New guy from Des Moines, Iowa!

[EagleTime1989]

Hey ya'll from the freezing cold Des Moines, IA (Low tonight is about -11 Fahrenheit). So quick backstory... Was going to therapy 2x a week, diagnosed with Severe PTSD, severe anxiety, and severe depression. Down to 1x a week now and got my medication right, etc. My therapist has a fish tank in her office and it calms the heck out of me. So I thought why not put one in my house? Currently, living in my parents basement due to suicidal attempts/drug use. Please don't judge me upon that. Just want to have a fish tank however, I live in the basement. Mom keeps the house at 62 degrees and at night drops down to 58 degrees. I say this because I probably would need one hell of a heater for the aquarium or a fish tank that is ok with cold weather. I don't have a fish tank or anything yet, but proposed the idea to my parents tonight and they're ok with it. I'm thinking probably about a 20 gallon tank but past that, no knowledge of fish. I know I have to cycle, been reading up on it before even asked my parents. Anyway, ANY advice or suggestions or questions would be very welcome. Obviously, I see that ya'll know what you guys are doing (Love the pics from TOTM and other animal pics). I have a black cat named Jett who is basically my emotional support animal. Anyway, thank you in advance!

Jonas

 

[Innesfan]

Welcome to you, and welcome to this wonderful hobby. I'm sure you can keep a tank warm enough for many species. Are there particular fish that interest you?

 

[fishorama]

Welcome!
There are some fish that can work in cooler temps, but 58 is pretty low. A heater will allow you more options. What fish attract you?

I kind of understand your therapist's tank. When I was a young kid, our dentist had a fish tank in the waiting room. So calming & interesting!

Cute cat BTW

 

[EagleTime1989]

Welcome!
There are some fish that can work in cooler temps, but 58 is pretty low. A heater will allow you more options. What fish attract you?

I kind of understand your therapist's tank. When I was a young kid, our dentist had a fish tank in the waiting room. So calming & interesting!

Cute cat BTW

Thanks for the comment guys! I've always found Gourami's beautiful and peaceful. I also like Zebra Danios or any other kind of Danio's. I know I would need Danio's in a group and I hope they wouldn't pick on the Gourami? Or would 2 dwarf Gourami's be ok? I also love cichlid's but know that 20 g's isn't big enough for them. Guessing I know the answer to this but just gonna ask opinions, fishless cycle or can I do it with fish? I'd read danio's are hardy fish but don't think it's very fair to them to do that. Thanks again guys!

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Welcome aboard matey, you'll find no judgment here. We're a happy and helpful shoal of folks who just love keeping fish. Glad to have you with us, stick around and we'll have you an aquarium up and running in no time!

Some newbie tips:

• buy the biggest tank you can afford and have space for
• aim to keep fish that suit your local water supply rather than making your water fit the fish you want, research GH and hard/soft water fish
• be ready to do regular and large water changes
• accept that all new aquariums go through an ugly, diatoms phase in the beginning, all very normal and will balance itself out
• LIVE PLANTS

 

[GaryE]

Hi Jonas - I know a lot of people who use fishtanks as a means of battling depression. I was talking with a friend who keeps plants and shrimp as a buffer against depression yesterday. He likes the detail involved, and the amount you can dig into the subject. I'm a little "into" the fish side of the hobby, so we can meet easily. But he sees his 7 tanks as therapy, because after work he can settle in and fiddle with them, improve them etc.

Most heaters are designed to keep a tank maybe 3c above room temperature, so you may have a slight issue there. You won't be able to wander into a pet store and just buy fish you like. You'll need a little research and a specific set of sub tropical fish.

I apologize because I'll go celsius on you. Your 60f is 15.5 to me. But you have possibilities.

First off, you're in Iowa. I would have to find that on a map, but I know it's darter country. You have small and beautiful native fish that could thrive in those temps. Many of your darters are endangered, so you would have to do homework and keep it legal.

You could consider paradise fish as a pet shop special. They are hardy, colourful Asian air breathers in the gourami family, and wouldn't need a heater. They good for just about freezing to tropical heat.

Some northern Mexican livebearers can take a winter. X variatus platys can tolerate cool water like yours, although they will only breed in summer. White cloud minnows as well, and many hard to find killifish are good.

If you go ahead, move slowly and carefully when to comes to buying. You need to know your tap water chemistry, although most aquarists in the US midwest have hard water.

