I was looking at a hexagonal tank and was going to put my goldfish in it but have since learned that this is not suitable. As I have fallen in love with fish I was thinking about getting some tropical fish, how many would I be able to get for a small hexagonal tank. I only want it for the kitchen. Also what differences is there in looking after tropical fish as opposed to goldfish. Any advice on equipment needed etc. would be appreciated.
Newbie Advice Please
- Thread starter saviour
- Start date
PaulasPets
Fish Crazy
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How many fish you can put in your tank depends on how big your tank is and how big the fish are. To keep tropical fish you will also need a heater to keep the water temps at the right level. A filter would be very much appreciated by the fish and some lights should be added for the plants.
Paula
Paula
Pheonix
Fish Crazy
savior!! recuse one fish and now uve been hooked, sounds like you have MTS already (multiple tank syndrome) lol 
all the principles are the same for the fish! you need good water quality, and time to spend looking and caring for your fish!!
depending on the size of the hex tank follow the one inch per one gallon of water rule for now until you get more experienced ie if you get a 10gallon hex tank you can have 10" worth of fish in there! please remember fish grow
so dont go out there and get 10 1" fish that will grow into 4" fish! youll come a cropper
the main difference between your gold fish you have now and tropical is obvioulsy the temperature so one bit of kit youll deffo need is a heater, most hex tanks come in complete setup form so you should get the bits you require when you purchase it from the shop as a guide you should recieve
1 tank
1 heater
1 filter (internal)
1 light (should be built into the tank lid)
1 water start up(purifing) kit
1 thermometer
1 water test kit
make sure you get all this and youll be off to a good start
also you can look at decoration, you may want to consider your options here as there are many, remember you dont have to buy this then and there you can always go back later!
get reading all the "my first tropical tank" "cycling my tank" threads and sticky threads in the forum they will point you in the right direction and get your tank off to a good start!
Remeber patience is key!!! the more patient you are the better long term results you will have!!
Good luck and most of all enjoy it!!
There are many people here to help so dont be afraid to ask questions even if you think its silly, weve all probably asked it in the past!
Andy
all the principles are the same for the fish! you need good water quality, and time to spend looking and caring for your fish!!
depending on the size of the hex tank follow the one inch per one gallon of water rule for now until you get more experienced ie if you get a 10gallon hex tank you can have 10" worth of fish in there! please remember fish grow
so dont go out there and get 10 1" fish that will grow into 4" fish! youll come a cropper the main difference between your gold fish you have now and tropical is obvioulsy the temperature so one bit of kit youll deffo need is a heater, most hex tanks come in complete setup form so you should get the bits you require when you purchase it from the shop as a guide you should recieve
1 tank
1 heater
1 filter (internal)
1 light (should be built into the tank lid)
1 water start up(purifing) kit
1 thermometer
1 water test kit
make sure you get all this and youll be off to a good start
also you can look at decoration, you may want to consider your options here as there are many, remember you dont have to buy this then and there you can always go back later!
get reading all the "my first tropical tank" "cycling my tank" threads and sticky threads in the forum they will point you in the right direction and get your tank off to a good start!
Remeber patience is key!!! the more patient you are the better long term results you will have!!
Good luck and most of all enjoy it!!
There are many people here to help so dont be afraid to ask questions even if you think its silly, weve all probably asked it in the past!
Andy
voo
Fish Herder
Tropical fish will eat different food to goldfish, different flakes anyway. Not sure what the difference is, but they have different tubs in the fish shop.
Also, just a word of advice. When finding a location for the tank in the kitchen, dont keep it where it can get direct sunlight. You'll have bad algae problems if you do.
Also, just a word of advice. When finding a location for the tank in the kitchen, dont keep it where it can get direct sunlight. You'll have bad algae problems if you do.
Thanks everybody, went out and bought a tank today but unfortunately it is too big to sit under my units in the kitchen, (doughnut should have taken measurements first). It was not hexagonal but it was a Lifespace Aquarium which held approximately 35 litres of water. I really liked it in the shop. However, I am going to take it back tomorrow and get the smaller one which holds 11 litres of water. What I have decided to do is keep my small goldfish in it for the moment and if it gets any bigger, (it does not seem to be growing) I will get a bigger tank for the lounge. If I have to transfer my goldfish to a bigger tank I would like to put tropical fish in the smaller tank in the kitchen. I would like very small fish that don't grow very big. Can anybody tell me how many of those can I put in this 11 litre aquarium. I would like some that are not too complicated to look after so can anybody tell me what kind to buy?
diademhill
Fish Addict
Please don't buy an 11 litre aquarium. It is too small to keep stable.
Have a look at the PFK free tank threads - that tank may fit & is 25 litres - still too small for a goldfish but the minimum size IMO to keep a group of tiny fish. It could hold four neons or harlequins.
Your goldfish needs at least 50 litres.
dwarfgourami
Fish Connoisseur
There is only one fish you can keep in an 11 ltr tank and that is a Siamese fighter (betta). Lots of people love these, but if what you had in mind was a school of tiny fish, you will actually need to go slightly bigger in tank size. A 35 ltr (=9 US gallons) would house a school of small tetras or rasboras or a trio of sparkling gouramis or some small livebearers- there's quite a few things you could do with that size tank. The 25 ltrs suggested by Diademhill also gives you better options.
The goldfish, I'm afraid, needs to be transferred to a bigger tank even before it starts looking too big; if its growth is stunted now, that could adversely affect its health.
The goldfish, I'm afraid, needs to be transferred to a bigger tank even before it starts looking too big; if its growth is stunted now, that could adversely affect its health.
