Goldfish and Tropical in the same tank ?

deadl0ck

Is it possible to have goldfish and tropical fish in the same tank ?
We currently have 2 goldfish in a tank (I think it's 60 litres) and we want to add some fish.
Are there any fish that would help keep the glass clean that could go with the goldfish, or should we just stick to just the goldfish in the tank ?

h2s

I have 2 Large Goldfish and two midsize Suckermouths in a 70 litre tank at 26 C. and the fish do fine. I have them like that for the past four-five years and in fact the Goldfish appear more lively at that temp than they did when there was not heater in the tank (it was 20 C. then).

The only thing is depending on the size of you goldfish, don't put small tropical fish in as the other feckers (goldfish) will eat them. That happened to me, every morning there would be one less small fish until they were all gone.

The old suckmouths keep the algae in check however they are not going to eat crap so you obviously have to feed them them too.

Arcadian

never mind

Sigma Force

Is your main problem trying to keep the golfish tank clean?
If so invest in a good water filter and be careful not to overfeed them, add some stress coat if you haven't already, goldfish aren't that hard to keep clean at all esp. if you have a filter.
The glass can be cleaned by getting the magnetic cleaners, one side goes in the tank the other on the outside, easiest and not stressful to the fish.

FranknFurter

Do not get a "suckmouth" (I assume you mean a "pleco" (Pterygoplichthys) as they are the most commonly sold, black, long, flat belly, slightly spotted black, high dorsal fin?), unless you have or intend to buy a large tank and are prepared for a big commitment, they live a LONG time.

They will grow to 48 inches when young, 72 + when adult but are usually sold at about 3"-7" long as juveniles in pet shops, people think they are interesting small fish not realising they are highly specialised.

Your tank having algae will not be enough for them, for a proper diet you will need to give them algae disks and things like lettace (sp?).

Here is some additional info taken from web:

"The Plecos are all twilight and night time animals and are most active at this time. When it gets dark they turn from quiet to often extremely active.
They need at least 6+ hours of darkness every day.
It is vital they are kept in a VERY large well planted community aquarium with pieces of driftwood for scraping. Glass tank walls are not suitable as the sole source of food as algae will never grow thick enough and their mouths are designed for textures.
If your Pleco is always on the glass sides, it is because it has no other choice and is very hungry indeed.
A soft substrate is also beneficial as some like to burrow and normal aquarium pea-gravel can cause damage to their delicate eyes.
A diet high in vegetable matter is essential to their health and can be supplemented with Romaine lettuce or boiled spinach. Too much animal matter in the diet can cause digestive problems.
So, if you see your Pleco eating regular tropical fish food, then it is badly in need of some "proper" vegetable matter and usually is ill by that point.
They generally leave small fish alone, but occasionally will eat any that present themselves to them, as they are usually most active at night, most owners do not see this happening and will often blame it on other tank inhabitants. They are hardy and undemanding in the water parameters, but will do best in soft water with a temperature in the mid seventies. The pleco is very long lived"

As for the goldfish, I have heard many times over the years of them being kept in tropical tanks and cannot say I have ever heard of it being any harm, although I am no expert.
I have however noticed that people often remark that they grow very large very quickly in tropical setup's.

B

h2s

Tut! tut! you should know better than calling them by that name..