tropical in coldwater..

the fishI got that Is probably tropical is thriving in the coldwater tank..
his colours have come out really well, he eats, and is a very fast swimmer.. but I think he is lonely.. the minnows are in a shoal but he doesn't join them.. instead he chases up and down the sides of the tank.. where i'm pretty sure theres a reflection.. do you think he wants another like him? if I did get one, it'd be in a tropicl tank, and i'm not sure if its easy to to put a tropical fish into coldwater..although the current one was taken accidentally from a tropical tank in with white clouds, which are often sold there for coldwater tanks..

so do you think I should get another like him? I'd be very very careful when putting him in the tank..i'd let the bag water cool by itself and then float in for a while in the tank to see how he acts and judge weather or not to put him in by how he is acting.

and do you think the current fish is actually lonely? he is the most active fish in the tank by far, the goldfish just glide along and the minnows flit in and out of the plants but he races around the glass for hours on end.. I do think its because of the reflection..

 

What temp does your tank stay at?
Did you ever figure out for sure what he is?


-Chelle

 

its room temp.. sorry i'll try get an exact one.. i'll have to find a thermometer..

I did think he was a bloodfin tetra, but he doesn't look like the pics of them on the web, just like the sticker on the tank that said it. :?
plus he doesn't have red fins lol
he did have slightly red tinted ones but now his purple colour is really strong and his orange stripe is like neon.. his fins are clear now though..
hmm he has barbels which I thought would narrow down the search but still I can't find him. do bloodfins have barbels?
there was also a something glass tetra sticker on the tank.. possibly him? there was no pic on it.

I won't get another one though until I can find out the tank temp :wink:

 

If your room temp in the summer is like mine it will be anywhere from 70-92 degrees in the house. You tetras will be ok in that temp, however during the winter it can drop to as low as 59 in the house and we have lost fish during power outages in that temp before. I'd invest in a small heater ($8-10) and plug it in if you feel you need it for him. Like you mentioned though, be sure to acclimate him very slowly and during the warmest time of the day if you decide not to buy the heater. As a rule tetras are happiest with schools of at least six so he probably is very lonely.

As to the identity of the tetra, it almost sounds like a glowlight tetra but not quite.

 

As for the reflection theory, here is my take. The glass only looks like a mirror when you look at the front glass through the side glass. If you could stick your head in the tank (don't do it), you would see that there is no reflection to play with. You didn't mention tank size. Sometimes when there is a very small tank, the fishes will swim along the glass. irridescent sharks will have a notch on their noses because there isn't a tank big enough for them. It may be the fish wants to school, but then again if the tank is too small there's no way.
Winter will bring you problems if you are in the spring right now.

 

hi

hmm you know.. I do have a proper heater.. it came with the tank, but as there are goldfish in the tank I assumed I couldn't use it..
can goldfish live in tropical water? it would make sense to put it in if so, because the white clouds can be tropical also and i'm almost positive the purple guy is some sort of tetra..
the tank is 14.5 gallons (us) I think its 12 in uk.
I feel sorry for the little guy.. he's actually really friendly, something my shoal fish are normally not.. he comes up with the goldfish to nibble my fingers when I am trying to reposition the plants my g-fish insist on uprooting every night
still looking for the termometer :?

 

What kind of goldfish are they? Fancy/roundbodied? The fancy goldfish can tollerate higher temps better than the common goldfish. Also, if you have more than one goldfish, you're going to need a bigger tank. 14 gallons is only large enough for 1 fancy goldfish.

Also, a heater is a good idea even in "coldwater" tanks simply because it will help keep the temperature stable.

-Chelle

 

,

hi, they are common and comets, they are all babies right now, only a couple of inches. I gave my bigger ones (except my blind one) to my aunt, she got a new 50gal and decided she didn't want the hassle of tropicals because of the problem of power cuts. so I have literally 4 tiny, about 2 inches, including tail, little comets/commons in the tank with about 7 or 8 minnows. I know it sounds a bit crowded, but the minnows occupy the planted area and the surface, and the others swim around the bottom and middle. I'll be getting a big one like my aunt's when I have room. If I can't get one, then by the time they are bigger, the ones in my aunt's 50gal will be moved to her pond, so her tank will be free. :wink:
then I'll be moving into tropical myself.. so what temp would be ok for the commons? because even a bit warmer would probably suit the purple fish better + the minnows do well in warmer water too.

 

Everyone should do okay at around 75*. Also, your goldfish will all eventually have to end up in a large pond. Comet goldfish can get well over 12 inches and need at least 50 gallons each.

-Chelle

 

.

yep I realise that, I like goldfish because they get so tame and friendly.
But i'v never kept one in a tank for more than a few years, except when I had my 2 10yr olds, but that was back when we had our huge tank... I think it was somewhere around 60/70 gallons.. can't remember but I really miss it.... but my mam wanted a piano and that was the only place it would fit. :x
My aunt is really the only other fish lover in the family.. she has a garden in the country with a *really* big pond, at least 800gals because i'm not joking its huge. she only has like 8 fish in it though.
After these 4 babies go, I'll either get small coldwater fish, or go for the tropical tetra tank.
hmm I'm not sure what to do with my blind fellow though.. he's about 4 inches but has a real hard time at feeding and I always have to handfeed him so he gets his food.. I really don't think he'd survive in a pond.. I guess he can live in my 50 gallon with some minnows by himself... unless he grows to his full size then i'll have to seriously consider the pond..