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Black Moor Breathing Air (12/24/2003)
I'm absolutely brand-spanking new at owning a fish (having just been given a
black moor for Christmas), and therefore don't know much about fish behavior.
The moor is currently sitting in a small (maybe half-gallon) fishbowl while my 2
gallon Explorer tank goes through it's first 24-hour cycle. <Cycling takes a
lot longer than this.> However, the moor seems to spend his time at the
top of the small bowl, skimming off the surface. The behavior (to
describe it) looks as if he is trying to breathe out of water. <exactly>
Since the small bowl is unfiltered, I changed about 1/4 of the water this
morning (he's been in since last night), and it seems like this new activity has
only begun this evening. Should I be worried? <Yes. Two possibilities here.
First is not enough oxygen in this tiny bowl. Solve this with an air stone and a
small air pump. Second is chlorine/chloramine poisoning. Did you treat the water
you added with dechlorinator. If not, you need to treat the water in the bowl
right away with dechlorinator. If this is the cause, the fish should
improve.>
I spent about an hour on the site but wasn't able to find an answer for this
question, so I presume it to be something so common most anyone would know the
answer. Thanks for your time.
- Ken
<You're welcome Ken. Do spend some time reading WWM articles about Black
Moors and goldfish in general. The first thing you will learn is that 2 gallons
is far too small for keeping a Black Moor healthy. You might want to pick up a
good book about goldfish care too. Barron's has an inexpensive (<$10) one you
ought ought be able to find at any large bookstore. Steve Allen>
Water Problem?
I had accidentally filled about 1/4 of the bowl with tap water, and when I
recognized my error about two hours later I added AmQuel (otherwise, I am using
bottled filtered water).
<You can actually add 1/2 tap water to a tank, without harming a fish, as
long as it is the same temp. 100% tap water without dechlorinator,
can burn a fish's gills.>
It must be lack of oxygen. Unfortunately, I don't have an air stone/air pump
(and will not likely be able to get one tomorrow, it being Christmas). Since is
it most likely that, and since I don't have a ready solution to solving the air
problem, and since all I have is a two-gallon tank, my options are fairly
limited. I could try to take the moor back on Friday, but I wonder if that bowl
would suit him that long. Should I take my chances with him in the two-gallon
tank, and put him in early?
<I'm not exactly sure what your question is. What is the fish in
now? A 2gal bowl, even without any filtration will suffice for a
goldfish until tomorrow. Then you can get it a nice 10g tank (it will
need a larger one later) & a decent filter, gravel, etc>.
I'd rather not have a fish die simply because someone got me a pet I really
don't know anything about. Thanks again.
- Ken (probably should have gotten me a puppy. *Those* I know how to take care
of.)
<People shouldn't buy pets as presents--Pufferpunk>
Do orandas need table salt? 10/5/03
Hi there, I've got 2 orandas and one keeps staying on the bottom of the tank. I
put Interpet Gold in to buck him up, but no change.
I went to the petshop and was told they need table salt in the water.
<non-iodizd salt (kosher/cooking salt) is very helpful foremost all FW fishes.
Adds electrolytes, stimulates protective mucus, reduces pests and infections,
etc>
He said to put half a table spoon in (level). I am afraid to do this because I
also have a goldfish, minnows and a white fish with an orange head.
<the normal dose is 1 TBN [tablespoon] per 10 gallons. It can usually be tripled... but
your minnow here will likely be irritated>
If I put the salt in what is it going to do?
<very helpful as per above>
I have had the tank established for 2 months now, it holds 25 pints of water.
Thanks, regards Linda
<do consider that the goldfish is best kept only with its own kind. Mixing
the minnow and other species is unnatural and problematic for optimal goldfish
care. Best regards, Anthony>
Goldfish behavior question
Hi there,
<Hello, Sabrina here at the moment>
I bought two small fantail goldfish some months ago. They are presently in a 30
gallon tank (no other fish) they eat like crazy and are getting pretty big 3-4
inches from nose to end of body- not including tail.
