Post
by Diana » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:29 pm
24*C = 75*F
This is a mid range temperature for many tropical fish. There are certainly some Loaches that would work at this temperature, and it is about right for the fancy golds. Many catfish are great in this temperature, too.
There are several cats that are silver or grey with dark spots. Perhaps something in the Synodontis group.
Do a little more research about species and keep these concepts in mind:
Golds are social, but small numbers work OK.
Each goldfish counts about as much as an 18" fish as far as waste, oxygen needs and so on. Golds (fancy or otherwise) seem to produce more waste than a similar sized tropical fish.
Fancy Golds are usually a distorted body shape and may have some special needs because of this. Some cannot swim very well, and are out-competed for food.
They need plenty of oxygen in the water, but many cannot swim well with a lot of water movement. The best answer is to not over stock a tank so there is less fish-mass per gallon (or per liter).
Golds have big mouths and are willing to eat just about anything that fits, including tank mates.
Golds grow faster than Loaches, so start with larger Loaches.
Loaches are social fish and need at least 5 in their group to have a proper social structure.
Many appreciate caves, driftwood and sand substrate. They often dig. (Some species more than others)
Different species have different temperature requirements.
Most Loaches need a lot of oxygen in the water, and this generally means more water movement than the fancy bodied Golds can really handle. Under stocking will allow more oxygen in the water because there are fewer fish to use that oxygen.
Most Catfish hide under driftwood, rocks or even the substrate (so do many Loaches) but cats can hide to the point you do not know they are there.
Most cats are armed with spines in their fins and along their sides so that if a goldfish tries to eat them you are likely to lose both fish.
Choose species that are roughly the same size. Since they grow at different rates you may need to move fish in and out to maintain an overall balance of similar sized fish.
Have a REALLY big tank as the ultimate set up, with something like 20 gallons (80 liters) per adult fish.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!