Thanks to everyone for their advice. I have decided to keep the 35 litre tank and have bought a stand for it to go in the lounge. I am going to put the goldfish in it. Can I put some small tropical fish in with it and if so
What kind?
How do you feed the goldfish and the tropical fish together?
My friend has also given me a 15 litre baby biorb tank for my kitchen with all the accessories how many small tropical fish can I put in it and what kind?
Sorry for all the silly questions but I am totally new to this game and don't know a thing about fish. All this because I rescued "Lucky", I have totally caught the bug.
What kind?
How do you feed the goldfish and the tropical fish together?
My friend has also given me a 15 litre baby biorb tank for my kitchen with all the accessories how many small tropical fish can I put in it and what kind?
Sorry for all the silly questions but I am totally new to this game and don't know a thing about fish. All this because I rescued "Lucky", I have totally caught the bug.
diademhill
Fish Addict
The 34 litre lifespace aquarium is too small for a goldfish.
You would be better off returning this tank & stand & getting a 50 litre + tank for the goldie or if you want to keep more than one look for a 90 litre or larger tank. It shouldn't be much more expensive than the tiny one.
A 15l Biorb is designed for one Betta. If you want other fish IMO you need to replace the stones with aragrog (less sharp) and once it has cycled you could have a group of male Endlers. Other similarly tiny fish are less hardy.
Ask yourself why your friend has given it away?
God this is complicated, I think I will sit down and start again. I only wanted a new home, bigger tank, for "Lucky" in the lounge and three or four tiny tropical fish in a tank in the kitchen. What is the minimum size of tank I need for the tiny tropicals and what kind should I get? I think I'll tell my friend to put the biorb on ebay and I will buy a bigger tank for "Lucky"
dwarfgourami
Fish Connoisseur
The thing with tiny fish is a lot of them are schooling so they will really need to be in numbers of at least 6 to feel safe. And because they cannot breathe air they need a bigger water surface than the betta. I would say a tank of 25 ltrs would be the minimum for a group of 6 neons or similar tetras, and ideally that should be a rectangular tank (=more water surface=oxygen exchange) rather than a bio-orb or hex. Pygmy corydoras are another option- similar requiments.
You could also keep tiny livebearers- heterandria formosa or endlers- but then you need to consider numbers in a different way; as males are oversexed, you need either females only, or 2-3 females per male, or a group of at least 5 males (fewer and you can have aggression problems).
I would get a tank of 50 ltrs+ for the goldfish- or even better, get a bigger tank and get him a companion, as they are quite sociable (leading you into temptation here
).
I would then use that 34 ltr for a small tropical community. Or if you can't squeeze it in, go for the biorb or the 11 ltr and keep a betta.
Goldfish should not be mized with tropicals- not only do they have different temperature requirements, but goldfish are very messy and would soon poison the environment of tropical fish, they have different dietary requirements, and goldfish grow big and would end up eating the tropical fish.
You could also keep tiny livebearers- heterandria formosa or endlers- but then you need to consider numbers in a different way; as males are oversexed, you need either females only, or 2-3 females per male, or a group of at least 5 males (fewer and you can have aggression problems).
I would get a tank of 50 ltrs+ for the goldfish- or even better, get a bigger tank and get him a companion, as they are quite sociable (leading you into temptation here
).I would then use that 34 ltr for a small tropical community. Or if you can't squeeze it in, go for the biorb or the 11 ltr and keep a betta.
Goldfish should not be mized with tropicals- not only do they have different temperature requirements, but goldfish are very messy and would soon poison the environment of tropical fish, they have different dietary requirements, and goldfish grow big and would end up eating the tropical fish.
I Love my fishies
Fishaholic
Aphotic Phoenix
Fish Addict
Okay just to clarify a few things...
Goldfish need a large tank because...
1 ) Get quite large
2 ) They are huge ammonia producers and thus need a large volume of water to dilute their waste products before the bio filter takes care of it.
3 ) Some goldfish like comets are actually very active
Goldfish should not be mixed with tropicals because...
1 ) Goldfish are a temperate water fish...the higher temps needed by tropical fish are unhealthy for goldfish if kept that way for extended periods
2) Goldfish do have different dietary needs than tropical fish...goldfish food has a different protein/fat content than tropical fish food
Reasons that stocking small tanks sucks...
1 ) Small tanks are not very stable. Much easier for water quality problems to become huge problems fast.
2 ) Fish need room to swim. You wouldn't keep a big dog in a tiny apartment, so why keep an active fish in a box so small they can't "sprint" without slamming into the wall.
3 ) Most fish need a certain number of their own species to feel safe. Overstocking leads to problem number 1.
Goldfish need a large tank because...
1 ) Get quite large
2 ) They are huge ammonia producers and thus need a large volume of water to dilute their waste products before the bio filter takes care of it.
3 ) Some goldfish like comets are actually very active
Goldfish should not be mixed with tropicals because...
1 ) Goldfish are a temperate water fish...the higher temps needed by tropical fish are unhealthy for goldfish if kept that way for extended periods
2) Goldfish do have different dietary needs than tropical fish...goldfish food has a different protein/fat content than tropical fish food
Reasons that stocking small tanks sucks...
1 ) Small tanks are not very stable. Much easier for water quality problems to become huge problems fast.
2 ) Fish need room to swim. You wouldn't keep a big dog in a tiny apartment, so why keep an active fish in a box so small they can't "sprint" without slamming into the wall.
3 ) Most fish need a certain number of their own species to feel safe. Overstocking leads to problem number 1.
I Love my fishies
Fishaholic
I have a 40 litre hex tank with two goldfish... they seem very happy
is this big enough for them?Similar threads
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