<Sounds great so far.>
The problem is one seems to have grown about an inch longer than
the other and spends all its time pestering the other
fish. Swimming behind it , pushing it, constantly annoying it. The
smaller fish just keeps on going , looking around for food. Short of separating
them , is there anything that can be done to stop this annoying behavior.....
<This is actually pretty normal, and not to be concerned about unless you're
seeing signs of stress in the other fish. It may actually be
courtship ritual, or just playfulness - or perhaps harassment. But it
is pretty normal. Just keep an eye on the smaller fish, look for any
signs of distress (clamped fins, nips/damage to fins, etc.). All
should be well. -Sabrina>
I cannot tell how annoying it is to the smaller fish, it is annoying
to watch. Elena
What IS IT? What's a "cloe"? Ah, a goldie! Part deux..
>They are just the cheep little gold fish like you get at a carnival.
>>GOTCHA! Now I can help!
>We bought our son a .24 cent cloe at the fish store just over a week
ago. She was doing so well in our 10 gal. tank and he was so in love
with the whole thing we decided to pick up 2 little 12 cent cloes for
"friends" the bigger cloe aka Dorothy appears to be bullying one of
the little ones aka Denis. Tonight we returned home to find Dorothy
trying to eat a very long mucus thing with little black spots. I am
assuming an egg sack????
>>If so, it's possibly from a snail, for goldie eggs are scattered about
the roots of plants, usually those that float on the surface of the water.
>Any thoughts?? Also after about 20 Min. she didn't seem to be
getting anywhere and had started acting very funny. My husband fished her out of
the tank and pulled whatever it was she was eating out. Any more
thoughts???
>>Be sure no one's dropped anything they shouldn't be into the tank,
otherwise I would watch and wait.
>Oh by the way the other small cloe is named Elsie. My 5 year old
did the Naming.
>>I do love children, and stories like this, well. I'm better
off keeping those thoughts OUT of my old head, my own boys are 14 & 17, it's
not time to have more! Now, onto the more important
bit. Please know that your "cloes" can easily reach
10" apiece in size, and this being the situation, they can quickly outgrow
and over pollute the tank they're in. You will need to keep up with
regular water changes (weekly would be best, on the order 1/3 the tank
volume). In the beginning it's best NOT to vacuum the gravel, and
don't scrape or wash down the tank sides. Do search our site for very
good goldfish husbandry information. Best of luck, and have
fun! Marina
Moving Goldfish to New Tank
Hello:
<HI>
Thanks for all yr help in the past. MY fantail and moor are doing well and we
have just purchased a 55G tank for them.
<Sweet>
History: 2 fish (7 or 8 months old?/each is less than 3" in length),
1/2" of 'regular' gravel (1/8" diameter pebbly material), corner 'box'
filter, Eclipse System 1 Bio-Wheel filter. Setup in April, cycled with the
fancies, but they seem to be pretty healthy and happy, My NH3 never went above
.50, but my Nitrates hit 50 ppm once (~5ppm ever since)
<Sounds good>
How should I actually migrate or move these goldfish from a 10 Gallon tank to a
55 gallon tank?
One suggestion is to move everything into the new tank and remove old filtration
after 2 months. Do you think this would mean, move the fish, filtration and all
the plastic plants, gravel on day 1? Isn't there a risk of inducing cycling
again, stressing the fish?
<The new tank will cycle and could cause extra stress on the fish.>
Another possible plan would be to cycle the new tank by seeding the new tank
with filter and gravel from the existing tank. Using either the bottled ammonia
method, or introducing food that will decompose and feed the biomass. I was
thinking I would also just siphon water from the old tank to the new tank every
day hopefully introducing some bio-elements to get the system going in the new
tank.
<Or... if your filter for the new tank has a biowheel, or something similar,
you could let it hang out in the old tank for a while to allow the bacteria to
colonize, then move it over to the new tank. You could also transfer
some of the existing gravel from the old tank to the new tank to get the cycle
started. I would put the new filter media in the old tank for a
while, and move some old gravel to the new tank, test the water in the new tank
frequently, once it is cycled move the fish over. The water
conditions will be more stable in the 55.>
Finally I purchased a Whisper60(3) with the tank. I would like to supplement
this with another filter. I was thinking of a big bio-wheel since it has treated
us so well up to now. Would a canister be more appropriate?
