# 29 gallon Angelfish tank



## thefishnoob (Jul 12, 2014)

Hi guys. I want to explore the possibilities of a 29 gallon planted angelfish tank.

I was thinking basic. Low light, possibly plain gravel.

In a planted tank, are gravel vacuums necessary? I cant imagine trying to vacuum the substrate with all the plants in the way and not messing them up. How does substrate cleaning work?

Any cheap, but plant friendly substrates out there? Since a 29 needs quite alot of substrate, I need something cheap.

Would 2 angels work?

For plants: Amazon Swords, Wisteria/Water sprite, possibly Frogbit. I'll find some nice looking red plants as well. Suggestions? I dont want to do any more floating plants. :help: 

Ill also try to find a large piece of driftwood for the tank. All my wood is small and wont fill up the aquarium

I have a Sun Sun 260 GPH canister filter, as well as 4 smaller HOBs that I plan on taking out. The SunSun works fine. A question: how do you safely remove the top for maintenance? Turn it off, then what? I dont want a terrible mess.

Lighting: I have a 24" (I think) florescent fixture. What bulb should I get?

Anything I'm missing?


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## Midnighttide102 (Oct 2, 2014)

Your not keeping many full grown angels in a 29G honestly I wouldnt go anymore then 4 and that's kinda even pushing it 2 would be much better


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## thefishnoob (Jul 12, 2014)

Yeah, I said 2. 2 it is


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Plants will grow in gravel, though finer substrates are better for many plants. If you like the look of gravel, are you OK with the finest gravel? 

A 29 is a small tank, does not take much substrate. However, here is a formula: A 29 gallon standard tank is 2.5' x 1' = 2.5 square feet. For 1" deep substrate use .2 cubic feet of gravel. This is about 20 lbs. 
A very good source of gravel is stores that sell to masons, landscapers and similar. Stone used in the landscape can be used in aquariums, but test it first.

I like the effect of Safe-T-Sorb both on the water chemistry (removes the KH, allowing the pH to drop- good for Angels, but some water does not need this; it is soft enough already) and the looks- soft tan-grey-brown, very natural looking IMO. It is available at Tractor Supply. It is less dense than gravel, one bag is way more than you will need for a 29 gallon tank. 

Do not gravel vac near the plant roots. If you have an area of the tank without plants, then you can vacuum a bit deeper there, but near the plants you will just skim the surface of the substrate. 

A 29 is good for Angels. Some Angels will claim the whole tank as their territory, and not allow other fish. Other Angels are OK with some other fish, perhaps Cories, or a small school of something large enough not to get eaten. These other fish (including Cories) might eat the Angels' eggs, though. So if you want to breed Angels do not add any tank mates. 
Since Angels thrive in very warm water make sure your other fish do too. 

If you want to look for gravel at a rock yard:
Take several zip-lock baggies and a sharpie marker with you. 
Take samples of each rock that interests you. Label the baggie. 
Take the rock home and test like this:
Put some rock in a jar with the water you will be using in the tank. 
Test the water first for GH, KH, pH and TDS (if you have a meter). 
Test again the next day, then a day later, then a week later. 
If the parameters have changed in just a day or two I would not use this rock for Angels. It will probably make the water too hard, and there will be too much variation in the water parameters when you do a water change. 
If you see small or no change, even after a week, then that is a good rock for soft water fish.


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## ichthyogeek (Jul 9, 2014)

I suggest Alternanthera reineckii for a red plant, you can find it TC at most Petsmarts.

Will this be a species tank?


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## thefishnoob (Jul 12, 2014)

Im aiming for larger gravel because it doesnt get sucked up by my vacuum. However if I go with finer gravel do I need to vacuum if I plant it heavily enough?

I hope for it to be a species tank.


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## Lectraplayer (Sep 21, 2014)

I would go up to pea gravel (common aquarium gravel) with plants. ...though sand is less of a maintinence issue with plants as the crud doesn't go in like it does with gravel. Just don't plow as deep near the plants to keep from digging them up. (I do that all the time in gravel, I'm OCD at keeping it clean).

To vacuum sand, you go just over the top by about a quarter inch. It takes practice.


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## thefishnoob (Jul 12, 2014)

Sounds good. I've had sand for half a year on one of my tanks, and I hated it. Algae grew on top, and EVERY water change I would clog up my toilet. Sand is on my badside. Now, I just dont vacuum it. Shrimps are fine!


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

Pool filter sand is a pretty cheap, plant friendly substrate. Planted tanks generally don't need gravel vacuuming as the fish waste is used by the plants. Gravel vacuums are usually used to skim the top of the substrate for debris, but it's not a requirement. Too, when you have plants all in the tank it's practically impossible to maneuver that vacuum around to get every nook and cranny without messing up/uprooting the plants.


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## thefishnoob (Jul 12, 2014)

I might do that! Just a matter of finding pfs. Anybody from NYC know where I can pick up a bag? That sounds good. I probably wont be doing any vacuuming in that case.


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## mattjm20 (Nov 2, 2013)

I had two fully grown angels in a 90G tank and I felt like it was too small for them. You cannot put even one in a 29G. Research the fish you want...

Bump:


Diana said:


> Plants will grow in gravel, though finer substrates are better for many plants. If you like the look of gravel, are you OK with the finest gravel?
> 
> A 29 is a small tank, does not take much substrate. However, here is a formula: A 29 gallon standard tank is 2.5' x 1' = 2.5 square feet. For 1" deep substrate use .2 cubic feet of gravel. This is about 20 lbs.
> A very good source of gravel is stores that sell to masons, landscapers and similar. Stone used in the landscape can be used in aquariums, but test it first.
> ...


I'm baffled. You're a person who seems to know just about everything there is to know in this hobby... and you just said a 29G is good for angels? I'm not trying to be mean but honestly have you owned angels? Even forgetting the breeding and territory disputes, multiple angels in a 29 is just a bad idea...


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

The problems with angels come when they mature and reach mating age. So that if you put 2 juveniles in there, you face the real possibility that you have two males. They love water changes, so the bigger and more frequent, the better size they'll attain in a 20G. A sorority tank is usually the most level-tempered scenario. So that if you start with juveniles, you should have a disaster plan worked out in your head. Spare tank, store that will take one, friend that will re-home him, etc.

It's rather common to house mated angel pairs in a 20H as the only inhabitants. I have several. But adding anything else to the mix is just asking for trouble.


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