Keeping Goldfish With Tropicals?

[Guest sarah beth]

i started a (overstocked ) 10 gallon tank when i first started fishing because i didnt know really anything about fish. i had a goldfish with some tetras and guppies. i up-sized to a 29 gallon tank bc i learned that goldfish need more room...but can he be kept with the tropicals? i've heard mixed reviews on water temp (mines a steady 76-78). he seems happy and active, ive had him since april with no incident. will this set up work for him? i just want to do whats right for him. any input?

[lynda441]

The temperature is high for goldfish. It is best to keep them at 68-72 degrees. My tank is at your temperatures right now, but that is because it's hot right now. Those temps are okay for a while, but not continuously. The higher temperature really has more to do with weakening a goldfish's immune system making them more susceptible to disease. So, the goldfish may appear to be okay for a long period of time and then, if there is a bacteria that gets into the water or if the fish sustains an injury inviting infection, the fish will have a more difficult time fighting the disease. It's great that you got a larger tank because you learned that goldfish need more room. Maybe we can figure something out here. How many of each of these fish do you have?

Edited June 30, 2008 by lynda441

[kusackaid]

I would like to add that as the goldfish grows so do their mouths. When they think they can fit something in their mouthes they often try and you might wake up one day missing a tropical fish or two.

Is your goldfish a single tail or double tailed one?

Edited June 30, 2008 by kusackaid

[vickielm]

I have trops and goldies but not together. The water temps and params are different for both species, plus their dietary needs are different. Its not a good idea to keep them together. For the main part, tropical fish have a very difficult time handling the waste output of goldfish. Goldfish do not do well in 76-80 water, which is what trops need, and trops don't do well in 72-75 degree water, which is what goldfish need. Most tropical fish don't get large as fast as goldies, and as kusackaid mentioned, they will eat anything that is smaller than them. Not to mention the disease factor, and the fact that both species of fish need to be treated differently. The amount of meds you may have to give a goldie for a disease would kill a small tropical fish, and the small amount that you would give trops will have no effect on a large goldfish.

You really need to separate them. On the plus side, you can put a lot of trops in a smaller tank as they don't have the waste output or fast growth of goldies. I have a 10 gallon tropical tank that has 8 tropical fish, and they do fine.

[Guest sarah beth]

I would like to add that as the goldfish grows so do their mouths. When they think they can fit something in their mouthes they often try and you might wake up one day missing a tropical fish or two.

Is your goldfish a single tail or double tailed one?

a single--he's a common goldfish.

i'm also got 5 guppies and a betta (the betta is seperated from the goldfish!). ive got a 29 gallon and the 10. i wanted to get some tetras to keep in the 10 gallon with the betta and the goldfish in the 29 with the guppies--but this doesnt seem to be a good idea :X

[koko]

A common goldfish get very big, they are one of the biggest of goldfish. They can grow to 12-14" long on average, so keeping him in a 10 or a 29 gallon tank with others isnt going to work well He would do better in the 29 gallon tank by himself.

He will try to eat the betta and the guppies sooner or later, cause like what everyone else has said "what ever fits into the mouth will be eaten" they dont care of its another fish or food.

[32Bit_Fish]

How would you people keep your goldfish tank water temp at 72F during summer?

My water temp is at 80F during the day n 75F when I turn on the A/C at night. I dont think it's possible without spend some money buying some expensive equipments or have someone dumping in ice in the tank.

[lynda441]

Sarah Beth, so you have one comet, one betta and five guppies. One comet requires a MINIMUM of 20 gallons of water per fish. Bettas really do better being kept alone and, unless you have all male guppies, even if you have just one female, you will soon have 100 guppies. For all of the reasons that everyone has stated here, this is what I suggest you do. The comet should be put in the 29 gallon tank by itself. All the guppies should be kept in the 10 gallon and you should get a 2.5 or 5 gallon tank for the betta. If you do this, things will be pretty good, at least until your comet starts reaching 6-8 inches or so, at which time, it will start needing a larger tank.

And, 32bit, I agree, it isn't easy keeping a tank at 72 degrees in the summer. My water temps are high right now, but that's just temporary for me. It shouldn't be permanent. And you're right. Chillers are expensive and, personally, I don't think ice even makes a dent of difference. But, I just read a thread that suggested setting up a fan blowing over the top of the water. I haven't tried it, but the poster said it worked pretty well, considering.

Edited June 30, 2008 by lynda441

[Guest coralights]

Goldfish and tropical fish can adapt to both lower or higher temperatures - the higher the temperature the lower the oxygen content and the lower the temperature the higher the oxygen content.

