Coldwater Vs Heated Tropical...differences In Setup?

[LilyRose Tank]

I know the obvious temp differences, but is there a difference in the set up. i.e. the fishless cycling process....is it the same no matter what?
Lily seems to be more interested in goldfish?

 

[AdamM]

its pretty much identical apart from the temp and the heater...

 

[aly_starh]

IMO, its more variety.

There are only a few coldwater fish. The minimum tank size, you can get for coldwater fish is 2 foot, and these would only inhabit White Cloud Minnows. Then for Goldfish, you will need to go up 1 foot, so 3 feet for 1 Goldish.
Where as to house a Betta fish, you would only need a small 25L tank.

Also, i personally think Goldfish are extremly messy. External filters are a must.
some small tropical fish like Bettas, could get a way with a Sponge filter, or a DIY fitler. (cycled, ofcourse)

In terms of colour, Coldwater fish are normally Orange, black and pale. Tropicals are much more vibrant in colour.

And when it comes to aquascaping a tank, you will not be able to use Live Plants as Goldfish tend to snack on these.

Hope that helps

 

[Wills]

a heater - all fish need cycled tanks, in your 64 liter tank you have loads more options for tropical than coldwater as said your pretty much limited to white cloud mountain minnows. Though there are other options but this would involve either tracking them down your self and fishing them out or other complicated locating options.

 

[LilyRose Tank]

OK thanks guys. I would prefer the tropical myself. xx

 

[nmonks]

It's almost always better to keep tropical fish if you only have limited space. Goldfish are big fish that need lots of space, realistically 100-200 litres for anything like long term success. The range of small coldwater fish is limited to things like gobies and certain livebearers and killifish, and while nice enough in their own way, are difficult to find and appeal more to experts than casual hobbyists. Stocking small tropical fish tanks is a bit easier, though you'd be surprised perhaps how few species do well in tanks less than 75 litres. I wrote a piece for TFH on this topic a while back, and there's another take on the same issue over at WWM you might enjoy.

http/www.tfhmagazine.com/archives/articles/article2007121197760.php (needs an account)
http/www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/stocking.htm (free)

Cheers, Neale

I know the obvious temp differences, but is there a difference in the set up. i.e. the fishless cycling process....is it the same no matter what?
Lily seems to be more interested in goldfish?

 

[OldMan47]

I am going to go against the main stream here. Most of the fish that I keep do not require a heater. I have mostly livebearers from a group called goodeids. That group, especially the Skiffia genus require cool water, not cold. The part that I would agree with is that if you have limited space, it is easier to stock a variety with tropicals. I tend to run single species tanks for my goodeids and add in lots of cories for the more peaceful ones. Cories are another group that are often uncomfortably warm at typical tropical temperatures although a few of them are the exception that can go as warm as a betta.