how many fish fit in 29tank?

[tang daddy]

as many have said it really depends on the fish.... I usually do 1 fish to 10g

I had about 6 fish to a 50g breeder 4 anthias 2 wrasses

it all depends but fish definately need their own space even gobies I say stick with nano fish and watch out for the agressive species...

If you add a dottyback, pygmy angel, six line wrasse or damsel it will really limit other fish as those species are somewhat aggressive and pick on the otherfish until they starve or ultimately jump out of the tank!

these are some of the fish I would consider for a 29g....

red wheeler goby
tail spot blennie
long nose hawkfish
purple firefish
pearly jawfish (you will need a cover as these fish are jumpers)
mandarin goby
jans pipefish


also a fire shrimp

from experience I have had good ones with keeping all those together although adding aggressive fish can most times make all the other fish hide!

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by xtreme

I think that rule is ok for freshwater but not for saltwater.

I have always followed this rule, and found it within salty information... Again as I stated it is just my recommendation, but please do your research.

you will be one with your tank, you will know if it is happy or not, so as you can see, various opinions, you will develop yours as well over time.

Isn't this a great hobby!

[skabooya]

That 1" fish per gallon rule is outdated and incorrect for saltwater AND freshwater. Stupid stupid rule. If that was true you could keep freshwater: oscar 12" in a 12 gallon tank. or saltwater: dwarf angel 3-4" in a 4 gal tank. PLEASE! so dumb.
Think of the fish's adult size and the swimming space they need.

I have a 28 gal long macro algae reef tank. Currently housing 2 percs and a pep shrimp and some coral.
I will be adding a skunk cleaner, and possibly some sexys and either a coral beauty and a couple (2 gobies) OR a group of gobies (3-4) with sexy shrimp.

Like another said. It depends on what you want to do with your tank. If your going with coral that like low nutrients then keep only a few fish. If you have a skimmer you can add a couple more. Macro algae, a couple more. Keep adult fish size in mind. Nothing too big.

You really have to do your research. find out what kind of tank you want to keep first and then decide on fish to fit your habititat.

Ultimately i think you can fit 4 in there pretty good ex 2 clowns, goby and a 6 line wrasse or
a group of gobies, or 1 4" fish some people keep fu manchu lions or a frogfish in tanks this size. Stick with fish that can do well in nanos.

Again, do your research and find out what kind of tank you want first before selecting fish.

[fiorano]

i agree with that rule being stupid... i follow more of a 1" of fish for every 5 gallons... maybe start with that then you will know if you can fit more by how relaxed and happy your fish seem. or if your bioload seems to high or not. some things you have to just figure out as they change from tank to tank and depending on the species

[globaldesigns]

Wow, you know what, why even post on this forum, so many threads with so many bashes...

Remember people, what others may say is just information, do with it how you wish, but if you are going to say something in return about it, you need to think before you type... I find this forum very abusive towards many (including me)... Time for all of us to sit back and think about what canreef.com is about. It is way to easy to hide behind anomynity, and users tend to forget that we are all people behind the avatars... So treat someone like you will want to be treated.

Sorry for going off topic, back to what this thread is about... How many fish in a 29G tank.

The rule may be outdated but may not be. It will depend on the setup, filtration and so forth. I can tell you this in my big setup, alot of you will say that I have WAYYYYY TOOOO MUCH, but again... I have invested the dollars in top gear and doing the best of my knowledge with no real issues or impact to the environment.

It is up to the thread creator to read all posts and come up with their own plan of attack being 1 fish per 5 gallons, or 10. 1 inch of fish per gallon or whatever they decide.

Lets all just have fun!!!

[trinac]

I currently have a maroon clown, and mandarin goby in my 30G. I've had as many as 7 fish in this tank... lol. The water quality degraded enough that one of my corals was supremely offended, so I rearranged things, the coral approves. I will be only adding one more fish to this tank - just waiting for a super cool fish that will grow less than 3".

What I would suggest is to figure out if you want to have a reef aquarium or mainly fish only aquarium. If you want have a reef aquarium you'll have to keep the bioload on the lower side, or your corals will protest and probably die. And then of course, with a fish only aquarium you can get more.

As Rick mentioned, your equipment will also play a part in your capacity. If you have a wicked awesome skimmer, biopellets and the 9 yards you'll be able to squeeze more in. I don't have the 9 yards, I go with more run of mill kind of equipment and it does the job. If I was still saving up for the best I would be putting fish in my tank in about 2 years... Your capacity will also depend on your natural biofiltration - live rock, live sand, biostars or whatever in your mechanical filtration system. Canister filters have a bit of a bad rap for being known as nitrate producers or whatever. A mechanical filtration system will trap poop, food, dead things etc. If the filter is not cleaned, then of course nitrates will be produced as the things decompose, so if you can, clean your filter 1 / week. I am totally off topic, I apologize.

Good luck in your fish purchasing!!

[Capt_kulafu]

@trinac
as of now i have HOB CPR bakpak 2 skimmer!! so do i need also a mechanical filtration?

[trinac]

Its up to you if you want one or not. In a mechanical filtration system it will catch the particles in the water, and you can also add in additional biofiltration media, and a lot of people put activated carbon in a mechanical filter. Activated carbon will keep your water clear as well as removing any odours and absorbs coral chemical defense.

You can go for a really inexpensive hang on the back too for these, or a canister. Canisters are more expensive and I feel like people kind of forget about them - hence the reputation of nitrate producers. They work very well so they have to be cleaned out regularly. I know some people put smashed up rock instead of the foam pads. I am not sure this is as effective for removing particulates, but its more biofiltration and less maintenance.

[Capt_kulafu]

thanks trina for info!!!

[skabooya]

Originally Posted by skabooya

That 1" fish per gallon rule is outdated and incorrect for saltwater AND freshwater. Stupid stupid rule. If that was true you could keep freshwater: oscar 12" in a 12 gallon tank. or saltwater: dwarf angel 3-4" in a 4 gal tank. PLEASE! so dumb.
Think of the fish's adult size and the swimming space they need.

I never said you were stupid or dumb. Only that the rule was. Im sorry that you found that to be offensive or abusive. I never meant for it to be. I still agree with what I said about the rule but perhaps I could have worded it different. Again sorry for the missunderstanding.