[Plinkploop]

So I'm killing time while I wait for my cube lights to come on to do maintenance and I've been in a curiosity streak. Starting yesterday when I fed my goldfish.

I knew my tank was bigger than the 150 gallon it was sold to me as but I had never thought about it until I saw my 20 inch goldfish and my 15 inch goldfish comfortably lined up front to back.

I measured the tank. 9 foot by 4 foot by 3 foot. Did the calculations and figured out my cold water tanks is 800 gallons.

Curiosity (and boredom) are killing me. What COLD WATER (read that as unheated) critters would you keep in a tank this size? Doesn't have to fall within certain parameters other than unheated.

 

[deeda]

Odd that you wouldn't have realized the tank was 800+ gallons before now but I like it! Are those dimensions in L x W x H?

I know you are asking about a cold water tank but what is the average temperature of the tank throughout the year since it is unheated? Are your plans to keep the current goldfish and add more tank mates?

 

[JasonBD77]

Hill stream! Loaches and minnows.

 

[Plinkploop]

Odd that you wouldn't have realized the tank was 800+ gallons before now but I like it! Are those dimensions in L x W x H?

I know you are asking about a cold water tank but what is the average temperature of the tank throughout the year since it is unheated? Are your plans to keep the current goldfish and add more tank mates?

I've been contemplating building another pond. It probably won't happen but if someone comes up with something that smacks me across the face and screams "I need to do this" it may motivate me. Therefore if I do take on that endeavor I would be moving the current residents of this tank into that and wintering them in the basement.

The room itself stays pretty static at 70° during most of the year but during the summer there's no AC but the house itself is shaded and rarely gets to 90°. The other things is there is no ability to add warm water during changes but I can drain and add cold water very easily to cool things down.

*oh and it's l×h×w cuz I'm backwards 🤪

Hill stream! Loaches and minnows.

This had crossed my mind but I'm skeptical if can get enough flow to make the loaches happy without breaking the bank in electricity.

 

[Griznatch]

A huge school or two of rasboras? Most do ok in low 70s... I'm curious since you have goldfish in there, is it planted? Wow, think of the size of driftwood you could put in there. Sooo many questions - how do you move hardscape around without climbing in? What do you use to catch anything in there under 5 inches? What kind of lighting are you using? My apologies if you have a journal for this. I never though to look until just now...

I'm always tempted to go big when I have that kind of real estate. Last time I did that however, I ended up with two gargantuan fish that pretty much destroyed everything in the tank. (oscar and albino channel cat). My oscar was pretty big, but the channnel cat was something out of a horror movie. I'm pretty sure he still running around doing bit parts in B movies somewhere in northern California.

 

[jake21]

5000 danio ? Btw are you planting that tank? I can't even reach the bottom of my 24 inch tank and yours is 36 inch.... or do you just climb in it Next year i will be setting up a pair of 400 gallon tank - they are similar size as yours just not 36 inches high.

 

[Plinkploop]

A huge school or two of rasboras? Most do ok in low 70s... I'm curious since you have goldfish in there, is it planted? Wow, think of the size of driftwood you could put in there. Sooo many questions - how do you move hardscape around without climbing in? What do you use to catch anything in there under 5 inches? What kind of lighting are you using? My apologies if you have a journal for this. I never though to look until just now...

I'm always tempted to go big when I have that kind of real estate. Last time I did that however, I ended up with two gargantuan fish that pretty much destroyed everything in the tank. (oscar and albino channel cat). My oscar was pretty big, but the channnel cat was something out of a horror movie. I'm pretty sure he still running around doing bit parts in B movies somewhere in northern California.

😂 it is not planted and I don't have a tank journal- it started it's life as a monster cichlid tank which quickly turned into an oscar breeder. Then I retired from breeding, sold 2 plots of land holding my ponds and moved my turtle and goldfish home. The goldfish all used to be in the turtle tub and this tank had the hornpout, a few sunfish and my red eared slider. When my snapper passed away we moved the red eared slider into the tub and brought the yellow belly down to keep her company and moved the goldfish into this monster.

When it was a monster cichlid tank I had a 6 foot long piece of driftwood and 300lbs or rock.

Maintenance is performed using a pump and vacuumings are done a section at a time on a ladder. There's a cold water spigot in the wall behind it (bathroom sink is on the other side of the wall) so lifting buckets or hauling hoses aren't an issue. I pump out my kitchen window (4 feet away). Algae cleaning and sand stirring requires one of those grabber things and a step stool 😂 and looks ridiculous.

Lights are regular shop lights, 6 foot fluorescents hung from ceiling. Have grown calla lilies and hyacinth on the back occasionally but have never planted it.

Catching anything in this tank that doesn't want to be caught won't happen lol. I've been lucky that all the fish I've had in here have been friendly enough for me to hand catch.

