Noob here. What fish can I have?

[Shubbub]

Hi all
I'm new here.

So I am planning on rehoming my goldfish (2 shubunkins) I know it sounds bad! But when I bought them I was in college and new nothing about fish. I've since then (I've had them 5 years) realised that they have outgrown their tank and that they really need a pond. I don't have a garden so it's impossible for me to give that to them right now.

I am giving them to a man who has a large pond and is looking for fish to stock it with. I think they will be much better off there and will continue to grow. He said I can have them back when I have my own pond which I plan to have when I get my own place, I am currently renting.
Please don't judge me too harshly I am trying to do what's best for the fish.

But that still leaves me with my 200L fish tank and the love of fish!

I am thinking of starting fresh, maybe with some tropical fish this time. This time I want to make sure the tank is suitable for the fish I get. What kind of fish would be happy in a 200L tank?

 

[Lillypad101]

Hi! Welcome to the forum!
I too started out with 2 goldfish in a tank smaller than yours. You did the right thing giving them away though. They really do get big and require a pond.
Could you give your water parameters please?
Ex. - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, gh (hardness)
Here are a few questions to help determine what kind of fish your wanting:

Water parameters? Some fish like softer water and some fish like harder water. 200l is a pretty big aquarium, and is a good size for a beginner. Make sure you cycle your tank, to ensure it’s safe for the intended fish.

Do you prefer fish that are colorful or have more personality? There are definitely fish that have both, but it’s easier to find one or the other.

Do you want more of a species only, a community, or one bigger fish?

With 200l (around 53 gallons) there are lots of options.

Hope this helps!

 

[Shubbub]

Hi! Welcome to the forum!
I too started out with 2 goldfish in a tank smaller than yours. You did the right thing giving them away though. They really do get big and require a pond.
Could you give your water parameters please?
Ex. - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, gh (hardness)
Here are a few questions to help determine what kind of fish your wanting:

Water parameters? Some fish like softer water and some fish like harder water. 200l is a pretty big aquarium, and is a good size for a beginner. Make sure you cycle your tank, to ensure it’s safe for the intended fish.

Do you prefer fish that are colorful or have more personality? There are definitely fish that have both, but it’s easier to find one or the other.

Do you want more of a species only, a community, or one bigger fish?

With 200l (around 53 gallons) there are lots of options.

Hope this helps!

Oh ok well I still have the two shubunkins in the tank and will probably still have them for a few more weeks.

The water in my area is hard. That's all about i know about the water quality in my area... probably should but the fish have just always been fine. I have a filter and an air pump and I do regular water changes but besides that I don't know much about water quality. I suppose I will need to learn alot before I move on to knew fish since goldfish are so easy.

Cycling the tank is getting the nitrogen cycle going in terms of waste and ammonia, nitrite and nitrate right? How does one go about cycling the tank? I have water conditioner and something else that makes tap water ok for fish? Is that cycling the water. Sorry I really dont know much...

I honestly don't know what I want. I like the idea of having a couple of different species? But I love the look of angelfish so if I could have one fish it would be an angelfish. Can you keep angelfish with other fish?

I also love clown fish.

 

[Byron]

On the hardness, which is expressed as GH (general hardness), subjective terms can be way off the mark. See if your municipal water authority has a website, this may be posted there. We (you) need to know the GH, and the pH, and if you can, the KH (carbonate hardness or Alkalinity) is useful. @Essjay probably knows how to track this down.

Cycling the tank is explained in the articles at the head of the "Cycle your tank" forum section.

Angelfish is not an easy fish. It is a shoaling fish so it should have a group of five or more, and this tank is much too small. It gets 15cm in body length (minus the caudal fin) and a vertical fin span of 20 cm. And it may well have serious issues in behaviour.

Clown fish probably are marine fish, unless you mean the clown killifish which is fresh.

 

[Essjay]

Since there are fish in the tank at the moment, it's already cycled. If you get new fish soon after the goldies go to their new home, you don't need to cycle it.

If you tell us the name of your water company I'll see what I can find. If Irish water companies are like English ones, there should be a page where you type in your address or postcode and that gives a page with the water quality report and the hardness level for your address, though sometimes they do make it tricky to find that first page.

 

[The603]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[sharkweek178]

Hi all
I'm new here.

So I am planning on rehoming my goldfish (2 shubunkins) I know it sounds bad! But when I bought them I was in college and new nothing about fish. I've since then (I've had them 5 years) realised that they have outgrown their tank and that they really need a pond. I don't have a garden so it's impossible for me to give that to them right now.

I am giving them to a man who has a large pond and is looking for fish to stock it with. I think they will be much better off there and will continue to grow. He said I can have them back when I have my own pond which I plan to have when I get my own place, I am currently renting.
Please don't judge me too harshly I am trying to do what's best for the fish.

But that still leaves me with my 200L fish tank and the love of fish!

I am thinking of starting fresh, maybe with some tropical fish this time. This time I want to make sure the tank is suitable for the fish I get. What kind of fish would be happy in a 200L tank?

I don't think anyone is going to judge you. Rehoming a fish when you realize that you can't provide a healthy environment for it is commendable.

 

[Lillypad101]

You only need to cycle it again if you start over. I just got some angelfish for my 60 gallon. It really depends on the height of your aquarium though.
Most likely you are talking about saltwater (marine) clownfish. There are also saltwater angelfish, but I think your talking about freshwater angelfish.

 

[emeraldking]

Hi and welcome to TFF...

Please don't judge me too harshly I am trying to do what's best for the fish.

Nobody's judging you... We should even praise you for the fact that you're giving them a bigger environment.
Whatever you'll decide on the 200l tank, feel free to post some pictures of it once it's running....