Tankmates

[Jaimemuffin]

Hello all!
Im new here, and new to loaches as well! Recently i upgraded my goldfish to a 75gal tank (filtered, and heated to 72/74). Im looking for a different kind of fish to join them in this tank. So i went into the local small fish store and asked about weather loaches. He said they did not have any, but any loach would be fine in that tank (which at the time wasn't heated at all). I dont really buy that at all... so what say you?
Jaimemuffin

[Diana]

You are right to check in here before you buy any fish. The store keeper just wants to add money to the cash register.

Golds can get large, and seem to produce more ammonia than some similar sized fish. Understocking is important.

Fancy Golds can handle warmer water (mid 70sF) so some Loaches might work in that temperature range, now that you have a heater. Look in the Species listings here. Kubotai Loaches might work well (75*F min temperature, though). Zebra Loaches (though probably not with full sized adult Golds)
Bristlenose Plecos are also a good choice if the tank stays in the low 70s.

Here is a link to the Species list, linked to Botia kubotai.
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-kubotai

Golds can eat smaller fish, so I would stick with the mid-sized Loaches, perhaps 6" minimum adult size.
If your Golds are already pretty big, they could eat new, small fish, so buy older, near-adult Loaches.

Golds tend to eat a lot of different species of plants, but there are several that will usually work, if you are willing to get the right light. This will add a bit of a cushion to the biofiltration.

There are quite a few other fish that could work with Golds, but many are too small. When the Golds grow (and most grow really fast) they could eat the smaller fish. White Cloud Minnows, Platies, several Barbs, quite a few Pleco relatives... are all fine in room temperature or just slightly warmer tanks.

[DainBramage1991]

Dojo loaches might also be worth considering. They like the cooler water, get large enough to avoid being viewed as food items by the goldfish, and they don't have any aggressive tendencies so they won't be a bother to their tankmates (except for perhaps being overly playful - but that can be a good thing).

[Jaimemuffin]

Thanks guys! ive been looking at dojo loaches for a bit now, and just have to find some one that actually sells them around here. i live in massachusetts and they were/are illegal here...

[Jaimemuffin]

And yes i have plants in this tank. Hornwort, anacharis and i think some penny wort. i also had some duckweed, but they ate all of that. everything else is really fast growing so its going pretty well i also have lots of hiding places made from pvc pipe.