Is My Black Moor Sick?

Question

Could you please help, im a new fishi owner i have a very small black more in a tank with a small comet and small fan tail there where bought together about 4 weeks ago all good,
But my black moor is not looking so good he seems to be loosing color underneath a bit scaley looking tail all limp and bashed up really also his top fin is not showing... All i can think of in the last day is that they have tried a new flake feed. (diff brand) Im gonna do a water change tomorrow... Is he ill ?

Answer 1

First off, how large is your tank? You have 3 gold fish in one tank. It sounds like he needs a little more room here. How is your filter? Remember goldfish need lots of dissolved oxygen. This only enters the water by water moving against air. Filters, water falls powerheads etc.

Try dropping your tank level about 1/2 inch. Remember your water change should only be 20-25%.

Temperature should be around 62-65. NO heater.

Your food won't make your goldfish ill. (You can also feed them green veggies and oranges)

It is possible your other gold fish chased him around during the night. When goldfish are contained they will fight for space, and sometimes, they just don't get along. That may or may not be the case.

keep an eye on your fish. Goldfish of every breed are prone to change color. this is triggered by water temperature, lighting, breeding and food. The less light they receive, the lighter they will become.

Clamped fins however is a sign of dropsy. Caused by poor water conditions) Be sure to maintain a weekly cleaning, water change and test your water. Gold fish are pond fish and have different requirements than tank fish. Now that you have three fish in the same tank, you will be cleaning more often. Also, your commet can grow in excess of 12 inches. He may quickly out grow your tank.

Answer 2

If this is the first time in 4 weeks you've changed the water in a newly set up goldfish tank, you have made a grave mistake. You're ammonia and nitrites are most likely high. You should be changing water every other day until the tank gets cycled for the first few weeks you have a tank. Then on after you should change at least 25% of the water WEEKLY. The pet store won't tell you this fact about goldfish because you may not have bought them if you knew you were going to have to change this much water. Why they say goldfish are beginner fish is beyond me. They take more tank maintenence than most fish. So start today with a 75% water change and add 1 teaspoon per gallon of salt. Leave the filter (if you have one) alone. Make sure you have an airator running in the tank. Get a water test kit that includes Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and Ph. The Ph should stay the same whatever it is. Ammonia should be ZERO as well as nitrites. Nitrates should be kept under 20 ppm. If you can't afford the test kits have the water checked at the pet store, they will do it for free. Also get a book on fishkeeping will help a lot.

Answer 3

black moors are probably the most sensitive breed of goldfish, they need very clean water and a tank virtually free of anything they can scape thier bodies or eyes on,
that being said, you also dont want to keep black moors with other types of goldfish that dont have telescope eyes, because black mo0rs have very poor vision and tend to get bullied,

it sounds like he is sick, but there is a limited amount you can do for him, if i had to take a guess i would say the comet is picking on him when your not looking,

i would put some aquarium salt in the water, and some melafix, if he is still eating you can dose them with tetracycline, but if not, just hold on and see if he starts

also, black moors always loose thier color in tanks, they are only jet black in sunlight, and tend to go copper in a fishtank environment

Answer 4

Yes, I think it is ill. i don't know if your vet can help. If you have other fishes in the tank I suggest you transfer it to another tank or container because the sick fish could contaminate the water in the tank and make the other fishes sick also.

Answer 5

take its temperature first. for that type of fish you need to use a rectal thermometer though. then call a vet with the results so they can advise you