Yesterday I put my two goldfish (a comet and a black moor) into a borrowed 20 gallon tank (don't worry, i cleaned it thoroughly without soaps and bought a new filter) until i can get a 30 gallon for them. they're alot happier with their new space.
but the black moor has trouble getting to the top for oxygen because of the current from the airpump and the filter. he eventually gets there, but is not succesful most of the time. i'm worried about him stressing out over it.
does the species prefer slow current? if it's just the setup, where is the best place to put my airstone to lower the current? (the filter is in the back left corner due to it's opening in the tank cover)
2007-02-01 16:02:26 · 7 answers · asked by Joey 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
did you ever stop to think that you're a little too into fish, dude? Here's your answer though: Do what you ould do if the earth was square and you had to walk around on your hands and chin. You know? It's the samw thing really. The fish obviously needs a slower current. Haven't you ever seen finding Nemo? Not that I'm saying a Black Moor is a clownfish. Moral of this story, dude. Get yourself a girlfriend. Far out!
2007-02-01 16:14:57 · answer #1 · answered by just wondering 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Glad to see that someone has the right size tank and filters, etc. Good for you! Did you cycle the water? That's something that is necesary for the health of the fish. Fancy goldfish are slow swimmers, so a strong current will be difficult for them, but in the same breath, goldfish need a lot of oxygen and filtration, so cutting back on the output may not be the answer. The rule for goldfish water flow is 10X the size of the tank. So, if you have a 20 gallon tank, you need a pump that pumps a minimum of 200 gph. One thing you can do to reduce the output is to get two 100 gph filters on each side of the tank. Also, check your filter water output. Sometimes you can redirect the water flow. If you can, it should be aimed upward toward the top and center of the water. This will stop all direct current pushing on the fish. But then, goldies sometimes like to play in bubbles and get pushed around on purpose, so make sure to watch him to see whether he is playing or fighting it. Another thing you can do is put diffusers on the filters and get some bubblers to reduce the main flow and more evenly disperse the oxygen. Oh, also, strong suggestion: don't use soap the next time. Hopefully you were lucky and got it all out, but to be safe, a good rinse with a vinegar solution is all you really need and is much safer. Oh, and one other thing. Keep an eye on your moor to make sure that he eats. Another rule is that fast goldfish such as comets, commons and shubunkins should not be kept with fancies because fancies can't move fast enough and will not get any food. If you have to purposely hand feed the moor to make sure he gets enough food, then make sure you do that. Read up on feeding too. Good luck and have fun!
2007-02-02 00:32:00 · answer #2 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Black moors aren't the fastest swimmers, so they will do better in a slower current. If your filter has an adjustment on the top of the uptake tube, you could just try cutting back a little on the rate of flow. And make sure the filter is the correct size for the tank! If you bought one for the 30 and are using it on the 20, it may be stronger of a current than is needed. As the fish gets bigger, and they are moved into the 30 gallon, he'll be able to cope with the water movement better.
An airstone shouldn't bother them, because the bubbles just go up from the stone.
2007-02-02 00:12:50 · answer #3 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
your moor does not need to go to the surface for oxygen. It breathes the dissolved oxygen in the water. Moors are clumsy swimmers, and it can be stressing him out to swim through the current. You could remove the air stone completely, or place it under where the water comes out of the filter to keep the strength of the current on one side of the tank. Be sure to feed on the other side of the tank. Moors & comets generally don't do well in tanks together because the moors are such slow swimmers, that the comets out-manuver them for food. They do better in a low flow aquarium with other fat bodied (fancy)goldfish.
2007-02-02 00:13:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
fancy goldfish are not great swimmers. you can put plants that reach the top of the water in the way of the current to break it up. if you are buying artifical ones go for ones that will reach the top of the water in the 30 gallon so you don't have to buy more when you get that. you can put a very thin piece of sponge or something in the filter where the water comes out -- just make sure what you put there doesn't make the water back up. there is black filter sponge i think its for hagen filters that if you cut it up thin works well for this. it is really really porous.
2007-02-02 00:28:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your tank is well-oxygenated, the moor would not need to get up nearer to the surface to gasp for air. Comets are streamline and built for swimming. Moors are not. You'll need to get a less powerful filter and pump so the water remains calm enough for the moor to swim around properly. It won't be able to keep this up for very long because it'll have difficulty trying the chase the food around (will have less to eat) and it'll burn a lot more energy than the comet (just trying to do anything) so you're gonna risk the moor wasting away.
2007-02-02 00:13:50 · answer #6 · answered by aken 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
all of the "fancy" goldfish varieties (double tails) have trouble with too much current, it will wear them out and kill them
try to adjust your flow or try a different filter
2007-02-02 04:57:53 · answer #7 · answered by Loollea 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