Some coldwater questions....

K

Kiwilover

AC Members
Jan 8, 2010
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Hello, I'm a newbie to these forums, but I've had a tropical aquarium for 4 years now.

I gave my friend an old 10 gallon tank of mine, and he wants to have hardy, coldwater fish.

What are some exciting coldwater fish? He doesn't want old guppies or goldfish. He wants some more interesting fish, are Tiger Barbs okay for coldwater? He like them, and I've heard they can do fine without a heater.

Also, do tiger barbs naturally grow large? At the store near my house they sell "large tiger barbs". Are these specially bred, or are they just matured fish? What other coldwater fish can go great with them? Are there any coldwater invertebrates he can keep with them?

Also, he's wondering, do they need a good filter, or if he just takes out some water every once and awhile and replaces it, will that be fine?
 
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A school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows are a possibility for cold water. You could probably do 6 or 7 in a 10 gallon.
 
Long fin white clouds are absolutely gorgeous, coldwater hardy and definitely active!
 
Yes, you need filtration. Just doing water changes isn't enough, you need water movement/oxygenation and somewhere with high flow for beneficial bacteria to grow. Filters are important.

It is good that your friend does not want goldfish, because a ten gallon tank is far, far to small for goldfish.

"Large" tiger barbs are just older fish, and what the stores usually sell as "large" are still FAR smaller than they have the potential to grow to. They can get as large as a 50 cent piece or more.

Japanese Trapdoor snails are coldwater hardy and are a nice addition to a tank. They are livebearers and are not hermaphrodites, so you don't have to worry about tons of babies. You have to have a male/female pair to reproduce, so if you just have one, no worries.

Ghost shrimp also do well in coldwater tanks and are actually quite interesting to watch, as much as any other shrimp. They are also very, VERY cheap.

Kristina
 
White cloud minnows would be great for a coldwater ten gal, in a healthy tank they are beautiful and active. Definitely not Tiger barbs though, those guys need a heater and a tank large enough to support a school of @ least 6.
 
I just picked up 4 white clouds for my son's 20long......I never realized what a pretty little fish these are ! I only paid $1.14 each for them.....Definitely an under rated fish ! One of the group was flaring and flashing it's fins....their color was all washed out at the store, but once I brought them home...wow !

Go for the minnows ! lol
 
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