cold water fish

edd91 · 25th August 2003, 8:36 PM

hey
we just got given a tank with some goldfish and yuppies or guppies or something (the little ones)
whats some pretty looking cold water fish we can put in here, they have to be pretty

SpeedRacer · 25th August 2003, 8:50 PM

Guppies have pretty nice tails. Get rid of the goldfish though

Go to a pet shop and look around at what catches your eye.

One of my favourite fish would be the Clown Loach. They're hilarious and do some really crazy stuff. They also like to play dead which is really funny.

Coolie or Kuhli loaches are pretty cool too. They're like mini sea snake kind've things but they look really groovy. Often hide under stuff though.

I've got a redtail black shark that is an awesome looking fish but beware they are a very agressive fish, it would kill all the goldfish and guppies. Very territorial so you can only have one in a tank as well most of the time.

Best advice for general overall look of the tank is to get some dark coloured gravel. Makes the colours of the fish stand out so much better!

Strange1 · 25th August 2003, 9:15 PM

Um he said coldwater fish, in that case he shouldnt even have the guppies in there!

When u get to cold water setups (Ie not tropical) you really are limited to what you can have, and goldfish are about the only things you can have that are colourful. Yoiu can have natives like Silver perch and yellow belly, Bass etc but they grow big. Redfin Perch are really nice (non native though) but you will have to catch them as they arnt sold in shops. Other wise pay $20 and buy a heater for the tank. I assume you have a filter aswell? Otherwise you should just stick to comets

edd91 · 25th August 2003, 9:20 PM

the guppies are living fine lol, theres 3 of them

is warm water fish just tropical fish? is a heater really only $20?
*waits for these fish to die*

edd91 · 25th August 2003, 9:23 PM

are the fish speedracer mentioned cold or warm water
whats the diff between tropical and freshwater? is freshwater cold water?

SpeedRacer · 25th August 2003, 9:54 PM

Heaters are pretty cheap but it depends on how big your tank is and how much water your trying to heat!

Those fish I had survived fine in their tank in Qld without heaters. In fact if anything you need to put ice in their tank in summer to keep the temperature down.

Depends where you live. Those fish I described are faily hearty and survive pretty harsh conditions.

Heater doesnt cost much though and can keep the temperature constant. Main thing a lot of fish dont seem to like is rapid temperature fluctuations. I think that promotes a lot of diseases in them too!

DrDoom · 25th August 2003, 10:51 PM

Guppies can live in coldwater fine, just make sure they don't get too cold.

If they live in coldwater they usually live longer as it slows down their metabolism, except that their colours are not as vibrant.

Strange1 · 26th August 2003, 6:02 AM

I wouldnt go buying tropical fish (Fish that need a heater) and putting them in a cold water tank, if anything they will all break out in whitespot!

edd91 · 26th August 2003, 7:45 AM

are freshwater fish just coldwater fish?

Cranky · 26th August 2003, 3:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by edd91
are freshwater fish just coldwater fish?

Nope, there are two types of fresh water fish, tropical, and umm... not tropicali guess. lol, the not tropical fish are, as stated above the natives like bass, yellow belly, and most are gold fish (which by the way people if you look around there are some ok looking gold fish!!! don't just write them all off as ugly...

).

The tropical fresh water fish are ... well walk into a pet shop and they are prety much all the fish in their except gold fish. Neon tetra's and cardinal tetra's are nice, cheap small colourful tropical fresh water fish, and work well in a community tank. However, you do *need* a heater for them to live happily... if you have them in the sun all day, or a warm room etc you might get away without a heater, but why not spend the $20?

Anyway, back to your original question, have you considered yabbies? they are pretty cool, don't require *too* much maintenance and live in a fresh water cold tank. but they will eat anything else in the tank

.

My advice would be to go and buy a heater, its not to expensive, and then you have a much wider range of fish to choose from. Alos you'll need a filter if you don't already have one?

edd91 · 26th August 2003, 7:11 PM

i have one that just sits in the corner with an air pump going into it nothing fancy, i just replaced the filter pad

Cranky · 26th August 2003, 8:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by edd91
i have one that just sits in the corner with an air pump going into it nothing fancy, i just replaced the filter pad

Thats enough for a beginners set-up, now its just a case of make yuor way to your lcal pet-shop, make some friends, by a heater, and start fishing

edd91 · 26th August 2003, 8:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cranky
Thats enough for a beginners set-up, now its just a case of make yuor way to your lcal pet-shop, make some friends, by a heater, and start fishing

once these ones die :P
unless goldfish and guppies can live in warm water

ajip66 · 26th August 2003, 8:38 PM

edd91
yes your guppies will live with the heated water, goldfish not so well.
my suggestion would be not to go to any pet shop but to an Aquarium, these peaple will know what you need and be able to show you what they specialise in .
another cold water fish that is an Aust native is the rainbow fish, not sure how available they are down your way but they are quite nice, just check at the shop though because there are some that are native to Newguinee as well that might do so well cold.
otherwise another vote for a heater.
http//www.aquamail.com.au these guys have always done well for me.

