Goldfish and Ghost Shrimp?

[Guppies]

Ok so i'm just starting my tank i'm pretty sure it's 30 gallon and didn't want tropical fish just yet. my question is, if i had some fantail goldfish could i put some Ghost shrimp in there? if so would i need a filter and heater?

[C. King]

You def. need a heater and filter. Goldfish produce alot of waste, so get a filter that is designed for a bigger tank than you have-the claims on the box are always overstated, too. I have a 20 gal. tank, and a filter for a 50, and could have gone bigger. A filter that hangs on the back of the tank will be easier to clean out, which you will have to do a bit more with goldfish. Some people will claim that goldfish do not need heaters, because they are "cold water fish". This is not true. They do like cooler temps than tropicals, by a few degrees, but need a heater to maintain that temp without fluctuations. (this is especially true with fancy goldfish like fantails) Also, sometimes you will need to raise the temp for treatment of certain diseases. Shrimp with goldfish will most likely be eaten as soon as the goldfish are big enough, sorry to say. Some people may have had luck with that mix, but I wouldn't count on it. Before buying fish, you should have filter, heater, thermometer, a good test kit for ammonia, ph, nitrites, nitrates, all set up and running for several days.

[Guppies]

Originally Posted by C. King You def. need a heater and filter. Goldfish produce alot of waste, so get a filter that is designed for a bigger tank than you have-the claims on the box are always overstated, too. I have a 20 gal. tank, and a filter for a 50, and could have gone bigger. A filter that hangs on the back of the tank will be easier to clean out, which you will have to do a bit more with goldfish. Some people will claim that goldfish do not need heaters, because they are "cold water fish". This is not true. They do like cooler temps than tropicals, by a few degrees, but need a heater to maintain that temp without fluctuations. (this is especially true with fancy goldfish like fantails) Also, sometimes you will need to raise the temp for treatment of certain diseases. Shrimp with goldfish will most likely be eaten as soon as the goldfish are big enough, sorry to say. Some people may have had luck with that mix, but I wouldn't count on it. Before buying fish, you should have filter, heater, thermometer, a good test kit for ammonia, ph, nitrites, nitrates, all set up and running for several days.

So in that case instead of shrimp if i used mystery snails would they still be eaten?

[C. King]

Mystery snails, the big ones, should be ok. Keep in mind, a goldfish will eat a small snail, but I have heard of people with goldfish and larger snails in the same tank, no problems.