Water temp?

videojayjay · Post by **videojayjay** » 28 Apr 2003, 23:33

I have an assortment of fish in my tank. Goldfish, cats, and sharks. What temp. should i have the the tank at and is it safe to have the rest of the fish in the tank because i have heard that Goldfish produce very high ammounts of ammonia which can be toxic to other fish, and I have 3 Goldfish.

Post by **Silurus** » 28 Apr 2003, 23:35

You should remove the goldfish. They are cold water fish and prefer lower temperatures than the other fishes. Plus they're pooping machines and really should be kept by themselves.

videojayjay · Post by **videojayjay** » 28 Apr 2003, 23:37

but is it true that they produce high amounts of ammonia?

Post by **Silurus** » 28 Apr 2003, 23:39

They are waste-producing machines and this includes ammonia.

Cory_lover · Post by **Cory_lover** » 29 Apr 2003, 11:00

fish waste (including poop and yes, fish do pee!!) contain harmful ammonia. So i would recommend u remove the goldfish.

Bathos · Post by **Bathos** » 29 Apr 2003, 15:07

depends on the type of catfish you have. some like cooler temperatures than others. take a look in the cat-e-log to find the ideal temperature for your catfish.

Goldfish are easier to keep in their own tank, but they're not as incompatible temperature-wise as most might think. most fancy goldfish prefer temperatures around 76 degrees farenheit and can comfortably go a couple degrees higher or lower. Goldfish do produce a lot of waste, but if they're not kept in crowded conditions and you do water changes weekly or twice-weekly, they can be kept with other fish. **the main thing with this kind of setup is to watch the water parameters** (ammonia, nitrite, and especially nitrate in an established tank) I've had 2 commets with my cories at 75-76 degrees (slightly high for commets, as they prefer cooler temps than the fancy goldfish) for the past 3 years. so far, everything has gone very well, BUT i have been changing 25% of the water regularly (once or twice a week, depending on tank and fish size) AND upgrading the tank to fit the fish. at this point the goldfish are almost big enough to eat the cories. i'm not sure if the goldfish would, but i'm not taking any chances, so they will be separated.
if your tank is not cycled, the goldfish should not be in with the others, as they produce enough waste daily to kill your other fish very quickly. since goldfish are so hardy, they can often tolerate the amount of waste they put out in a day, while other fish could not. just so you know, goldfish do get huge, requiring a large tank. round-bodied goldfish get larger than a softball. my two commets alone will need a 120gal tank when they're grown, and may need an even larger tank.
-Liz

edward · Post by **edward** » 30 Apr 2003, 16:41

Bathos/liz

Watch those cories!!!! I had a few peppered cories (which tolerate lower temperatures) in with my two comets, and one day a comet tried to swallow a cory head first. This resulted in a trip to the LFS, and anaethetic, and then clipping of the (dead) corys spines in order to remove it from the comets mouth. Amusing now, but a panic at the time. Needless to say the cories went into another tank quicksmart, and the somewhat traumatised comet has made a full recovery.

cheers

Bathos · Post by **Bathos** » 30 Apr 2003, 17:58

that's why the cories are moving. i'm afraid something like that will happen, and now that i know about your experience, i'm even more anxious to get the cories out. although there's no way a cory could fit in the goldfish's mouth, i don't want the goldfish to even be tempted. the goldfish mouths are starting to get a little too big for my liking, though they haven't tried anything yet. as soon as the feb. 27th spawn gets big enough, the adults will move into the 20gal long with the bulk of them. most of the spawn is a "safe" size for the adults, but there are still a few late bloomers.

-Liz