Ilze

Thank you for the replies BikBok and Caryl! I floated in another thermometer, a heavyduty one my stepdad has, and it read 21 this afternoon also... But the stick-on was nearly 22. Then tonight it went up to 23! But I didn't check with the other thermometer, so I'll treat it with caution (: I live in Wellington, so it's pretty temperate all year round (very rarely below 0, very rarely above 30 deg). I'm not actually sure how high it averages in high summer, but I will keep an eye of the tank temp when it starts to warm up. Thank you, it's good to know the fish will be okay while the tank is cycling. I won't get any more though! Right, well I'll keep an eye on the tank temp while it cycles before getting a pleco. The house is well-insulated, and it doesn't drop dramatically overnight. Although if it's a cold night to begin with, it certainly doesn't get any warmer... Ah, thanks for the plant suggestions. Can you just get java fern and water sprite at pet stores? Are they fairly cheap? I suspected they would be stunted Maybe I'll let them grow a bit, try find someone who has a pond for them to go and live in (there has to be someone!) Good filter advice! Yea, there's a big difference in the maths there... Probably the 6x one is correct, since that's a lot more for a 230L tank than 400L per hour. Maybe I'll save and buy a reputable brand, the fish are just little so should be okay with the two internal filters. Would be interesting to see what the temp does if the internal filters were eventually removed though. One more question: what is a wet/dry? Is that still a canister filter?

Hey everyone, I'm fairly new (to the site and fish keeping!) Everyone's had goldfish as a kid. I remember mine. They're all gone now (R.I.P), looking back I feel sorry for them! Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to get goldies once more! I had a little tank my sister had once used for frogs, so I bleached everything out (she left it sitting to mould after the frogs passed...), rinsed it a bakillion times and left it to dry for a few days so any leftover bleach could evaporate. Next up I got a filter and selected three very tiny gold fish, and picked up an ammonia testing kit. Changed the water every day depending on the test results (more ammonia, bigger change). Then I fell in love with fish keeping! I saw a little sarasa comet at the pet store I just had to have, and went digging frantically on trademe for a bigger setup. Brought the sarasa home, and the next day picked up a big tank (230L, I think?) on the cheap for my new friends. Tank took a whole day to clean out and set up. Came with very dirty silica sand, which kept me busy for over an hour. Now the tank is all set up with two internal filters that do max 600 l/h each, not sure on brands though, but they're both different from one another. I'm aware that tank isn't cycled, so I will be testing (will get more test kits too) and try not to stress the fish out too much. I do have a few questions though! (thanks for reading all this ) 1) The tank has one of those stick on thermometers. Yesterday and today (first couple days of being set up) the temperature has stayed between 21-22 degrees, even in the morning after having the light off for 9 hours. Are the motors in the filters heating the water up? Should gold fish be okay with this long term? Any predictions for what will happen in summer, when the days and nights are much hotter? 2) There are 5 fish in there (in a moment of weakness I ended up with another sarasa comet). I do feel a little guilty that I didn't cycle the tank without fish, and I know the more fish I add the tougher it will be on all the fish with more waste and whatnot. The two biggest are about an inch (excluding tail), the smallest ones a bit under that. They look ridiculous in the big tank, but my question is this: if I keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and do regular water changes, will the fish be alright, for the most part? I'm growing attached to them, now. 3) I've always loved plecos, and after the tank has cycled of course, is it possible to keep a bristlenose pleco with goldfish if I ensure the temperature stays around 21? Or will I end up with unhappy tankmates? 4) I bought some oxygen weed and rubber-banded it to a log for the goldies to graze on. Are there any other plants suitable for goldfish aquariums? The plastic plants look rather silly in a big tank 5) Will I be stunting them in this tank? Should they be okay for at least a little while, as they grow? The tank is 120cm long, so right now they have plenty of space to swim. I asked at the pet store, and the guy says that although they can't pay me for them, they do take back larger goldfish to sell on to people who (hopefully) have the right size aquarium or pond for them. 6) I'm thinking of getting a canister filter, but most of them seem quite expensive. Would it be a good upgrade if I had the spare cash? Are they any better than internal filters/is it worth it? What size or litre per hour turnover should I be looking at for my tank, and are there any that are cheaper but not cheap quality? Again, thanks for reading all this. I just want to know as much as possible, really! Note: Initially I intended to keep peaceful community tropical fish. People have told me these tanks are generally easier than goldfish. I do love tropical fish, but goldies are also fantastic fish, and somehow I ended up with them instead, heh.