I didn't think too much about the true gallons of it- I had a contractor's help with it and it has enough support in the basement so I've never really thought about it- it was the contractor's job- he knew how big it was i just never paid attention lol

 

[Plinkploop]

5000 danio ? Btw are you planting that tank? I can't even reach the bottom of my 24 inch tank and yours is 36 inch.... or do you just climb in it Next year i will be setting up a pair of 400 gallon tank - they are similar size as yours just not 36 inches high.

4 feet deep lol not planted. I couldn't even imagine trying.

 

[somewhatshocked]

I think you should buy a metric ton of random Java Ferns and a bunch of Anubias - mostly large ones - and just chuck em in there with big pieces of wood. That way it'd be planted and would require little effort. Use the kind of play sand that isn't uniform in size - the kind with little pebbles in it - as a substrate. You could use cheap landscape rock to accent whatever wood you've got.

Then I'd go wild with 3-4 smaller species of fish in huge numbers. Wouldn't go the loach route because you'd need more flow than you can easily accommodate in the tank.

But fish? White Cloud Minnows. Celestial Pearl Danios. Tons of Cories. A couple huge Plecos. Maybe even a ton of Endlers or Guppies of some sort - you could do all male or let them breed and do their thing.

There are a few native Shiners in the US that would be remarkable species if you could get them in large enough groups.

If you want larger fish, there are several Barb varieties that group/shoal together and are nice-looking.

And I'd add a ton of Mystery Snails and about a hundred Amano Shrimp. You could easily sell the Mysteries when they breed and it's easy to remove their egg clutches from above the waterline when they're ready to hatch. Amanos will be large enough to fend for themselves and they'd thrive in a tank like that.

 

[minorhero]

Wow 800 gallons. The only other 800 gallon tank I even know about is the one Cory has on Aquarium Co-op. I believe he has kept dojo loaches in his tank with goldfish. Basically any other pond fish could work.

 

[Plinkploop]

I think you should buy a metric ton of random Java Ferns and a bunch of Anubias - mostly large ones - and just chuck em in there with big pieces of wood. That way it'd be planted and would require little effort. Use the kind of play sand that isn't uniform in size - the kind with little pebbles in it - as a substrate. You could use cheap landscape rock to accent whatever wood you've got.

Then I'd go wild with 3-4 smaller species of fish in huge numbers. Wouldn't go the loach route because you'd need more flow than you can easily accommodate in the tank.

But fish? White Cloud Minnows. Celestial Pearl Danios. Tons of Cories. A couple huge Plecos. Maybe even a ton of Endlers or Guppies of some sort - you could do all male or let them breed and do their thing.

There are a few native Shiners in the US that would be remarkable species if you could get them in large enough groups.

If you want larger fish, there are several Barb varieties that group/shoal together and are nice-looking.

And I'd add a ton of Mystery Snails and about a hundred Amano Shrimp. You could easily sell the Mysteries when they breed and it's easy to remove their egg clutches from above the waterline when they're ready to hatch. Amanos will be large enough to fend for themselves and they'd thrive in a tank like that.

The shiners are definitely something I would do again. I actually have a small school (9 of them) in my turtle tub.... Maybe not so much cories but some of the other doras species.... Definitely some food for thought!! 😁�. And you know my love of mystery snails that idea a heck yea!!!!

Wow 800 gallons. The only other 800 gallon tank I even know about is the one Cory has on Aquarium Co-op. I believe he has kept dojo loaches in his tank with goldfish. Basically any other pond fish could work.

It's currently housing goldfish and hornpout lol it is basically a replacement pond 😂 was thinking about creating a pond for what's in there now that I know how big the thing really is 😅 my honest thought was that it was 220 or maybe 300 gallons. I got it about 12 years ago sold to me for $200 as a 150 gallon unused tank. The guy I got it from had gotten it from his fathers' estate and it was been made for the guy 2 months before he passed- he never had a chance to set it up in his fish room (2000sqft building). The guy didn't know how big it really was and thought 150 gallons was as big as they came.

I know whole heartedly it seems ridiculous that I had no idea how big this tank really is but honestly when you're breeding fish and running 7 tanks and 2 ponds that are over 200 gallons you start to not think about it. You don't use buckets or jugs and you're more thinking in terms of time and not gallons (especially when you're set for automated changes). Now that I'm not breeding anymore and have had a chance to settle into retirement I'm starting to get curious about the things I already have. This is the first time I've ever really thought about the actual gallons behind this monster tank.

That leads me to this thread. Now that I know what a "gem" I have I'm thinking it should be something more special than a goldfish and hornpout snapping turtle memorial.... But I really have gotten attached to them 😂 so yea- interesting ideas may spark my interest but I refuse to heat it 😂 The cichlid features' temp requirements killed my electric bill in the winter... It makes a heck of a lot more sense now

 

[minorhero]

It's currently housing goldfish and hornpout lol it is basically a replacement pond 😂 was thinking about creating a pond for what's in there now that I know how big the thing really is 😅 my honest thought was that it was 220 or maybe 300 gallons. I got it about 12 years ago sold to me for $200 as a 150 gallon unused tank. The guy I got it from had gotten it from his fathers' estate and it was been made for the guy 2 months before he passed- he never had a chance to set it up in his fish room (2000sqft building). The guy didn't know how big it really was and thought 150 gallons was as big as they came.

