Any ideas please

OK - this is 'on the off chance' sort of post

IF (big if) I decided to abandon tropicals and go coldwater - is it a simple case of turning heaters down (or off) and leaving the rest of the tank as is interms of filtration etc?

The reason im asking is 'stuff' isnt going well for me now - and im trying to make my life (and that of others nearby) easier so I was thinking of making my main tank into a coldwater tank.

Least then I can have a few laarger more characterful fish and l;ess to worry abiut in terms of heating etc. Id probably keep the smaller 65liter as a tropical (probably going to change it fior a 90liter roma soon - a topic for another day)

So whas Ive said/asked - how much change or agro would this be - and some ideas of stocking would be good 185 liter (+ 25liters for two large externals) as well as two large internals (I may actually only use 1 external if i do this change)

I dont like those bubble tyoe things with the deformed heads etc - just some nice orange/white/silever 'goldfish' really - hopefully a smnall group of 6 or so - ideas/suggestions/help please

oh - and do they breed like flies (yup - im now actually rather sick of the agro of baby BN's now)

Aw, that's a shame, sorry to hear things are tough atm, Rich. But yes, the only thing different is that you've no heater in a coldwater tank. AFAIK goldfish aren't as prolific as tropicals so don't worry about the breeding aspect...

In an 185L tank, you could have a nice big shoal of White Cloud Mountain Minnows plus 3 or 4 fancy goldfish such as Fantails or Black Moors. They're probably the best ones to keep in a tank as Orandas grow very large and Comets need more swimming room.

ive read a few times that minnows are snacks when the goldis reach max size

but I had htought of a couple of weather loaches and maybe a group of sticklebacks for added interest

i have some problems (moral) with a few types of goldies - ie the deformities - i know they are all hybrids - but there comes point where it just isnt right.

anyway - saw a gorgeous orange n white goldie (not sure what type as i was whisked away from the tank by a gu[[y fanatic called Mom ) - if were huan - id have proposed there n then

lovely little fish and very very friendly (followed everyone who walked past)

I'll admit this is what really spurred me to ask this question - but I thought a few days ago of getting rid of ALL fish and not replacing with anything

anyway - 1st step is rehoming current stock - dont htink it will bean easy mission

Sorry to hear that you are thinking of getting rid of the trops Rich, but you have to do whatever is easier for you.

As far as I know all you have to do is turn the heater off - I just did the same in reverse when changing my coldwater into a tropical one.

To be honest in terms of workload there is little difference - you just dont have to add a bit of warm tap water but other than that everything is the same, at least that is what I found.

As for what fish you could get, well as you know there are quite a few coldwater options, depending on what size tank you have available. If it were me I wouldnt go for goldies again, but for something a bit different.

There are some barbs, danios or the paradise fish which I like the look of. I was really tempted to go for these but couldnt get hold of them locally

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_fish

as well as the minnows that could all go in an unheated tank, depending on its location and what the temp of the water would be maintained at - if it is in a warm room etc.

IME the WCMM move too fast for the Fancies to catch them but only because I keep just the Black Moor/Fantail type that shimmy about rather than swim like regular fish do.

just to clarify - in terms of work load - i meant more 'less to worry about' ie filters/tank temp and feeding plecs etc - basically im trying to simplify the sytem as best as I can - not for my sake but for the family

i'll keep the 65luter as a tropical though

As for WCMM's I thought the fancier fish probably less likely to chase em - ive also read that as long as the goldies are reared with 'small fish' they ignore them as they grow.

Anyway - i gest for a quid or so each - I can try it - I quite like fantails - moors - im not too sure about - I had one as kid though and I know they aint exactly 'delicate' as is often made out.

Mine lived for 10 years in an unfilter 'tank' (about 30liters) - never any real problems except for algea from being nr a window

anyway - i know better now

The WCMM's are lovely...the males "flare" their fins in a similar way to Bettas which is quite fascinating to see in such a small fish.

My fave LFS has a;ways has several 'varieties' of mountain minnow - i was trying to get my mum to have them instead of gupsters in her biorb life - maybe when they pop their clogs - i'll put some in

I dunno if they can tolerate 224/25 degrees c - but if they can - im seriously tempted to put a few in my 65 liter fishpod

anyway - im certainly getting some weather loaches if I go for goldies

Well they come from the cold streams of the White Cloud Mountains in China, hence the name! Not sure about their viability for ponds though...

in a pond - theyll get scoffed by dragonfly nymps - so i wouldnt even entertain the idea

By varietties i simply meant colour morphs of wcmm

Bit of an update

Monday midday - ALL my main tank trops are being rehomed

I will then go to the LFS (later in the afternoon) to get some fancy goldies and probably some white cloud minnows too.

I figure its best to get them in asap for the sake of having to go thru another cycle process (or wanting to avoid) - so i'll turn the heaters down to 22deg c (ive read fancies do better at this range) and do a 50% water change.

Im also hoping that three eheim aquaball internal filters will be man enough for filtration (along with an undergravel filter) - theyve been in the tank for ages now and im sure theyll cope without the two externals - this may sound mad, but im trying to reduce the 'workload' in terms of tank cleaning etc.

The goldies in the LFS are only wee beasties anyway so Im sure theyd be fine with internals alone (ie 4-6 goldie fancies and 12 or so WCMM's)

Lets face it - the last thing I or especially family need is one or both of the externals to fail on me - least with internals, there are no pipes to clean, seals to worry about etc.

Anyway - does this sound like a plan to everyone?

Good Luck Rich........I'm sure your plan will work out. A few weeks back I was looking at coldwater fish in a LFS, there was this algae eater (not the bog standard boring one) I'm sure this was it It was sooooo cool, a must for the new set up perhaps.

Sounds like you have it all sussed out Rich, although I think you will miss all those BN babies

those fish get the generic title of hillstream loach - they can be kept at around 22 deg c llike quite a few 'tropical' fish can

apparently - most goldfish and tropicals can live happily together - in asia they are all aquarium fish and live in unheated tanks together

an interesting point of view me thinks