I'm starting up a coldwater fish tank, which fish I can put in as soon as the tank and water are ready?

Question

I have outdoor fish, and have had indoor, coldwater fish before, and this tank is mainly for 'interesting' fish, so any advice would be great. I heard guppys are great adaptors to put in new tanks, I know to put water inand leave for a while and all that, just types of fish I can put in, and possibly ones that look interesting please?

Answer 1

First off, guppies need a heated tank and will not do well in a coldwater tank. It really depends on the size of the tank as to what you can get. Goldfish are coldwater fish but a single goldfish needs a 20 gallon tank with an additional 10 gallon for each additional fish. Danios, white cloud mountain minnows and hill stream loaches are also coldwater fish that could be in a somewhat smaller tank but danios and white clouds are very active fish and need lots of swimming room. HS loaches need a strong current.

Simply adding water to a tank and leaving it for a day, a week or longer is no different that adding water and putting the fish straight in other than chlorine dissipates from water in about 24 hours so you could maybe get be without using a dechlorinator. In order to set a tank up properly, it should be cycled by adding ammonia to build a bacteria colony to break ammonia down through the nitrification process into nitrite and then nitrate which you remove by doing water changes. Below is a link on how to do a fishless cycle.

If you choose to add fish straight away, make sure you have a good liquid test kit (you need it whether you cycle with or without fish) that will test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Test the water daily. Ammonia is toxic and will kill your fish. You will have to do daily (sometimes twice daily) water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels below .5 ppm. And don't start with more than 3 or 4 fish at a time. The more you start with, the faster the ammonia level will climb and the more water changes you will have to do.

Answer 2

Indoor Cold Water Fish

Answer 3

Something that looks and behaves interestingly that can do well at room temperatures are dojo (weather) loaches. They have long, eel-like bodies (10 inches) with short whiskers around the mouth to help them find food in the substrate. At times they'll burrow into your gravel in search of food, or they'll lay together in a pile if you have a group (which is the best way to keep them). They get the name weather loach because they're sensitive to changes in air pressure and will become agitated when the weather is about to turn bad (you'll have your own personal weather forecasters). When they get into one of these "spells", you'll need a cover on the tank. They can become very tame and will take food directly from your fingers.

They are a scaleless fish, so you'll need to use caution when add ing salt or medications to their tank.

Whether or not you'll be able to keep these will depend on the size of your tank.
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/loaches/dojoloach.htmlhttp://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2099

Answer 4

you really can't put any "interesting" fish in a coldwater tank except goldfish. if your room temp. is at least 72, you can put a Betta, Cory Catfish, Gouramis... You can also put an african (dwarf) clawed frog. They are really interesting...

Answer 5

Any goldfish, koi, black moores, these are all in the gold fish family. Hate to say it but there is not a large assortment that will adapt to cold water. Sorry.

Answer 6

It's best to leave a new tank for about 2 weeks before putting fish in...but if you are impatient (like most) you can put neons and mollies in fairly early. Plecos are pretty hearty as well. If you have outside fish you may want to start with a few feeder goldfish to test the waters and then move them outside after your tank is more established. Stay away from angel fish and the "prettier" expensive fish until you are well established.

Answer 7

Guppies are a must, since they come in so many different colors. You would also need a few normal/plain colored fish to show the colored guppies off to best effect, think about getting mollies or platys?

Answer 8

yes guppys are really good starters, but also eals are really fun to have since they can be both salt water and fresh water. once you got your fish tank on its way, you can get some interesting sucker fish with spikes and all, but don't put them in untill the other fish have produced bacteria for the sucker fish to eat! good luck!

Answer 9

The most common coldwater fish is the goldfish, followed closely by it's larger counterpart, the Koi. However there are many other interesting fish that do not require a heated tank. Many coldwater fish are large enough that are only suitable for ponds. However, can be kept in adaquate aquariums.

Barbs - Several readily available species of Barbs are tolerant of temperatures into the mid sixties, or even lower. All are easy to care for, and are suitable for a community aquarium. They include: the Gold Barb (Barbus schuberti), the Green Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus), the Rosy Barb (Barbus conchonius), and the Two Spot Barb (Barbus ticto).

Bloodfin Tetra - Both the standard Bloodfin (Aphyocharax anisitsi), and the False Bloodfin (Aphyocharax dentatus) tolerate temperatures as low as the mid sixties.
Bloodfins are offered in many pet shops, are easy to care for, and are quite hardy. They are active top dwellers and are best kept in schools.

Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus) - Easily found for sale, they will tolerate temperatures into the mid sixties. Standard varieties, as well as albino variants can be found. Like the Bloodfins, they are undemanding and easy to care for. They are suitable for a community tank, but will eat live plants voraciously.

Croaking Tetra (Coelurichthys microlepis) - Not often found for sale, they are an attractive fish that is worth shopping around for. Like other coldwater tetras, they are easy to care for and are suitable for community tanks.

Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) - As readily available as any fish, there are many attractive variations of this popular fish.

Hillstream Loaches - Although they are not often seen in pet shops, some species can be found for sale from time to time. Not all of them prefer cool temperatures, but most will tolerate temps that fall into the mid to upper sixties.

Native Fish - A variety of North American native fish are now being sold in the aquarium trade. Virtually all of them tolerate cool water. Availability varies from state to state, as do laws regarding which species may be legally kept in home aquariums. Keep in mind that some will become too large to keep in a standard aquarium.

Pearl Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) - Like the zebra danio, this fish is very hardy and easy to care for. It will tolerate temperatures into the mid 60's without difficulty, and is easy to find. They are larger than zebras, but need not be kept in schools.

Weather Loach (Misgurnus angullicaudatus) - Readily available, this loach is one of the easiest to care for. Couple that with the fact that it will tolerate temperatures into the fifties, and it makes an excellent candidate for a coldwater tank.

Wimple (Myxocyprinus asiaticus) - Also known as the Freshwater Batfish. Not commonly found, it is an unusual fish that is worth tracking down if you like to have something unique. It will tolerate temps into the mid sixties.

White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichtys albonubes) - One of the easiest fish to care for, a new gold colored variant has become very popular. They do best in cooler temperatures, although very low temps will lessen their attractive coloration.

Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) - Outside of goldfish and the guppy, the zebra is the most readily available of all coldwater fish. They tolerate temps that fall into the mid sixties, and are very easy to care for. Long finned species are available, as well as a popular leopard spotted variety.

There are many other coldwater species I could cover, but the above list should give you enough options to get started. Good luck with your coldwater aquarium.

Answer 10

koy, goldfish are both very cold water hearty