Darnit, this tropical thing just isnt working out

[Malbri]

I have a 40 gallon corner tank, and I keep trying to stock it nicely with tropical fish, and it just isnt working out! Right now I only have 2 cories and a guppy. Power goes out, temp drops, fish die. Get new fish, sick batch, dead in a day. Get fish from another store, they live fine for a few weeks, then I loose three when I forget to turn off the heater during a waterchange and it malfuntions. Well, I think I want to give goldfish a try. I think it would be alot lower stress because I wont feel like they will freeze if the power goes out. How many fancy goldfish for a 40 gallon corner tank? 2?

[fish guru]

I would say tht two gold fish would do fine.

[Rbishop]

What kind of filter...?

[Flaringshutter]

You could try two fancies in that corner tank, but I would recommend getting all your fishkeeping mistakes and problems settled before you try goldfish. They're more demanding than tropicals, in my opinion.
What fish have you tried so far? And you said you lose fish when you don't turn the heater on. How cold does your tank get?

[Malbri]

You could try two fancies in that corner tank, but I would recommend getting all your fishkeeping mistakes and problems settled before you try goldfish. They're more demanding than tropicals, in my opinion.
What fish have you tried so far? And you said you lose fish when you don't turn the heater on. How cold does your tank get?
Well all my recent problems have been heat-related. My room is about 50* in the winter without the heat on.

[bluekrissyspike]

maybe you just need to invest in a better quality heater.

[Malbri]

The filter is an Aquaclear, I want to say its for up to 70 gallons? Water parameters have not been a problem

[Malbri]

maybe you just need to invest in a better quality heater.
The most recent one I managed to kill was a stealth visitherm.

[Rbishop]

The heater isn't the issue by its self, that would be operator error, no offense. Place the heater very low, almost horizontal and even a big 80% water change will not be an issue.

That AC 70 is at best half of what you need for that tank with tropicals, let alone two goldies.

[Malbri]

The heater isn't the issue by its self, that would be operator error, no offense. Place the heater very low, almost horizontal and even a big 80% water change will not be an issue.

That AC 70 is at best half of what you need for that tank with tropicals, let alone two goldies.
Haha I know:grinyes:
But there is still the problem of power going out, cat knocking the plug out, sleepwalker pulling the plug out, and its just more electricity use(I know its not much, but every little bit helps)

[Inka4040]

I'd go with cold tolerant "tropicals" before deciding to go goldie. Variatus platies, white clouds, many danios, dojo loaches, and most barbs would fit the bill quite well. I have to second getting a better heater though.

[Squawkbert]

I'd go with cold tolerant "tropicals" before deciding to go goldie. Variatus platies, white clouds, many danios, dojo loaches, and most barbs would fit the bill quite well. I have to second getting a better heater though.

^ I totally agree

PS - you seem to have lost your avatar too, M.

[Malbri]

And Rb- how is that AC not enough? Since I got that filter and swiched to sand, I havent seen any poop stuck on the floor of the tank

[THE V]

Malbri, Although the AC is pulling more than enough water filter to suck all of the poop up. It doesn't have enough surface area in the filter for the bacteria to grow on and break down all of the waste. This leads to the filter clogging fast and poor water conditions.

First off it your have problems with heaters/power outages, then you definitely should look at coldwater fish. Two fancy goldfish in a 40 gallon would do just fine but will definately need heavy filtration. There are actually many other options for fish in a tank this size; white cloud mountain minnows, rosey reds, paradise fish, or many of the U.S. native species (especially minnows or killies). You can also have many different kids of invertabrates at these temperatures.

I went coldwater after I lost a tropical tank in Minnesota when the power went out one winter. The power went out at my place after I left for work in the morning. When I came home, my place was at 45 degrees and all the fish were dead.

[Flaringshutter]

I agree with V - the Aquaclear isn't sufficient. A good filter needs to have proper mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration. Although your aquaclear has good mechanical filtration (i.e. sucks up all the poo), a HOB filter can't filter a 40 gallon properly because it doesn't have enough surface area for good biological filtration (i.e. for happy bacteria to keep your chemicals in check).

If your tank gets down to 50 degrees, you won't have any luck with fancies. They are goldfish, so they can tolerate cooler temperatures, but fancies are not hardy enough for water that cold. 60 degrees, maybe, is their lower limit. Again, I agree with V - you might have good luck with white clouds, rosy reds, and similar native coldwater species.

You can try investing in a better heater - the newest models are extremely energy-efficient and use about as much power as a lightbulb. Be sure to place it horizontally along the bottom of the tank, so low water level won't cause problems. If you're worried about accidentally unplugging it, buy a heavy-duty extension cord in a short length, and plug the heater in to that. They are usually much harder to unplug, so you won't have to worry about it so much.

Best of luck.

[red devil]

Yes...and, nothing person to those of you who have goldfish, but goldfish are pigs and are not very interesting to look at. They are all either white, orange or black. If you are concerned with people or animals pulling the cords out of sockets I have seen devices that let you screw a plug into the middle screw of an outlet so that it cannot be pulled out. You may have to replace the plug but that is easy.

[Flaringshutter]

Yes...and, nothing person to those of you who have goldfish, but goldfish are pigs and are not very interesting to look at. They are all either white, orange or black.

Red Devil, I think that is a very uninformed statement. Goldfish are just as interesting as tropicals, and they do not come in white, orange, or black. There are dozens of different body shape, finnage, and color variations.

[THE V]

^ Glad you answered that one Flaring. I had nothing that wouldn't get me banned to say to that one.

[Malbri]

Ok, so I now have a stealth along the bottom, tank is at a steady temp, water levels are good, platys in the quarantine, lets give this another go!

[Malbri]

Oh yea, and petsmart has free shipping over 75 dollars, its filter time!
Im never gonna be able to afford a car...

[Malbri]

So, what would you recommend as a filter? I like the aquaclear, so another one of those?

[Flaringshutter]

For a 40 gallon, I'd recommend a small canister. I adore the Rena Filstars - an XP1 would be great for your tank. Even a bio-wheel filter would be alright, since they have a huge surface for bacteria colonies.

[RodInCALIFORNIA]

a Emperor 400 would be a nice filter for your tank