Stocking a 29 Gallon Planted Tank

[Chris's Fishes]

Hello! I just finished cutting apart a 29 gallon that I got for basically free, and am waiting on supplies to arrive for me to rebuild and repair it. This tank will become my macroalgae display, which is currently housed in a 10 gallon. I have a brand new Valentini Puffer who's basically QT'ing in that 10 gallon, and will be added to the 29. None of the rock will be added to the 29 (so medications shouldn't be an issue), but surprisingly enough, I think I have a healthy fish. I've seen no signs of internal parasites or otherwise, which is pretty great considering the luck I've had in the past!

 

With that Valentini Puffer, I was wondering if I could get away with a dwarf angel. Maybe a Pygmy, or perhaps a Coral Beauty. I'd like to explore non-reef-safe options, as I won't be housing any coral in this tank, nor will I be adding any inverts that I want to keep. Anything that goes in there will probably be food. If not, an angel, does anyone have other suggestions?

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Fisker said:

Hello! I just finished cutting apart a 29 gallon that I got for basically free, and am waiting on supplies to arrive for me to rebuild and repair it. This tank will become my macroalgae display, which is currently housed in a 10 gallon. I have a brand new Valentini Puffer who's basically QT'ing in that 10 gallon, and will be added to the 29. None of the rock will be added to the 29 (so medications shouldn't be an issue), but surprisingly enough, I think I have a healthy fish. I've seen no signs of internal parasites or otherwise, which is pretty great considering the luck I've had in the past!

 

With that Valentini Puffer, I was wondering if I could get away with a dwarf angel. Maybe a Pygmy, or perhaps a Coral Beauty. I'd like to explore non-reef-safe options, as I won't be housing any coral in this tank, nor will I be adding any inverts that I want to keep. Anything that goes in there will probably be food. If not, an angel, does anyone have other suggestions?

How about a Falco Hawkfish? I have one in a nanotank and he's a badass. Can't keep anything except for an equally crazy Clarkii with him, but I love the way he perches on anything and everything. He's colorful too. 

 

Another option is a Lizard Blenny - a bit unique, but a carnivore. 

[Chris's Fishes]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I actually really like the Falco, but I'm wary of hawkfish with something like my puffer. Are they overly aggressive? Are they going to be active? 

 

As for the lizard blenny, awesome fish. Not really looking for something that's going to hide a ton though.

[Snow_Phoenix]

10 hours ago, Fisker said:

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I actually really like the Falco, but I'm wary of hawkfish with something like my puffer. Are they overly aggressive? Are they going to be active? 

 

As for the lizard blenny, awesome fish. Not really looking for something that's going to hide a ton though.

They're quite active. At full health, you'll find them constantly perching on things and up and about. I have no experience keeping a SW puffer though, so I'm not sure how it would react with a Falco. 🤔

[Chris's Fishes]

After actually watching some videos, they seem a lot more active than I initially thought. That said, I've only ever seen hawkfish in stores, so I'm not surprised they're not especially active there.

 

That still doesn't solve the aggression issue though. I know Falcos are less aggressive than most hawkfish, but I've seen people talking about them attacking and killing fish even in larger tanks - I might be willing to try it with an equally aggressive fish, but I doubt this puffer would ever do much more than some light fin nipping. I might pass on the hawkfish, for that reason.

 

I'm still interested in a Cherub Angel (I love angels, just never really had a tank big enough for one). Is a 29 big enough for a Cherub, or would something bigger be required? I've heard various opinions on this.

[Snow_Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Fisker said:

After actually watching some videos, they seem a lot more active than I initially thought. That said, I've only ever seen hawkfish in stores, so I'm not surprised they're not especially active there.

 

That still doesn't solve the aggression issue though. I know Falcos are less aggressive than most hawkfish, but I've seen people talking about them attacking and killing fish even in larger tanks - I might be willing to try it with an equally aggressive fish, but I doubt this puffer would ever do much more than some light fin nipping. I might pass on the hawkfish, for that reason.

 

I'm still interested in a Cherub Angel (I love angels, just never really had a tank big enough for one). Is a 29 big enough for a Cherub, or would something bigger be required? I've heard various opinions on this.

Depends on the dimensions of your 29G. If it's a 29G long, I think it should be alright. 

[Chris's Fishes]

11 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Depends on the dimensions of your 29G. If it's a 29G long, I think it should be alright. 

It's a standard 29G - 30"x12"x18". 

[Snow_Phoenix]

4 minutes ago, Fisker said:

It's a standard 29G - 30"x12"x18". 

Should be ok. 👍

[Tamberav]

Cherub angels can also be one of the most aggressive dwarfs, just letting you know since you seemed cautious about the hawkfish. 

 

5 hours ago, Fisker said:

After actually watching some videos, they seem a lot more active than I initially thought. That said, I've only ever seen hawkfish in stores, so I'm not surprised they're not especially active there.

 

That still doesn't solve the aggression issue though. I know Falcos are less aggressive than most hawkfish, but I've seen people talking about them attacking and killing fish even in larger tanks - I might be willing to try it with an equally aggressive fish, but I doubt this puffer would ever do much more than some light fin nipping. I might pass on the hawkfish, for that reason.

 

I'm still interested in a Cherub Angel (I love angels, just never really had a tank big enough for one). Is a 29 big enough for a Cherub, or would something bigger be required? I've heard various opinions on this.

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

10 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Cherub angels can also be one of the most aggressive dwarfs, just letting you know since you seemed cautious about the hawkfish. 

 

 

Damn. And here I was thinking 'cherubs' were one of the nicer ones. 😔

 

Maybe a flame or Coral Beauty then, OP?

[Chris's Fishes]

5 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Cherub angels can also be one of the most aggressive dwarfs, just letting you know since you seemed cautious about the hawkfish. 

 

 

I actually had no idea that Cherubs were more aggressive - I guess I equated their reputation of being more reef-safe than other dwarf angels as code for being less aggressive as well.

 

5 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Damn. And here I was thinking 'cherubs' were one of the nicer ones. 😔

 

Maybe a flame or Coral Beauty then, OP?

Believe it or not, Coral Beauties were the fish that I saw and was like "I'm gonna have one of those one day." I LOVE those fish, but have never wanted to risk a reef for one and have never had a non-coral tank big enough. Is a 29 big enough? I have no doubt I can keep up with bioload, but I've seen differing opinions on whether or not a 30" tank would actually be okay. Personally, I've never seen one in person bigger than 2" or so, as the only store that stocks them near me only gets in juvies. I'm leaning towards an angel being a bit cramped (especially the dwarf varieties), so maybe a pygmy or another fish altogether would be a better choice. Overall, I want my fish to be comfortable and healthy.

 

Fish I had considered:

 

Chalk Bass

Lantern Bass

Pair of Blue Gudgeon Gobies

Pair of Yellow Clown Gobies

[Tamberav]

I would consider a 30g-ish bare min with it being a bit cramped for an adult. A 40 breeder would be a nice min size. 

 

 

 

 

[Chris's Fishes]

I think I'll steer away from an angel then, for now. Maybe once I'm in a bigger place with more space to devote I'll be able to get one!

 

Are Valentinis truly as nippy as people are saying? If they're going to nip at even short-finned fish, I'm thinking that I might just stick with the puffer and call it quits.