Carp In Tropical Water?

jackson 10

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my friend has 2 small koi carp in his tropical tank and he sais that they are brilliant in there because they eat all the nasty stuf which usualy sits on the bottom of fish tanks..basically he said that they keep it very clean and there brilliant with all his tropical fish...just wondering is it a good idea to have 1 or maybe 2 small koi carp in my tank as my gravel is constatalyy getin dirty with unwated food etc ...

cheers
 
Koi Carp are LAKE fish. You will never be able to find an aquarium big enough to house them.


If you are looking for bottom feeders, try Corys.


If your tank is big enough, maybe a Plec.
 
even a small tank can accomadate a pleco (but they are MEAN!! waste producers) a tank of 60 litres plus can have a pleco, in a 60 litre you can have a bristle nose pleco L182, but if your tanks is smaller than this a shoal of 6 ottos is a nice addtion to any small tank, there great little guys.

im sure inchworm will be along, to help you out as she knows alot about bottom feeding species
 
Thank you, truckasauras123 :)


Hi jackson 10 :)

Koi are lovely fish but there are good reasons why they shouldn't be kept in a tank with tropical fish. First, they thrive in cooler water than tropicals do. In warmer temperatures their, normally long, life expectancy will be shortened.

Second, Koi are very large fish. Given the right environment, a good sized pond, they can get to be 24" to 36" long. Kept in a small tank, they will age but not grow. This is a condition we call "stunted." Fish like this will not live too long either.

You might want to consider getting a school of corydoras catfish for the bottom of your tank. They are in the 2"-3" range at maturity and are more suited to living with tropicals.

Of course, the most effective way to keep the tank bottom clean is by cleaning it yourself with a siphon. Since you are posting in the New to the Hobby section, let me ask if you know how to do that. Sometimes new members don't.

:D
 
Koi Carp are LAKE fish. You will never be able to find an aquarium big enough to house them.


If you are looking for bottom feeders, try Corys.


If your tank is big enough, maybe a Plec.
Agreed that they are too large for most aquariums (except those public aquariums). However the fact that they live in a lake is not really a valid point, afterall, thousands of people keep african lake cichlids fine (tanganyika etc.)
 
Koi Carp are LAKE fish. You will never be able to find an aquarium big enough to house them.


If you are looking for bottom feeders, try Corys.


If your tank is big enough, maybe a Plec.
Agreed that they are too large for most aquariums (except those public aquariums). However the fact that they live in a lake is not really a valid point, afterall, thousands of people keep african lake cichlids fine (tanganyika etc.)

well obviously koi get A LOT bigger than any tanganyika
 
well obviously koi get A LOT bigger than any tanganyika



Exactly my point :)



I have had Koi in the past that got to over 4' long in my lake.


As an aside, Sturgeon get even bigger (I've had them over 2 metres in length), and I could never understand why LFS and garden centres are allowed to sell them.
 

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