<I would go with a canister filter, they have more horse power, and a larger
variety of media that you can use. If I recall, the Magnum canister
filters even have an additional return that you can purchase that includes a
couple of biowheel. Best Regards, Gage >
Thanks again,
Francis, Lilo and the 'boys' in Brooklyn
What IS IT? What's a "cloe"?
>We bought our son a .24 cent cloe at the fish store just over a week
ago. She was doing so well in our 10 gal. tank and he was so in love
with the whole thing we decided to pick up 2 little 12 cent cloes for
"friends" the bigger cloe aka Dortathy appears to be bullying one of
the little ones aka Denis Tonight we returned home to find Dorothy
trying to ?eat? a Very long mucus thing with little black spots. I am
assuming an egg sack???? Any thoughts?? Also after about 20 Min. she
didn't seem to be getting anywhere
and had started acting very funny. My husband fished her out of the tank and
pulled whatever it was she was eating out. Any more
thoughts??? Oh by the way the other small cloe is named
Elsie. My 5 year old did the Naming.
>>I wish I could help you better, but I have NO idea what a "cloe"
is! I cannot find it via Google, our site, or anywhere I've tried (I
keep ending up in geneology sites). Could you try a picture, or see
if there's any other name it goes by? Very sorry, Marina
Setting up a UV on a goldfish tank (07/26/03)
Hey folks, a quick question or two.
<Ananda here tonight to give a shot at answering them....>
I have six (I know, I know 5 is the magic number) fancy 4" goldies (really
2 Black Moore, 2 Red cap Orandas and 2 brassy Ryukins) in a 55 Gal. with a Eheim
2026 filter and a Coral Life 9 watt UV sterilizer.
<Having read about how messy goldfish get, I'd consider an additional
filter... that Eheim is going to turn your tank water over only about 5 times an
hour. For my messy fish (puffers), I have the tank turnover at 12 times an hour,
and I still have more nitrates than I'd like.>
As a new setup the sterilizer is off. My gravel substrate is cultured
and the water conditions are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a pH 7.8 (a little bit
high) filter is still ramping up.
<How are the nitrates doing?>
The sterilizer is rated for a flow rate of 100 to 200 gph, slower being better.
<Yup.>
The Eheim is rated at 250 gph but can be throttled back.
<I wouldn't.>
My assumption is that the filter full of media and with a head of 34 inches
plumbed to the UV then into the tank is developing something less than 200 gph. A
guess as to how much less?
<There are head pressure calculators around on the web... I don't have any
canister filters, so I am not sure.>
And should I throttle back to let the UV get the parasites?
<I would get a dedicated powerhead for the UV.>
Thanks,
Rick
<You're welcome. --Ananda>
Goldfish ID
<Hello! Ryan with you>
Hi, I just bought a group of goldfish and this one was with them, but
the shop have no idea what it is !!! I an living in Holland and any
help would be great, thank you Mark.
<Mark, I'm sorry but the image didn't come through. Send it back
and we'll do our best! Ryan>
Goldfish problems - 4 fish and a shoehorn 7/10/03 - (AKA- my goldfish has
a shoeprint on its face)
Hi there
<Howdy>
I have 4 goldfish, approx. 6-7 inches in length each, living in a 10 gallon tank
with an underwater filter.
<good heavens... that is overstocked!!! Really sad to hear. The tank can
barely hold one at this size responsibly>
I have tested all my water levels (nitrate ammonia etc) and the water quality
seems to be within limits.
<ahhh... no comment>
I do not know the sex of any of my goldfish but they are all 7 years old
and were bought when they were approx. 1 inch
<interesting>
1 of my fish is bloated but is not showing symptoms of dropsy and has now
developed a mouth condition.