I know whole heartedly it seems ridiculous that I had no idea how big this tank really is but honestly when you're breeding fish and running 7 tanks and 2 ponds that are over 200 gallons you start to not think about it. You don't use buckets or jugs and you're more thinking in terms of time and not gallons (especially when you're set for automated changes). Now that I'm not breeding anymore and have had a chance to settle into retirement I'm starting to get curious about the things I already have. This is the first time I've ever really thought about the actual gallons behind this monster tank.

That leads me to this thread. Now that I know what a "gem" I have I'm thinking it should be something more special than a goldfish and hornpout snapping turtle memorial.... But I really have gotten attached to them 😂 so yea- interesting ideas may spark my interest but I refuse to heat it 😂 The cichlid features' temp requirements killed my electric bill in the winter... It makes a heck of a lot more sense now

Wow to put it in perspective I think Cory said he paid like 10 or 12 thousand for his 800 gallon.

 

[Plinkploop]

Wow to put it in perspective I think Cory said he paid like 10 or 12 thousand for his 800 gallon.

Hence it's a "gem". I know I'll never find anything like that again... Funny thing is I almost didn't buy it because I had the mentality at the time that I wouldn't pay more than $100 for a tank. I was estate sale hunting- I suggest it to anyone on a budget interested in fish keeping. I find more deals this way than any other way but it does require traveling and looking through lots of complete junk.

 

[somewhatshocked]

Talk about a killer deal! I paid almost $9K for my last 650 (first one was a lot more) - and that was honestly a deal. It was a lot of fun until I realized I just prefer small tanks. Still have it in storage and think about setting it back up sometimes.

Cories may not sound appealing at first, @Plinkploop, but there are enough different types of Cories to find a variety that would be exceptional in a tank like that. Honestly, even Corydoras habrosus (my favorite) would be unreal in a large group of 50 plus. Maybe even 100 plus? They're so tiny and cute. I wonder how a giant group of the mid-water Corydoras pygmaeus would fare in a tank that size...

There's a variety of Shiner (Notropis chrosomus - Rainbow Shiner) that can be deep red and purple in color - like the White Cloud, they vary in color and some can be extremely beautiful - that always blow my mind when I see them in-person. Saw a few hundred of them together at a Cabela's a few years ago and think about them every once in a while. Real stunners.

 

[Plinkploop]

Talk about a killer deal! I paid almost $9K for my last 650 (first one was a lot more) - and that was honestly a deal. It was a lot of fun until I realized I just prefer small tanks. Still have it in storage and think about setting it back up sometimes.

Cories may not sound appealing at first, @Plinkploop, but there are enough different types of Cories to find a variety that would be exceptional in a tank like that. Honestly, even Corydoras habrosus (my favorite) would be unreal in a large group of 50 plus. Maybe even 100 plus? They're so tiny and cute. I wonder how a giant group of the mid-water Corydoras pygmaeus would fare in a tank that size...

There's a variety of Shiner (Notropis chrosomus - Rainbow Shiner) that can be deep red and purple in color - like the White Cloud, they vary in color and some can be extremely beautiful - that always blow my mind when I see them in-person. Saw a few hundred of them together at a Cabela's a few years ago and think about them every once in a while. Real stunners.

I love rainbow shiners 😁 right now I have silver sliders (common bait fish) and I love watching them. I've gotta figure out the actual "giant cory" I'm thinking of. I know there's a small lfs kind of near me that has them. They get about 5 inches and are much rounder than normal. Lol my hubby's gonna kill me 😂😂😂😂

 

[mourip]

Photo please?

Don't make us beg...

 

[jake21]

Cory would be a waste in such a tall tank. You need something that will use the whole tank - that likes to go up and down and up and down and .... you know kuhli loaches !

Wow to put it in perspective I think Cory said he paid like 10 or 12 thousand for his 800 gallon.

 

[Plinkploop]

Cory would be a waste in such a tall tank. You need something that will use the whole tank - that likes to go up and down and up and down and .... you know kuhli loaches !

😂 could you imagine how many kuhlis it would take to even notice them?

 

[jake21]

You are in luck - for kuhli the more the merrier ! Just like cory. Of course you could also consider pygmy cory. At least they enjoy swimming 'mid-level' as a giant school of 2000.

😂 could you imagine how many kuhlis it would take to even notice them?

 

[Plinkploop]

Photo please?

Don't make us beg...

I'll get a better shot when I'm at home. Waterfall broke (hence green water issue) so the pond filter is inside the tank currently lol, looks like crap. You've probably seen these but this is all that's on my camera. I don't have a fts right now

Not a very good representation but you can kind of get a sense of depth and width- the gold fish are 9- 20 inches and the hornpout are all over a foot.