Newbie

[BeckyFish527]

Hi everybody!

My name is Becky and I'm new to this whole fish forum thing. I've owned fish before, but I never really had to take care of them. My parents always did. But anyway, I just recently purchased 2 Black Moor Goldfish. It was about 2 weeks ago or so and they seem to be doing alright. They are in a 10 gallon tank for now, with treated water and an air pump for better oxygen. There's also some decorations in there, none with pointy or sharp edges (don't worry). But I do have a few questions.

-My smaller Black Moor (Bubba) has been laying on the bottom of the tank recently. He swims around still and gets food so I thought he was doing fine. Also, his top fin has been retracted lately, not open. His mood changes though because right now he seems fine. Any solutions?

-Both of my fish have been going to the bathroom a lot. I feed them twice a day or so, and I feed them Tetra Fin Goldfish Crisps. They seem to love it but I'm just worried that maybe it's not what they need since they've been going a lot?

If you have any answers, please let me know. I love these guys

 

[littlest]

You will need to upgrade that tank at some point I'm afraid as it's really not large enough for two fancy goldfish.

You didn't mention a filter at all? Does the tank have one? This is absolutely essential. Goldfish are very messy fish and produce a lot of waste which is poisonous to them. If you don't have a filter, or if you haven't cycled your tank, there are probably high levels of ammonia in your water (from the fish waste) and that ammonia is poisoning your fish, hence the lethargy and clamped fins.

Another thing you need is a test kit to measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
If you haven't done so already, read up on cycling. (there's a sticky at the top of this page). You should also check out the coldwater page of this forum to learn about the type of set-up your fish need.

In the meantime, do regularly water changes with dechlorinated water (are you using a dechlorinator?).

 

[BeckyFish527]

You will need to upgrade that tank at some point I'm afraid as it's really not large enough for two fancy goldfish.

You didn't mention a filter at all? Does the tank have one? This is absolutely essential. Goldfish are very messy fish and produce a lot of waste which is poisonous to them. If you don't have a filter, or if you haven't cycled your tank, there are probably high levels of ammonia in your water (from the fish waste) and that ammonia is poisoning your fish, hence the lethargy and clamped fins.

Another thing you need is a test kit to measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
If you haven't done so already, read up on cycling. (there's a sticky at the top of this page). You should also check out the coldwater page of this forum to learn about the type of set-up your fish need.

In the meantime, do regularly water changes with dechlorinated water (are you using a dechlorinator?).

Yea I do have a filter. I forgot to mention the most important thing. I have cycled my tank, and I've been looking to get a test kit. And yes, I've been using a dechlorinator.

Thanks for your help!

 

[littlest]

oh good, it worried me you didn't mention the filter.

How did you cycle the tank without having a test kit?
what filtration do you have? Because goldfish are so messy they often need more filtration than tropicals.
How often and how much water are you changing?
Since you don't know the ammonia levels etc, I would be concerned about water quality.