Absent Friends, New Start

[twintanks]

A few weeks ago I posted about my poorly goldfish, a topic that some of you kindly assisted with. Sadly she passed away last Saturday, aged 14, a while after visiting the vet (one who was happy to see fish). It seems she had internal bleeding and possibly a tumour, making all her digestive activities impossible. So, I miss her and I'm pretty miserable.

  However....I must now consider what to do with the tank she had recently moved into. It is 110 litres (about 20 gallons), 80cm x 35cm (about 31 x 13 inches and whatever height up to, say, 14 or 15 inches). It's brand new, so I don't really want to sell it on. A Fluval U3 filter is currently running.
Now....at my age, if I get more goldfish, I run the risk of them outliving me....and there isn't anyone in the family who would take them on...so....suggestions would be welcome. I've kept goldfish for over 50 years, so they are a comfort-zone for me, but I'm not incapable of learning new things.
 
What fish would you recommend as "easy" (or easier) and small enough for this size of tank?  I've thought about tropical ones but have a dreadful hang-up about power-cuts and what would happen if their tank-heater went off. There are other coldwater fish besides goldies but I don't know too much about them at present.
 
 
 

 

[Akasha72]

Hello again. I'm so sorry to hear you lost the goldie even though I think we both knew it was inevitable. She's in a better place now and out of discomfort. 
 
So, options for your tank. Well I guess the first question has to be what is your tap water like? Is it soft or hard? Knowing this helps to advise on what type of fish would suit the water you have. At 110 litres it must be around 3ft? (I had a 110 litre Juwel Rekord 800 so I've got an idea of size) If your water is soft you could go down the route of dwarf cichlids such as apistogramma's, acara's, rams etc. They have a lifespan much less than a goldie (it varies a bit for dwarf's but your looking at 5-8 years depending on type) You could have a nice shoal of the smaller tetra's. Corydora's too if you have a sand substrate. 
 
If the water is on the hard side the choice is more limited, things like platies, guppies, mollies ... they have a short lifespan these days though. My Dad got some platies just over a year ago and he's lost one already and another is looking tired and sickly. They're probably about 2 years old in total and they've about had it. 
 
As to powercuts ... it is a concern but I think you need to ask yourself how many powercuts have I had in the last year and on average how long do they last. If the answer is 'not many' and 'less than a couple of hours' you can rule out it ever being a problem. I live close to the sub station and when I first began my fish keeping journey there was a fire there and the power was off for a good 12 hours. I lost just one fish.... of course it had to be my favourite fish cos that's just how it goes! The trick is to throw a blanket or duvet over the tank to keep the warmth in and try not to panic. Once the power is back up do a water test to see if the lack of filter has caused water problems and water change if it has. 
 
If your not sure what to go with maybe have a trip to the library if you have one and borrow a few fish books and have a look through and see if there's anything that catches your interest. Take a walk round local fish stores for the same reason. 
 
Hope that helps you

 

[nic1]

White cloud minnows are great, they live in shoals so you should aim to get 6 or more and dont require heated water either
They have a life span of 5 years if kept in good conditions, you can also add some peppered corys with them, they are funny little guys and also live in groups of 6 or more.

 

[twintanks]

Hi, thanks both for the ideas. The tank is just a tad less than 3 feet (31 inches). My water is quite hard, (furry kettles) so obviously I need to focus on that aspect, by the sound of it (Somerset/Mendips area...limestone!). I guessed these little folk would have short lifespans (don't know of any ten-year old tetras), I can relate to that so must be ready for losses. Power cuts, well I 've had half a dozen this past year, the longest being four hours, comes with living in rural areas. There is a good store in my area (Maidenhead Aquatics-run), I shall see what they have, do some reading and not rush....

 

[Akasha72]

that's the way to do it ... take your time and do the research. If your water is hard then the central/south American fish are off the list as they are soft water fish. So things like dwarf cichlids, tetra's, cories are all not really suitable.
 
To be honest I don't know much about the hard water species as I'm in a very soft water area (Yorkshire). The water here is perfect for the central and south American fish that I keep. Not sure how much more help I can be so I'll leave you with the guys who know about the species of fish that will suit you. All the best

 

[Lateral Line]

Many rainbows are naturally from hard alkaline systems, and thus will thrive in your environment. African rift valley fish are from a similar, perhaps even more extreme environment, but frankly, those that are generally available are not what I would recommend for you.  Water holds heat well, it takes ages for a tank temperature to drop dangerously low on a power outage.

 

[twintanks]

Have recently got a GH and KH test kit; the KH worked out at 8 drops and the GH at 13 drops (this is the tap water). 8 drops is apparently around 140ppm and 13 drops is 150-200ppm range. So I'd say my tap water is medium-hard (I also got the latest test results from the local waterboard and they seem to tie in quite well). Have had a quick chat at the local fish-shop, they're well stocked with all sorts and are ready to help when I'm ready with the tank, which has been cleaned out (just in case my old lady had had some infections) and set up again. Also got me a fish-book to learn about the different types and their requirements.....looking forward to the next inmates.

 

[nic1]

haha, 'inmates!!'