<water quality (bacterial count, other un-testables) is a challenge here I'm
sure>
It looks like the skin is shredding from its lips and they are swollen. It also
has what looks like a bubble of air or fluid at
the tip of 1 of its fins. I would be grateful if u could advise me as to exactly
what might be wrong with it and how to treat it. Thank you Dawn
<these fish really need a larger aquarium to be held properly if not
ethically. The sickness is no surprise considering the living conditions.
Yikes... Imagine living in an elevator for 7 years with 3 people... who ate
beans all day long... and sang campfire songs... off key. Quality of life issues
here have manifested into a real issue of pathology. My advice is to remove the
other 3 fishes (sell, trade or upgrade to a larger aquarium) and treat the
afflicted one inthe 10 gallon tank as if it was a QT vessel. Use a Furazolidone
and Nitrofurazone mixed drug. Best regards, Anthony>
Help with my Black Moor gold fish - Internal Parasites 7/10/03
My sister just got 2 black moor goldfish, one recently died. But the other
has been pooping out this whitish, stringy stuff.
<Often a sign of internal parasites. Do seek and feed medicated fish food to
correct>
And tonight we noticed a orange worm looking thing coming out of (I'm
assuming its butt) it is not living or anything, but it was like 2 inches long
with that white stringy stuff on the end, then he shook real good and it fell
off and floated on the top. Then a few minutes later he did it again. And
meanwhile he ate the first stuff that was at the top. Can you tell me what this
is, and if the fish is ok? Thanks Very
Much......
Michelle & Spike (fish)
<If the fish is eating dry foods (flakes or pellets) then it may very well be
suffering from internal parasites... else the feces would be solid and darker in
color. Kindly, Anthony>
Dojo Loaches in Koi Pond
>I have a question about the dojo loach. I live in North Carolina and I
have a 700 gallon Koi pond with about 8 Koi and 7 goldfish with 2 500gph pumps
and filters. I just put 9 Dojos in. Will they live through
the winter in this climate?
>>Any measures to ensure the cyprinids are alright are appropriate for the
Dojos. I do believe you may soon reach your limits of fish load,
though. The loaches, if thriving, may add quite a tax on the system,
though certainly not as great as the Koi themselves.
>Sometimes my pond is frozen with about 2 inches of ice on it.
Will the loaches be able to live through that like the gold fish and Koi?
>>Not having had direct experience with freezing, and VERY little with
snow, I give a qualified "yes". If someone in your zone
knows otherwise then I hope they will offer their advice. I'm
assuming your pond is both sufficiently deep and circulated/heated during winter
months to prevent complete freezing over of the entire pond
surface. Marina
Big Fish Death in Pond - 7/7/03
Dear crew, Today I went out to check my pond to make sure everything was in
order, but I noticed my largest fantail was gone. The pond is always
securely netted, held down by rocks. It is not a big pond, only about 350
gallons. I have searched most hiding places , but I don't want to go ripping up
the pond to look for this fish. I think he could possibly be stuck
somewhere. I know right now it is breeding time and I wonder if it is
a female that is hiding laying eggs. All my other fish seem to not be
acting in an unusual way as they would if an attack had taken place by a
predator. Any thoughts are appreciated. Hoolden
<Oxygen deprivation is often a leading cause mid-summer when the largest fish
die/first. Especially if the water is green (unicellular algae). Respiration of
the plants and algae at night drop O2 levels and kill the big fish first. Do get
an O2 test to confirm. Hoping too that you do not turn off any pump or aerating
features at night (dangerous!). Anthony>
Goldfish Discoloration
Hey Crew,
<Hey! Ryan with you>
I'm trying to diagnose the goldfish in my pond. Some have whitish patches on
their sides, not spots, not fluffy, more like a discoloration. We have 11 common
goldfish, 8 are orange and 3 are black/grayish. It can be seen on the orange but
not on any other fish, including the 5 Shubunkins and 1 fantail. Also we have
only one female common and she got battered around quite a bit from spawning, so
as a result she has the patches the worst. <Not uncommon with goldfish, but
always hard to diagnose.>
They have had this for about two months, and show no signs of being unhappy or
stressed except for scratching against the stems of the lily, which all of the
fish do. Only the female has shown signs of getting worse. She now swims with a
little waddle when she swims slowly, no problems floating in one spot so I doubt
it is the swim bladder but more like a fin problem. <What are your fish
eating? Is the diet varied?>
I have seen some of them with white poop which I guess is an internal infection.
