Goldfish with tropical fish?

[Pleco1415]

I had to bring in the fish from my pond as they weather is starting to get cold out. I put the other 2 comets in a 20 gallon long tank and I do not want to overcrowd it so I was wondering if I can put this guy in with my 29 gallon tropical tank. I lowered the temp in the tropical tank to 74F so the one goldfish is comfortable though I just want to know if I should go ahead with this. The 29 gallon only has a few platys and one gourami. It does have 2 plecos but I don't think they count as they don't actually swim.



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[Pleco1415]

This is the fishbtw does anyone know what kind of goldfish this is. I've had it for a wile and it's not exactly gold


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[sinibotia]

Is your pond not deep enough to leave fish in for the winter?

 

[Pleco1415]

Is your pond not deep enough to leave fish in for the winter?

I live in Canada and the winters are unpredictable so I'm not taking the chance though the pond is 13 inches deep.


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[sinibotia]

I live in Canada and the winters are unpredictable so I'm not taking the chance though the pond is 13 inches deep.


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13 inches seems too shallow for that anyway. Even a 20 seems really small for a goldfish, even just through winter. If you had a way of keeping the tank really cold to slow their metabolism.....

 

[thing fish]

oh yeah, and the 2 plecos in a 29 do count. what type of pleco are they?

 

[sinibotia]

oh yeah, and the 2 plecos in a 29 do count. what type of pleco are they?

Beat me to it. Even with the smallest plecos I can think of that's a pretty well stocked tank.

 

[thing fish]

i would go to your local hardware store and buy either a very large plastic tub or a very large cooler, and use that to house them over the winter...will have to come up with some filtration, as well.

 

[Pleco1415]

oh yeah, and the 2 plecos in a 29 do count. what type of pleco are they?

Lol there bushy nose not the common ones that grow 12 inches. I've had them for 4 years now and there only about 3 inches at most. Don't worry I wouldn't keep a huge Pleco in a small tank.


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[Pleco1415]

i would go to your local hardware store and buy either a very large plastic tub or a very large cooler, and use that to house them over the winter...will have to come up with some filtration, as well.

I was actually looking at Home Depot and I saw these large Rubbermaid containers but I was unsure if they were capable of holding water or not. For filtration I'd just put an internal filter in there.


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[thing fish]

hey you just never know...still i wouldnt normally keep more than 1 in a 29...so you may be at the limit as it is.

i would seriously consider buying a very large plastic tub and rigging that up to house your gold fish over the winter. it can be done fairly cheaply.

*just saw your reply with the rubbermaid comment

i would go with that. best interest of the fish.

 

[JohnRoscoe]

What about a pond heater? Cheaper than rigging up a holding pattern tank.


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[thing fish]

hey there's another idea...

i just dont know the logistics of a pond heater. i know where i live it got as low as -12 f last winter. must have been even colder in the Great White North

 

[Pleco1415]

hey there's another idea...

i just dont know the logistics of a pond heater. i know where i live it got as low as -12 f last winter. must have been even colder in the Great White North

Usual the lowest it will ever get is like -15 though last winter was insane.


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[thing fish]

i have a feeling this winter will be just as bad, although i hope not.

again, not sure about pond heaters and what they can handle. i would look into that if that is what you go with, but i think a large plastic tub could also be an option. i wouldnt recommend housing them in the 29. what fish does that 20 have? any gold fish will overcrowd a 20 very quickly/instantaneously. add a pleco and that is a wholllllllle lot of fish poo. i thnk youre asking for trouble if you house them in either the 20 or 29. just my opinion.

 

[Fresh2o]

I sometimes run a low wattage (100w) surface heater in my pond. It only keeps a small hole open in the top for gas exchange; it is not designed to "heat" the water. The surface does freeze a few times throughout the winter (I am in Virginia).


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[Pleco1415]

i have a feeling this winter will be just as bad, although i hope not.

again, not sure about pond heaters and what they can handle. i would look into that if that is what you go with, but i think a large plastic tub could also be an option. i wouldnt recommend housing them in the 29. what fish does that 20 have? any gold fish will overcrowd a 20 very quickly/instantaneously. add a pleco and that is a wholllllllle lot of fish poo. i thnk youre asking for trouble if you house them in either the 20 or 29. just my opinion.

The 20 just has 2 comets and 2 apple snails. For filtration on that tank I have a Marineland bio wheel 200. The 29 gallon has an aquaclear 50 and an Eheim 2213 canister filter. I've never really had problems with waste as I have good filtration and do weekly water changes. I forgot to mention I do a 40 gallon but it has a red eared slider turtle in it so I don't think I can put fish in there.


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[thing fish]

i still think those tanks are stocked to the gills or beyond.

 

[Pleco1415]

i still think those tanks are stocked to the gills or beyond.

No hard feelings but does this tank really look stocked to the gills or beyond to you? btw what size tank do you have?


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[PerfectDepth]

No hard feelings but does this tank really look stocked to the gills or beyond to you?

Yes, it's very overstocked and under-filtered. Take a look here to give you a general idea: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

Warning: You should add more aquarium filtration capacity.

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 76%.
Recommended water change schedule: 67% per week. (You might want to split this water change schedule to two separate 42% per week)
Your aquarium stocking level is 134%.
Your tank is overstocked. Unless you are an experienced aquarist who can meet the maintenance/biological needs of this aquarium, lower stocking levels are recommended.