29g tank question about fish stocking

[pandafishowner]

Okay, I currently have a new 29 gallon tank (which has around 25 gallons of water since I just bought it Monday and used 15 gallons established water and 10 gallons fresh). I'll be adding a big more water tomorrow night. It has a heater, filter w/bio wheel, a clam bubbler (you know, those clams that are attached to airline and a pump), and a fake plant. The rocks are the gem like stones, not gravel, I hated the way gravel looked and the way it needed to be cleaned. I have 5 guppies (1 male lyretail, 4 females) and a cory cat. I was told to get a cory cat as a bottom feeder to help keep my tank clean, and then I found out they need to be in groups of 4 or 6 (an even number so they pair off or something?).

Anyway, by the time I'm done stocking my tank, I want it to have a lot of bright fish (guppies preferably). So assuming I can find 3 more peppered cory cats to go with the peppered cory I have right now, I want to have: 4 peppered cory cats, 8 guppies (3 males, 5 females should work?) and maybe 3-6 neon tetras? Is that overstocking? Should I forgo the tetras and go with a 2-3 inch 'showpiece' fish or 2 2" fish? I'm not sure whether to follow the 1" of fish per gallon guideline, or the 1 fish per gallon guideline since I'm hoping to stick to guppies.

Suggestions. :) I know better than to buy them all at once. I'm only going to add 2 or 3 fish at a time, a few weeks apart. The original established water was 5 gallons from my tank before we moved that went into a 10 gallon tank that's been set up since December and then the other 5 gallon tank was set up as a quaratine and all levels were perfect.

[Bob I]

One fake plant is not enough:mrgreen: I have about four fake plants that I would dearly like to get rid of. Let me know if you want them.:biggrin:

[pandafishowner]

haha, I hate fake plants (and most live ones for that matter lol) :D 1 fake one is more than enough :D I'll stick with castles and such to decorate my tank with. I'll give them hiding places instead of plants to lay eggs on

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

With the fw tank, I think it is not adding old water that helps it cycle but adding a filter or filter media from an establishedtank that you're supposed to do.

[fatpuffer]

I was at BA in edm. and I saw the most colourful fish...it is called peacock gudgeon. Looks really awesome.

They also have some dwarf cichlids such as apisto cacautoides (sp?) and some less common cory cats.

Js

[pandafishowner]

True enough Seahorse, the filter is the same one from my 10g tank. I'll get the hang of details properly someday. I'll get a new filter for my 29g tank soon and then put the old filter cartridge in it because the filter I saw had space for 2 cartridges, to make changing them easier and you don't lose the bacterias you need :D