MasTaKilla · 26th August 2003, 9:02 PM

i would recommend just stick with the goldfish..
you can get some seriously good looking goldfish these days

also make sure you dont add too many fish, over population=excess waste=dead fish

the advantage of cold water fish like goldfish is that you dont have to do weekly water changes (unless you're a clean freak and like to keep your fish super healthy). Monthly water changes for goldfish is enough i think.

25th August 2003, 8:36 PM	#1
edd91 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: syd.nsw.au Posts: 2,322	cold water fish hey we just got given a tank with some goldfish and yuppies or guppies or something (the little ones) whats some pretty looking cold water fish we can put in here, they have to be pretty __________________ no new items, ta

25th August 2003, 8:50 PM	#2
SpeedRacer Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,972	Guppies have pretty nice tails. Get rid of the goldfish though Go to a pet shop and look around at what catches your eye. One of my favourite fish would be the Clown Loach. They're hilarious and do some really crazy stuff. They also like to play dead which is really funny. Coolie or Kuhli loaches are pretty cool too. They're like mini sea snake kind've things but they look really groovy. Often hide under stuff though. I've got a redtail black shark that is an awesome looking fish but beware they are a very agressive fish, it would kill all the goldfish and guppies. Very territorial so you can only have one in a tank as well most of the time. Best advice for general overall look of the tank is to get some dark coloured gravel. Makes the colours of the fish stand out so much better! __________________ Frangipani's on cars... Australia says NO!!!

25th August 2003, 9:15 PM	#3
Strange1 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Blaxland, NSW Posts: 2,655	Um he said coldwater fish, in that case he shouldnt even have the guppies in there! When u get to cold water setups (Ie not tropical) you really are limited to what you can have, and goldfish are about the only things you can have that are colourful. Yoiu can have natives like Silver perch and yellow belly, Bass etc but they grow big. Redfin Perch are really nice (non native though) but you will have to catch them as they arnt sold in shops. Other wise pay $20 and buy a heater for the tank. I assume you have a filter aswell? Otherwise you should just stick to comets __________________ OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member AMD CPU 1400MHz @ 1672MHz / 2.13V / Ambient +20°C Cyclone 2 / Inline Rio1100 / Falcon aircon core

25th August 2003, 9:20 PM	#4
edd91 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: syd.nsw.au Posts: 2,322	the guppies are living fine lol, theres 3 of them is warm water fish just tropical fish? is a heater really only $20? waits for these fish to die __________________ no new items, ta

25th August 2003, 9:23 PM	#5
edd91 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: syd.nsw.au Posts: 2,322	are the fish speedracer mentioned cold or warm water whats the diff between tropical and freshwater? is freshwater cold water? __________________ no new items, ta Last edited by edd91; 25th August 2003 at 9:24 PM.

25th August 2003, 9:54 PM	#6
SpeedRacer Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,972	Heaters are pretty cheap but it depends on how big your tank is and how much water your trying to heat! Those fish I had survived fine in their tank in Qld without heaters. In fact if anything you need to put ice in their tank in summer to keep the temperature down. Depends where you live. Those fish I described are faily hearty and survive pretty harsh conditions. Heater doesnt cost much though and can keep the temperature constant. Main thing a lot of fish dont seem to like is rapid temperature fluctuations. I think that promotes a lot of diseases in them too! __________________ Frangipani's on cars... Australia says NO!!!

25th August 2003, 10:51 PM	#7
DrDoom Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Lake Titicaca Posts: 637	Guppies can live in coldwater fine, just make sure they don't get too cold. If they live in coldwater they usually live longer as it slows down their metabolism, except that their colours are not as vibrant.

26th August 2003, 6:02 AM	#8
Strange1 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Blaxland, NSW Posts: 2,655	I wouldnt go buying tropical fish (Fish that need a heater) and putting them in a cold water tank, if anything they will all break out in whitespot! __________________ OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member AMD CPU 1400MHz @ 1672MHz / 2.13V / Ambient +20°C Cyclone 2 / Inline Rio1100 / Falcon aircon core

26th August 2003, 7:45 AM	#9
edd91 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: syd.nsw.au Posts: 2,322	are freshwater fish just coldwater fish? __________________ no new items, ta

26th August 2003, 7:11 PM	#11
edd91 Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: syd.nsw.au Posts: 2,322	i have one that just sits in the corner with an air pump going into it nothing fancy, i just replaced the filter pad __________________ no new items, ta

26th August 2003, 8:38 PM	#14
ajip66 Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Central QLD Posts: 45	edd91 yes your guppies will live with the heated water, goldfish not so well. my suggestion would be not to go to any pet shop but to an Aquarium, these peaple will know what you need and be able to show you what they specialise in . another cold water fish that is an Aust native is the rainbow fish, not sure how available they are down your way but they are quite nice, just check at the shop though because there are some that are native to Newguinee as well that might do so well cold. otherwise another vote for a heater. http//www.aquamail.com.au these guys have always done well for me.

26th August 2003, 9:02 PM	#15
MasTaKilla Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: VIC SE suburbs Posts: 119	i would recommend just stick with the goldfish.. you can get some seriously good looking goldfish these days also make sure you dont add too many fish, over population=excess waste=dead fish the advantage of cold water fish like goldfish is that you dont have to do weekly water changes (unless you're a clean freak and like to keep your fish super healthy). Monthly water changes for goldfish is enough i think. __________________ This space is up for sale. PM me for details.