelfish will eat smaller fish, but I've also read where a lot of people had good luck keeping guppies with the angelfish if they started the angelfish small with mature guppies? I've talked this over with my daughter. She is fairly mature for her age and has been around farm animals her whole life. She has a firm grasp on the idea that some animals eat others and is game to try the angelfish with the others if it can be done.

Any suggestions?

I think this plan is pretty solid! I have doubts on the angelfish but it may do well, and your stocking sounds great otherwise, a bristlenose pleco is a great idea too! They are very funny fish and I know my little sister love watching mine!

 

I think this plan is pretty solid! I have doubts on the angelfish but it may do well, and your stocking sounds great otherwise, a bristlenose pleco is a great idea too! They are very funny fish and I know my little sister love watching mine!

If the angelfish DOES work out would having it and the pleco with the platies and guppies be too much fish for this size tank or is it doable as long as we stay on top of it?

 

I think it is very doable! I personally have a 20 gallon with 1 bristlenose pleco, 3 black skirt tetras, 4 serpae tetras, and an opaline gourami so with 29 it should be fine as long as you're 100% sure you got a bristlenose and not a common pleco and know your angelfish won't get very large.

 

Angel fish can get large, large as an average hand.

In my opinion I don’t think any pleco should be anything less than a 50 gallon due to its bio load (again only an opinion).

 

My only concern is that Angels and Platys preferer different temperatures. Platys are happiest and healthiest at about 74 degrees max and Angels need water at 78 degrees or so. That doesn't sound like a lot but to a fish it is long term.

If you want the Angel you should probably forego the platy's. Guppies will be fine.

Size wise a 29 is fine for a single Angel and a bn or clown pleco.

 

I work at a LFS, and I'm blown away at your level of understanding for keeping fish. We have parents come in all the time looking to set up tanks with their children, though usually they expect to go home with a ready made fish tank...and are disappointed when we tell them their children will have to wait and cannot have a comet goldfish in a plastic bowl..

ANYWAY. You're doing everything correctly. I would advise to start with the platy's. They're the hardiest fish that you've listed and a few will do fine for starting the aquarium. I have 2 Bristlenose in a 45gal with 3 very large goldfish. I agree with fashooga in that plecos produce a ton of waste, however, I haven't had any issues with my (overstocked) tank so I think you would be okay with just 1 in a 29, and Bristlenoses stay about 4-6 in so he'll have enough space.

The angel will get big but 29G are usually higher. AND if you're only planning on stocking what you've listed, the tank will be far from overstocked (unless the livebearers procreate). So I think you will be fine with what you've planned. A little note about angelfish...they can be pretty delicate. I've had 3 so far and each one was healthy and had grown about 3-4 inch in diameter (just the body, excluding the fins), before getting sick with some kind of mouth ailment and declining in health. Maybe it was just my tank water, but angels come from similar waters as discus fish do. Doesn't necessarily mean they're as delicate as discus but I would consider them comparable. Just keep up on water changes every other week once the tank is established and you shouldn't have any issues.

Note on livebearer procreation, many stores house males and females together. I know how to sex really any livebearer, it's very easy to do (google: how to sex livebearer fish), but some chain stores don't require their employees to know the difference. I'd recommend learning how to tell for yourself. And if you're looking to avoid procreation in your tank, only buy males.

With female livebearers, once they're fertilized by a male, the males sperm can stay with the female for months. So even if you only have females in the tank, they can still have broods for possibly up to 6months after initial fertilization. Gestation period is anywhere from 28-32 days, and they can have anywhere from 20-80+ fry at one time (older/bigger the female=the more babies she can have). If you leave the fry in the tank, they may be eaten by the parents and other fish. If they have places to hide though, an average of 6-10 fry may survive each time...

 

The only thing I would add is not to worry about your water for the angel. I have similar water to yours and my veil tail is doing very well when it isn't trying to find every sharp part of driftwood or rocks.

I second the order you put the fish in. Keep an eye on your current when you're observing your fish. The angel won't do well with current, especially the juveniles. Don't get overly concerned if you do have significant current as it's easy to baffle. If you're getting an angel smaller than a couple of inches I would suggest making a prefilter as well.