Im Moving Back To Cold Water!

[Bri]

Hi i have had a tropical tank for two years now and its going great but i want to scrap it all and move back to cold water. This is because i love fancy goldfish specifically orandas and moors. I want a species only planted cold water tank with just a variety of orandas in it. I have done some research and for my cleanup crew i am thinking snails and shrimp as some do well in cold water. (any specific suggestions or other suggestions welcome). I have previously used a soil substrate for my plants. Do i need to do this for coldwater plants? ideally i would like to only use gravel or sand. I am happy to add soil if people really think it is worthwhile. I have only ever had one black moor so i am not overly familiar with the needs of the breed apart from what i have been able to read online about diet and behavior. Any additional tips totally welcome. I was thinking about trying out my amazon sword in the cold water and see how it gets on?

I am so excited about the change. I really love orandas and am super excited to get a nice mix of the different ones.

So my questions to you good people?
Plants do they need the soil or can i just plant them and theyll be fine?
Cleanup crew any other suggestions?
Orandas tips for their sucess?
Also any websites you would recommend?

I have the tank and all the equipment i need i just want to make sure that when i scrap my current substrate and restock and i am making all the right choices?

 

[Mothi]

Hi Bri,

You can plant the plants in sand or gravel and it will be fine. Orandas are a good cleanup grew themselves so you don't really need to add another group but you can if you want to. I wouldn't suggest any small shrimps as the orandas will eventually eat them. My ornadas also eat small pest snails so if you plan to get snails make sure that they are huge like apple snails. To keep them successfully it is recommended to have at least 30 gallons of water for the first ornada and 10 more gallons for every additional orandas you add. After planting your tank make sure that there's plenty of swimming space for the orandas.

 

[Philcav7]

Don't use sand with goldfish, they will ingest it as they eat and it irritates their gills. Pebbles are preferred for goldfish. A very thin layer at that. This will minimized build up of food and poop and keep the tank cleaner.

Java fern, hornwort, and anubias don't need to he rooted into substrate nor do they require special soil. Many people tie the plants to small weights, driftwood, rocks, or ornaments. These plants also do well with lower light and cold water.

Use two big filters to keep the tank circulating and clean. I am running two aquaclear 70

 

[Bri]

brilliant i didnt know that about the sand. I will make sure to get big snails but i might try the shrimp, sure itll be a snack if it goes wrong for the fish. My tank is a 120 liters and i dont plan on over stocking, how many fish would you recommend for that size tank size? I will see how i get on with the filter i have and if needs be i can pick up another pretty easily. Thats brilliant news about the sand as i was hoping to keep costs to a minimum, im hoping to trade the fish stock i have now for some plants and a few of the new fish i want. Super excited.

 

[Mothi]

You can keep 2 orandas in 120 litres. What are the dimensions of your tank? It is generally recommended that you have at least a 3 feet long tank for fancy goldfish. Saying that my oranda tank is actually just a little under 3 feet and hopefully will be upgraded to a 100cm tank.

About sand being bad for goldfish, I don't think it's actually bad. There's a thread in this section about sand vs gravel and some of the more experienced members have commented on sand being better than gravel for goldfish. I read it a while ago, I'm sure you will find it if you search for it.

I personally prefer bare bottom tank for my goldfish though. I keep the plants in small bowls of gravel. Only because it's much easier to clean

 

[Bri]

Also as regards stocking i really want to stick with the one species but have a variety of them, ideally i would adore a lionhead, oranda, pom pom oranda and a panda oranda. Im not sure how many fish i will get the tank is a 120 liters and has tones of swimming space its big and wide rather than just very long. If anyone has concerns about putting these fish together pleace let me know or any ideas for stocking? i dont want any full gold fish although speckled gold is ok, MLFS are not great with a variety of stock so i will need to order the ones i want in very soon as i will tank a month minimun for me to get them!

 

[Mothi]

You can safely keep any of the fancy varieties together. But for your 120 litre tank you should keep no more than 2.

Good luck