29/30 Gallon Tank -- Temp. Issues? Tropical or Gold Fish?

Ludo

My girlfriend and I are setting up her first aquarium. It is a 29/30 gallon tank, we filled it up with water, purchased a new filter, got some living plants, can't remember the name, but the ones that gold fish like. However we have an issue, our tank seems to be running hot. We originally used a heater, after filling up the tank with cold water, to attempt to get up around 74-75, for what we hoped to be gold fish, and a pleco. However even with the heater off the temperature has been upwards of 80 degrees, which we are aware is way too hot to put gold fish in. We're not sure what is causing this temperature fluctuation, if it is the overhead light, ambient heat in the room, or maybe even a broken heater.

We were curious of a few things, 1) I've had a pleco living with gold fish, at room temp. very happily for many years. What is the ideal temp. and or a happy range for those type of fish. 2) Should we shift our focus to tropical fish, if our tank can't stay cool? 3) Any ways to figure out exactly what is causing this, and a reliable way to keep the temperature stable. 4) Suggested fish, if we have to make a 180 and go for tropical fish.

Thanks a lot.

miagrrl

there are many things wich may influence the temp of your tank- type of lighting / hood, even the temp of the house can affect it. keeping the room temp stable might be a factor. also, the larger the body of water, the longer it will take to calibrate the temp- and the longer it will take for the water to become an even, desired temp. I don't think you need to switch to tropical fish, just because of the heater situation- the underlying issue is keeping the temp stable. an unstable temp is not good for any fish. i would just take the heater out, check your room temp, be careful not to position the tank in direct sunlight (which will heat and aid in algae growth), and give it a day or so. if the temp is still too high, do a partial water change with cooler water, and then watch the temp for another day or so. you need to pin down, is it the heater not working properly or is it something inadvertant you are doing in your environment making it warmer.

Goldfish do prefer cooler temps (like 72 degrees), but i am not sure about plecos. i would wait, however and add the pleco later, in a new tank there will not be anything in there for him to munch on-nothing to scavenge.

also is the heater close to any airstones?? this will also affect your temp.

Lupin

Heaters are not needed if you are keeping Goldfish and other fish that are categorized as coldwater fish. What pleco are you keeping? Most plecs prefer tropical conditions therefore not suitable with Goldfish. On the contrary, heavy filtration and a larger tank of 55 gallons are strictly recommended if you are keeping Goldfish and plecos. Both are heavy waste producers and are likely to cause extreme changes in water chemistry in a small tank.