Also our fantail has a white growth above one of his eyes. I know it sounds like
I have the unhealthiest fish in the world, but they really do quite well. They
all are eating, spawning, and growing normally. Our baby from last year's spawn
is growing noticeably fast. <Still sounds like you may have some water
quality issues. Is there adequate filtration/circulation?>
For treatment I was thinking of quarantining the female and the fantail, or
maybe just the female, then medicating according to disease. Also feeding
medicated food to the rest of the fish. The only problem is I don't know what
kind of medication to feed them. <Lots of great stuff out there, I would
recommend something with some garlic included. It's a still a debate
about whether it works or doesn't, but many people I've talked with swear by
garlic's natural antibodies. Seems to help with internal
infections.>
If it helps there also has been a lot of silt building up on the bottom,
especially since all our hair algae died off quite suddenly. <Again, possibly
a circulation problem?> I have been vacuuming a little at a time, and I
suppose our dojo loaches take care of some of the stuff decaying down there.
I've heard a build up of debris on the bottom can bring on certain diseases.
<No amount of detritivores can make up for good aquarium
maintenance. Keep up the regular cleaning! Have you
considered UV sterilization? It can certainly help with
undesirables.>
Thanks for the help, this site is the reason I have got the dojos (which I
love) and why I'm starting up a 32g tank. <And the best of luck with
that! Quarantining the fish isn't a bad idea- but only do this if
conditions get worse. These things sometimes clear themselves
up. If you can send us a photo, we'll be glad to have a look and see
if we can give you more detail about what's going on with your
fish. Talk to you soon-Ryan>
Oranda with Ich
<Good Morning, Ryan with you>
Hi Crew, I have a 20 gal long tank with a 170 penguin filter with one 6 in
Oranda. The Oranda got ich, started using Clout Bout and making 20% water changes
5 days ago. She is showing signs of improvement ammonia levels have risen
slightly, have treated with ammonia down and no change. When fish has been cured
should I remove her and do a complete cleaning of the tank including washing of
the gravel and complete water change? Also at this time would I be able to return
my dwarf African frog to the tank in the future? Would I be able to add another
Oranda to the tank?
<Whew! I'm out of breath just reading that one! It sounds like
you're doing the right things - removing the frog was a good step. I
would keep up the water changes, and perhaps try a different medication if Clout
Bout doesn't seem to be working. There are much more effective
treatments for this parasite. Be sure to read up about freshwater Ich
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm
Be sure to follow the medication directions to the word, and use activated
carbon to remove the old medication before trying something new. I
certainly wouldn't add another fish to the mix at this point! Good
luck-Ryan>
Goldfish Interrupted
Hi,
<cheers from Anthony while Bob is away competing in the Red Kangaroo rodeo in OZ. The winner of the
competition is the last man standing and still cogent after numerous kicks to the head>
I was told that a Goldfish can be in a 5 gallon tank with out a filter and pump...Is this true...if the water was change regularly and i have a gravel pump?
<even daily water changes will only but your a matter of months. They are large adult fish that routinely stunt and die in such small unfiltered aquaria>
I have one goldfish, I think it is called fan something...
<sure... an American fantail. I had one reach 18" long in an aquarium and had to put it outside in a pond before it was four years old! That is proper husbandry for a goldfish if I may say so>
he or she is a big one like maybe 3 1/2 inch long not counting tail.
The reason I am writing also is that the water is turning slightly yellow. is that cause of feeding or not having a filter...?
<both and ammonia buildup that will likely kill the critter in time. Do do small daily water changes in the meantime but do make plans for this little fellow to get into a much larger aquarium very soon>
thanks for answering these ?'s. flo
<a pleasure, my friend. Anthony> | |
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