New fish keeper!

[bs7718]

Hi all,

Greetings from Ferndown, Dorset, UK

My new 140L tank is being delivered this morning. I've read all about cycling and am ready to start cycling when set up.

I had a doxen or so Goldies about 10-years ago and really enjoyed keeping them. But, from what I read, I can have move tropical fish than Goldies in the same area. I'm undecided on whether to stock goldies or tropical

What advice can you give based on your own experiences?

Cheers

[osteoporoosi]

Stick with tropicals. Goldfish grow huge, 10 inch long and are huge messers. In a 140L tank you could create a really nice set with tetras, small apistogrammas, barbs or gouramis. just a few examples, what kind of fish you prefer?
**** And ofcourse welcome to a great hobby again!

[fish_doc]

First off welcome here and back to the hobby.

I love my goldfish. But as already stated they do need space. I have 3 in a 55 gallon tank and they have about outgrown that. There are a wide variety of tropicals on the market that are colorful and fun to breed. Remember this hobby is about what you enjoy because that is what keeps you intrested. Take a look at what is on the market today there has been big changes in the last 10 years.

[fishfreaks]

welcome! and yes i would stay with the tropicals as well

[MyraVan]

Like everyone else, I would suggest not going down the goldy route. But, there are actually alternatives to tropicals. There are plenty of interesting fish that can live in unheated tanks. The fish in my avatar, the rosy barb, lives in a 20 gallon unheated tank (temps range from 20-22C). Generally, my rosy barbs look far better than the ones in the shops -- much more colorful. Evidently rosies look best when kept at cooler temps, and in the fish shops they tend to keep them at tropical temps. In a 140l tank you could have a nice school of rosies (get more females than males, as the males tend to chase the females and there's less stress on the ladies if there are more of them) and have plenty of room left over for other fish. Here are some other ideas of things that would be happy in an unheated tank:
danios
weather loaches
peppered cories
white cloud mountain minnows

[osteoporoosi]

I agree with MyraVan otherwise, except in my opinion weather loaches need a far more bigger tank.

[MyraVan]

According to my calculations, 140l = about 35 American gallons, and the min tank size for the weather loach is usually listed as 20 gallons (in one place it was 35 gallons). So according to that, it should be allright. But then I've never had these fish, so I can't say from personal experience whether or not they'd be happy in bs's tank...

[osteoporoosi]

Weather loaches are very social and grow easily to 1 foot in a big tank. In my opinion 100gallons/group would be fine.