Since all fish need oxygen - lower temperatures in the 69 to 72 range work well for both tropical & temperate water fish -

tropicals can adapt to lower temperatures much more so than goldfish to higher temperatures.

The population density of the tank is very important - the lower the population the more oxygen available per fish -

so less fish - higher temperature can work & less fish lower temperature is even better

All tank kept fish (both goldfish & tropical fish) should be given lots of water to stabilize water chemistry by minimizing rapid fluctuations in nitrite, ph, & temperature.

Keeping the water circulating and moving around helps to oxygenate the water. Filter and pump motors naturally warm the water

and since most tanks are in climate controlled environments I often do not use heaters. Certain fish which require warmer water such as Discus are the rare exception.

People do not like rapid fluctuations in temperature, and need lots of fresh air to breath & don't like to be crowded.

Fish are basically the same. Goldfish and tropical fish commercial foods have been manufactured to meet the specific nutritional requirements of goldfish & tropical fish - HOWEVER all fish thrive on similar natural frozen or live foods such as insects, worms, crustaceans & other smaller fish.

Feeding is overdone by 90% of fishkeepers for 90% of the time - and the rule should be " a hungry fish is a healthy fish" .

[~SHAWNA~]

Hi Sara Beth. Just as a side note, how long have you been keeping your guppies and betta together?? If you have fancy tailed guppies, often, bettas will see them as "competition". This could create fin nipping and bullying, depending on your betta's personality. Just something to keep an eye on.

[Guest sarah beth]

Hi Sara Beth. Just as a side note, how long have you been keeping your guppies and betta together?? If you have fancy tailed guppies, often, bettas will see them as "competition". This could create fin nipping and bullying, depending on your betta's personality. Just something to keep an eye on.

not very long--less than a week. they're not fancy tailed guppies, just regular feeder guppys. i keep an eye on them

if anyone is curious, hubby and i decided to spring for another tank this summer--we're keeping our eyes out at yardsales and if none bigger than 20 gallons show up there before the end of summer, we're getting a bowfront 55 galon from mmm. i really want to leave polo (one of my male bettas) alone in the ten gallon with 5-6 neon tetra and sprinkles (the goldfish) alone (or maybe with some type of shrimp with lots of hiding places?) so he can have the right temp.

[Guest goldfishnut]

How would you people keep your goldfish tank water temp at 72F during summer?

My water temp is at 80F during the day n 75F when I turn on the A/C at night. I dont think it's possible without spend some money buying some expensive equipments or have someone dumping in ice in the tank.

Hi everyone most of you probably don't know me yet because I just joined a few weeks ago. anyhow I just wanted to add that I

was recently at pet supplies plus getting a new oranda that I spoke of in a earlier post and I told the tech there about the temp in my tank

he told me about a trick he learned from a friend that he tried that worked well for him, he said he put a small ziplock sandwich baggie with frozen

water in the back of the pump behind the filter. sounds like something that might get most of us through the summer. my tank temp too is 76-80

mostly because I live in north east, ohio and it's very hummid here. Goldfishnut.

Edited July 2, 2008 by goldfishnut

[Guest goldfishnut]

A common goldfish get very big, they are one of the biggest of goldfish. They can grow to 12-14" long on average, so keeping him in a 10 or a 29 gallon tank with others isnt going to work well He would do better in the 29 gallon tank by himself.

He will try to eat the betta and the guppies sooner or later, cause like what everyone else has said "what ever fits into the mouth will be eaten" they dont care of its another fish or food.

HI, goldfishnut here again, I just wanted to add that I totaly agree about goldies and their big mouths, years ago when I had my first, I think 40 gal. tank I had a comet that grew to between 4 and 6 inches and one day I went to feed him and saw a rock stuck in his mouth I was able to remove it with a pair of tweezers and let me tell you I never saw a more greatful fish in my life.

[Guest goldfishnut]

A common goldfish get very big, they are one of the biggest of goldfish. They can grow to 12-14" long on average, so keeping him in a 10 or a 29 gallon tank with others isnt going to work well He would do better in the 29 gallon tank by himself.

He will try to eat the betta and the guppies sooner or later, cause like what everyone else has said "what ever fits into the mouth will be eaten" they dont care of its another fish or food.

HI goldfishnut here I agree about the bettas I tried several times to incorporate a betta in my goldie tank but my goldies kept pecking the bettas to death. so, bettas and goldies together? not good!