(08-20-2013, 09:08 AM)cpwebsite Wrote: If you are looking with sticking between the $300 to $400 range, then you should look at a 29 gallon aquarium. Here is a sample of your costs.
$40 | Your 29 gallon aquarium.
$25 | Filter for your aquarium
$30 | Aqueon Pro 150 watt heater
$30 | Gravel for your aquarium
$30 | API Freshwater Master Test Kit
$25 | Fake plants for your aquarium
$20 | Prime Water Clarifier
$3 | 5 Gallon Bucket
$15 | Aqueon Water Changer
$100 | Lighting along with covers
Total: $315.
You can spend money of fish after this,
I personally recommend 10 cardinal tetras. 1 dwarf gourami. 1 birstlenose pleco. 4 german blue rams.
I have to disagree with your fish stock idea because of the following reasons,
1. A 29 gallon is the minimal recommended size for a Bristlenose Pleco which will become 6" long and produce a lot of poop and ammonia. You still want to add 15 other fish on the top of a Bristlenose Pleco in a minimal size of tank. It will be very like to have ammonia / nitrite spike in the aquarium, because the tank is overstocked in the term of bio-load.
2. A 29 gallon will never be enough for 4 German Blue Rams unless they are all females. If you have just one male in there, if that male pairs off with a female, they will become territorial toward the other two GBR and it won't be pretty in a 29 gallon small tank. If you have two males, they also might pair off with the two females and it will create a 2 on 2 aggression situation. So nope, I wouldn't recommend more than 2 German Blue Ram in a 29 gallon tank.
3. Dwarf Gourami can be territorial, and mine always picked on my GBR and I have a 40 gallon for them. I eventually removed the Dwarf Gourami because he would pick on and only pick on the GBR in my show tank.