Coldwater Fish.

[PWW]

So, tell me, what about having a cold water fish tank, such as Goldfish ?
Is it better or easier than keeping tropical or marine ?
Might seem a silly question to someone that knows the hobby well, but since I dont know, I thought I would get the views of others to see what they say.

"Oh" and maybe this has already been discussed on the forum somewhere, if so I apologise for not finding it.

Peter.

 

[Mowbz]

I wouldnt say its any easier, but a little less time consuming, as there is a little less to do. Goldfish are not as simple as "throwing a few in a bowl" however, and some need HUGE amounts of space to thrive.

 

[fluttermoth]

I would say tropicals were 'easier' in that (in general, obviously there are plenty of exceptions!) they're smaller and less messy, so you can keep them in smaller tanks with less filtration than is needed for goldies, which grow very large and are very messy, wasteful eaters, so need large (external for preference) filters.

I haven't owned a marine tank myself, but I did look after a friends marine set-up while he went through a messy divorce, and it was a PITA, too much hassle for me, although, to be fair, I don't really like the look of marines anyway; I'm sure it's worth the trouble if hat's what you're into. They're certainly more time and expense than either coldwater or trops.

 

[PWW]

Yes, now filters, I saw a tank at the weekend, as I remember it was a tank by "Marina" and it had a long rather big filter attached to the outside of the tank at the back. Are those any good ? It had 4 filter pads and I read the instructions and it said replace pads ever 2 to 4 weeks,, blimey that is going to run very expensive for that type of filter isnt it ?
Not sure I would fancy one of those !

Peter.

 

[waterdrop]

I also feel that tropicals are a little easier to keep than goldfish (the reason the public usually gets the opposite impression is that they usually don't know how to keep goldfish.) Here is a paragraph from an old post:

The first common goldfish (two-fan tail, ie normal looking tail) needs 30 US gallons(114L). Then each additional goldfish needs 10 more US gallons(38L). For fancy goldfish (3 fan tail, tri-tail, whatever you want to call it) you can get by with 20 US gallons(76L) for the first fish, followed by 10 US gallons for each additional goldfish. Goldfish are basically pond fish although there are people who do get enormous tanks and keep a few indoors in a healthy manner. They are vegetarians and uproot nearly all plants or chew them up. As vegetarians they necessarily create a large amount of waste and need high tank maintenance.

Now, about filters, as you can imagine, filters are a significant topic for fish hobbyists. For me, it is ideal that the first couple of months for our beginners here in the fresh water section be filled with lots of question and answer learning about filters while they are actually performing their first fishless cycle and getting hands-on experience - that learning being more important in a way than the actual cycling of their first tank since it will stay with them for the rest of their time in the hobby.

The filter media maintenance most definately does not follow the transparently greedy recommendations you'll see in many manufacturers instructions! In fact quite the opposite in some ways is true. Many experienced hobbyists try for extremely longterm use of the sponges and ceramics that end up holding the mature biofilms in which our beneficial bacteria live and contribute to the healthy tank cycle.

Some media like type technically called "fine mechanical" (this would be floss pads or loose floss for example) will become clogged frequently by its very nature and can break down after a few cleanings. This type of media does indeed get more frequent replacement. But the main biomedia, often an open-pore sponge needs to stay there and only receive regular gentle squeeze-outs to clear it of debris.

Filtration is a fun topic overall and I urge you to keep at it and gather more info!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[PWW]

Yes ok, thank you. The filter I have got is one that came with my Aquraium500, and I am happy with that.

But the one I saw on that "Marina" tank actully fitted on the outside with the motor inside the tank, but it was the subject of replacing those filter pads every 2 to 4 weeks, I thought too myself it must be a money making excersise by the makers !

Anyway thanks again.

Peter.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

While this thread seems to be centred on goldfish, there are many fish out there that do well in sub-tropical water (as in over 16 but less than 20C for most of the year, such as...
Weather Loaches
Redline Torpedo Barbs
Rosy Barbs
White Cloud Mountain Minnow
American Flagfish
Zebra/Leopard Danios (inc. "Glofish")
Blind Cave Tetra
Peppered Corydoras
Panda Corydoras
Paradise Fish
Butterfly Goodeids
Persian Killifish
Barilius

In these times of tight economics, these temperate fish will not need to have a heater or two running in most people's homes at any time of the year.

As a very general sweeping statement, I dare say many on the list above are far more hardy, with the odd exception such as the Redline Torpedo Barbs.

 

[CezzaXV]

Yes ok, thank you. The filter I have got is one that came with my Aquraium500, and I am happy with that.

But the one I saw on that "Marina" tank actully fitted on the outside with the motor inside the tank, but it was the subject of replacing those filter pads every 2 to 4 weeks, I thought too myself it must be a money making excersise by the makers !

Anyway thanks again.

Peter.

I have a Marina tank with such a filter, but a smaller one that takes 3. After reading on these forums though, I've been advised that changing the pads is a pointless money wasting exercise, and you only need to replace the pads once they're physically falling apart. You can get away with just washing them in tank water before that happens.

 

[Mowbz]

The above is perfectly true, but there is a more serious reason.

Many newbies dont realise when they throw all their filter media away, they are throwing away beneficial bacteria. Its perfectly fine to replace filter pads if you want to (i dont, ill wait till they are physically disintegrating) but it needs to be done a bit at a time over several week, even when replacing a wrecked peice. You still have to take it away bit by bit over several weeks.

I would stick with the "if its not falling apart, it doesnt need replacing", ethos, like most of us!

 

[PWW]

Well as usual some brilliant replies thank you.