Fish Tank - Cold vs. Warm Water Fish

KyleJJE

Hi all,

Thinking of getting a fish tank and wondering which to go for, cold vs. warm water.
Any suggestions?

Is 80L tank adequate, or should I leap to 230L??

Cheers

Jen Pigs Fly

Tropical is better, the fish are typically smaller, more varied, less dirty and you can keep a lot more of them in the tank that if you went cold water.

Goldfish are notorious for dirt, they are large river carp and will grow and grow, eventually a 260l will only do maybe 2 goldfish and even at that you'll need to do regular water changes to keep the dirt and the smell down.

Tropical fish are easier too, only difference is a heater, you can add a group of really hardy fish such as red eye tetra (they're pretty much bullet proof!), silvertips or you can go fo colour such as gourami, Angels, barbs (rosy barbs look lovely as do Odessa barbs)

I would personally go for the bigger aquarium, a 260l will give you so much more room to play with than an 80l. The bigger the aquarium gives you more room for error, more water means ammonia becomes less toxic as quick due to dilution and you can add more fish!

So to recap, go for tropical and the bigger tank, you'll be much happier with the decision in the long run

Berserker

KyleJJE wrote: »

Is 80L tank adequate, or should I leap to 230L??

As someone who is relatively new to the hobby, I would recommend that you go for the larger tank. Going with the 80L tank, limits your choice of fish dramatically. You will go to your LFS, see some fish that you really like but you won't be able to buy them, as a result of the size of your tank. An 80L will reach it's maximum capacity very, very quickly.

RosieJoe

Just to add, larger tanks are easier to maintain as they are a more stable environment. 80L tanks tend to react to small adverse conditions, like water quality, more thank bigger tanks and this can be detrimental to your fish.

Gordy6040

Agreed with all the above posters to be honest.
A larger tank is actually easier to maintain because its more stable. You have a lot more options in terms of fish as well.

CruelCoin

Bigger tanks all the way.

A polutant that enters the water in a small tank is more harmfull than if a similar amount entered a larger tank (diluting power).

Your fish will generally display more natural behaviours in a larger tank too.

There are downsides too though....
Every sunday, you'll have to be swapping out 20-30% of the tank water. So, two jerry cans, every week. This can be time consuming, especially if you live in an area where you have to de-chlorinate the water.

Pros and cons. Just like getting a dog, don't get the bigger tank if you can't look after it properly, but if you do, then you'll see many benefits you won't get with the smaller tank.

KyleJJE

Thanks for all the comments.
I bought 120L starter kit with stand.

Going to go with warm freahwater fish.

CruelCoin

KyleJJE wrote: »

Thanks for all the comments.
I bought 120L starter kit with stand.

Going to go with warm freahwater fish.

Cool.

What do you plan on putting into it?

Gordy6040

if I have the space I'd be tempted to go with some sort of biotope.
that's lot of space to play with, have a google on it!

CruelCoin

OP, tanks come in all sizes and shapes.

If it's a tall tank, then go for fish that appreciate this (angels, etc), if its a long tank, then go for tetras, cory's etc.

KyleJJE

CruelCoin wrote: »

Cool.

What do you plan on putting into it?

Going to gradually put in:
Tiger barbs x 6
Cardinal tetras x 10
Red tail black shark x 1

Jen Pigs Fly

KyleJJE wrote: »

Going to gradually put in:
Tiger barbs x 6
Cardinal tetras x 10
Red tail black shark x 1

Would not recommend Cardinals In with barbs and a red tail. You need semi aggressive fish if you want to keep them with barbs and the red tail.

Instead of cardinals I would go for a Hardy fish that can handle the level of aggression especially from the red tail (they can be horrible aggressive fish), I would recommend
Red eye tetra
Cherry barb
Golden barb
Silvertip tetra
Beunos aires tetra
Serpae tetra

And instead if a red tail shark go for a rainbow shark instead, same coloration but much less aggressive than the red tail

Poster2014

I think with the warm water you get a much more varied choice of fish. Good luck with the new tank!