Brand New 174 Gallon Fishtank! (pics Included)

[Sting]

First and foremost; My name is Ali and as you can see by my very distinct badge under my yet to be established avatar im a Newbie

Recently I have purchased an aquarium which is massive
It measures 100 (long ) x 55 (wide ) x 120 (high )

Until now i have spent $400 US just on the initital setup (freshwater)
Its looking lifeless/dull/boring
So far i have:
- 8 Goldfish
- approximately 8 plastic "plants"
- and 2 ornaments ( perhaps the only useful things in there )

How can i go about bring life into this tank?
Real plants? ( benefits/detriments )
Corals; a possibility?
Which fish Would suit this tank/setup ? ( some colour perhaps and not too expensive [ that even possible nowadays? ] )

I propably have about 120 more questions though unfortunately cant remember them all

ANY
Tips/suggestions/ideas/thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated

Thanks in advance

EDIT: forgot to add the pictures

 

[england]

hey there newbie
so the tanks just over 3ft long and 4ft
wow thats such an odd shape
unfortanutly because of this problem your going to need great fileration and secondly it doesnt mean you can have more fish because the problem is its tall and not long...
i would reccomend getting a great filter and a heater then rehome the goldfish and go small a nice small community of tropical fish which are bursting with colour something like an angel fish would be good in the because of the height

 

[Snooks1!]

Firstly, you cannot have corals as those are saltwater...

Now, I'll address the rest of your questions:

You are a bit overstocked considering the tank's dimensions, and especially if the fish are anything other than fancy goldfish. Also considering that it's a coldwater tank, this limits what you can put in there safely. To add 'life' to the tank, you could consider getting some dojo/weather loaches, as they are coldwater as well. But , instead of buying the drab brown/grey normal variety, try to buy the golden and albino ones to add colour to the tank. You could also try some snails to help with algae.

OR... Just get more colourful goldfish. That's the reason most people get goldfish, is to try and add colour. You can get all sorts of amazingly coloured goldies. Just a matter of finding them.

You could try real plants as they would help to take care of the massive waste produced by the fish ...but due to the size of the tank ( height wise ) it would be a real hassle to try and get anything to grow without massive lighting units. You could try to have some hardy plants that are able to survive cold water and low light, but as I am not an expert on plants I cannot help you much there.


Also....I don't know what sort of filtration you have in there...but, it had better be good to cope with the waste produced by the goldfish. If I were you, I would get as much filtration as possible in to that tank as goldfish are extremely messy fish. Especially considering that you have 8 in there...You ammonia levels could spike at any moment unless you have very good filtration.


I think that answers most of your questions, if you have any more just ask, and feel free to PM if you need any help. Very nice tank though, you could consider getting more fake plants if you don't go the way of real ones.

 

[Sting]

Thankyou for the comments thus far, Im definately considering some loaches, And propably give some plants a shot and perhaps throw in a terrocotta pot in their somewhere? Snooks1, how diverse are goldfishs (colour wise ) at the LFS black,white,orange all they had?

Any more ides would be greatly appreciated

 

[Proud Texan]

Ya what a odd aquarium personally if a where you id return it because its so tall.

 

[OldMan47]

White clouds are also a cold water fish that are quite active swimmers. They might liven things up a bit for you. Some plants that we generally avoid because they get such long leaves, such as vals, would work well with a very tall tank. We usually think of them as something for a long tank where the leaves can spread horizontally but they naturally grow vertically.

 

[Sting]

Ya what a odd aquarium personally if a where you id return it because its so tall.

Ah no; its unique something different, something nice; thankyou very much.

 

[Snooks1!]

Thankyou for the comments thus far, Im definately considering some loaches, And propably give some plants a shot and perhaps throw in a terrocotta pot in their somewhere? Snooks1, how diverse are goldfishs (colour wise ) at the LFS black,white,orange all they had?

Any more ides would be greatly appreciated

As oldman white cloud minnows are very lively coldwater fish, and would do good to put some life and movement into the tank. The idea with the val is very good too.

Terracotta pots make excellent hiding places for most any fish, especially if you decide to get some dojo loaches.

As for the diversity of goldfish...Just do a few google searches to find out. Goldfish have some of the most interesting patterns/colours of any fish ( maybe excluding bettas ). It's just a matter of finding ones that suit you. Though, keep in mind that you would need to get rid of a few before you add any more into the tank. You still haven't told us the filtration you have in the tank? Your best bet for this tank would be to get a really good canister filter along with one or two hang on back biowheel filters for additional biological filtration. Two Penguin Biowheel 350s would run you about $60 if you buy them online, and along with a good eheim canister filter, you'd be doing pretty good.

Just keep in mind that properly cared for goldfish can live for up to 30 years. Most people look down on them as ignorant stupid fish, but in reality they become very friendly and will act very much like a dog. To a lesser extent, the same thing can be said about the loaches, as they can live for 7-10 years.

 

[Esfa]

For plants, you could have elodia densa or crispa, or some vallis.

you can als get some apple snails to brighten it up fun to breed, too.

 

[jacko9901]

my LFS sells zebra danios for coldwater and tropical tanks so you could get some zebra danios aswell to add colour and make the tank more active.

 

[pastabake]

Go tropical and get some Angels with long fins, perfect for the height of the tank.

 

[tenohfive]

I'm no expert, but if going tropical then discus would be an option wouldn't they? Beautiful, colourful fish they are.


I'd avoid adding White Cloud Mountain Minnows-I did the same to my coldwater tank and the following morning 4 of them had been eaten by one of the bigger goldfish. And whilst your goldfish might not be too big now, they will grow.

 

[OldMan47]

10-O- 5, a discus is not a fish for a new fish keeper. That is a recipe for disaster as they tend to be harder to keep than many other fish. Even for an experienced fish keeper they are not something to put into a new aquarium, they are for a mature tank only and then only for the more experienced fish keeper.
Even with 50 years of experience, I avoid "hard" fish because I want to enjoy the hobby rather than fight diseases and extreme water requirements.

 

[Snooks1!]

I want to enjoy the hobby rather than fight diseases and extreme water requirements.

 

[slakey]

are you sure that's 174gallons? It sure does like small for it.