 

[Magnum Man]

you are a couple 100 miles south of me( I'm close to where I-35, and I-90 cross, just in to Minnesota... and yep, even colder here...
the bulk of my tanks are in the basement, and I raise Tilapia to eat, during the summer, outside, and keep a 45 gallon, and a 65 gallon tank in my insulated, but unheated entryway... Tilapia like to be kept around 80 degrees or even warmer... this is the 2nd year I have over wintered breeders in my entry way... with no room heat, previously the entry way used to freeze, and explode soda cans when the outside is below zero, but with the 2 heated tanks, in the entry way, it stays normal room temperature... I use about twice the rated size heaters to insure the tanks stay warm, and no issues the last couple years... but just recommended size heaters in the basement.... most of my tanks are tropical ( warm water tanks ) but I also have 2 large tanks that are temperate, that the heaters are set in the low 70's

 

[emeraldking]

Welcome to our forum...
As already stated, no judgements overhere... I'm dealing with severe health issues . My tanks and fish give me calmness. So yes, a tank with fish in it can be very therapeutic.
There are a serious number of fish that can be kept at your low temperature rates. You've already mentioned certain danios which are excellent contenders for such rates. Gouramies wouldn't be a succes at such rates. But if you would like to keep a labyrinth fish (gouramies are also labyrinth fish), a paradise fish could be an option. The ones I've mentioned are quite tolerant in changes in water temperatures.

 

[Innesfan]

Great suggestions already. particularly about Paradise fish as an option. If you like gouramis but cannot provide the warmth they need, Paradise Fish are a great alternative.

Do you have a water source in your basement to make water changes easier?

When I was a teen, I financed my hobby by maintaining aquariums in the offices of local doctors and dentists. The patients in the waiting rooms were always so inquisitive about the fish. More than one hobbyist was born in those rooms.

 

[Innesfan]

Most heaters are designed to keep a tank maybe 3c above room temperature, so you may have a slight issue there. You won't be able to wander into a pet store and just buy fish you like. You'll need a little research and a specific set of sub tropical fish.

I apologize because I'll go celsius on you. Your 60f is 15.5 to me. But you have possibilities.

I'm sure it's my lack of understanding about translating celsius to fahrenheit, but don't we get heaters to work harder than that for our discus, rams or, say, our heat treatments for ich? If my room temp is 68F and my discus are enjoying 86F isn't that more than a 3C bump? I was assuming our new member could easily get his tank temp into the 70sF and broaden his options fish-wise.

 

[Tacocat]

I'm sure it's my lack of understanding about translating celsius to fahrenheit, but don't we get heaters to work harder than that for our discus, rams or, say, our heat treatments for ich? If my room temp is 68F and my discus are enjoying 86F isn't that more than a 3C bump? I was assuming our new member could easily get his tank temp into the 70sF and broaden his options fish-wise.

Yeah same I'd imagine that the heater is just a thermostat and heats until the temperature reading matches what we set it to. I guess it would work harder for lower environmental temps, but once it hits the desired temperature it just maintains homeostasis right?

 

[Magnum Man]

My heaters in the entry way, see a possible 40 degree difference, and have lasted over 2 years so far... I do run 2 heaters in each tank, not that they can't keep up, but I monitor the set points, tank temperature, & percent of operation to make sure I don't end up with a dead heater, and thus dead fish, as Tilapia will die at 50 degrees F.

 

[GaryE]

When I had heaters in cooler rooms, they didn't last. The more recently manufactured ones seemed to burn out very quickly, or stick at one temperature very easily. I always tried to have 2 heaters per tank, but there was a degree of turnover.

I have several heaters in bins, with temperatures marked on tape on their cords. Doing my Fahrenheit conversions, one insists on being at 84, one at 81 - they ceased to be adjustable and went to heats I never set them at.

I only go as high as 78-79 maximum for breeding, and generally heat between 73 and 75 for the fish I keep. Since my current fishroom stays warmer than planned (I wanted 70f and got 73 with the dehumidifier and insulation) I only have a couple of heaters in use.

I queried this and was told 3 degrees above room was how they were designed. I may have accepted that too easily.

 

[Magnum Man]

these are the heaters I've been trying to buy... usually 300 or 500 watt... they have been reliable for at least a couple years of continuous use, even in my unheated room, where the tanks, are the only heat source...

https://www.amazon.com/hygger-Submersible-Controller-Intelligent-Automatically/dp/B0BF3S1LWH/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3Q6FAWZYQELFU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8PL923C6RNfZSG_s3I2BHwRXQ2CrUWUmy138ZZ4BFRap8IU2LkqSaNhdrkjulq6v5UwZy6o4F54KAQlMFDWLQlh5dWPJUdwjHRYReapVRavJW8AR11k7gdcYPKohmDeO_-kyzQ2gHLTQZcnldzYfCZi-FOmJj5klNNd2BgAe4eAs4tJw_OdKdDFVSdzb1fQn_yp-spYbWaJn04S5ASzYK1BGb7ZEbtEHC1SGz1Vhmqe5hTFnEduSvw-WIqzpnHrB3g2o4WgdKX0TqrEN7aO3zME7ojrZUZbn3rKg-N00i2c.t2H1XyRuvgXwoUZZRrLT2Ysht4GoQLIyEo15Zjl7zDo&dib_tag=se&keywords=aquarium%2Bheater&qid=1739908028&sprefix=Aquarium%2B%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1&psc=1

 

[BigDog]

WELCOME to this great forum