My Fish Are Fighting, And I Don't Know What Type They Are (Pics In

[soNatural]

Hi there

I'm feeling really sad, the white fish is attacking the orange fish, I've separated them for now; they've been having good time together, but I don't know what has happened to them today after changing the water!!

I should have asked when I bought them but what type are they?

And why do fish fight to start with?

Thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

They're goldfish. Goldies are normally quite sociable; how big is your tank, how long has it been set up, what filtration do you have and was the tank cycled?

Normal goldies are really a pond fish, unless you have a 5 foot tank...

 

[soNatural]

They're goldfish. Goldies are normally quite sociable; how big is your tank, how long has it been set up, what filtration do you have and was the tank cycled?

Normal goldies are really a pond fish, unless you have a 5 foot tank...

I should have known
Now that I know the type, I can see where I've gone wrong...

The tank is not big enough (only set up for 10 days), the seller I got the fish from told me it was small for two, but he didn't say why it was! I thought if I
1) change the water regularly (advised to change it weekly), and
2) got them two plants there when he said I only needed one...
it would be fine ... but I guess they needed SPACE ...

I didn't want to get a single one because I felt it will be lonely and might feel depressed...

I'll buy bigger tank with hiding spaces for them to relax...

Thanks for telling me the type, very helpful...

Any general advise I should be aware of? I'm googling about the type...

 

[the_lock_man]

How big is your tank?

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I have a gutt feeling that you have just seperated your fish in the midst of a spawning ritual...... The water change you gave stimulated them to start spawning.... you mistook it for fighting and seperated them......

Their spawning activities is quite vigorous with the male chasing the female to some bunched plants (as I see you have) and then virtually presses up against the female with a vibrationous movement when the eggs are released and he sprays his sperm onto the eggs dropping into the plants..... It is however a good move to seperate them after spawning is completed (which lasts up to 3 & half hours mostly)

 

[soNatural]

How big is your tank?

10 gallon

I read I need 20, I'll pass by today, and get a bigger one...
poor fish, I'm feeling sorry for them...

 

[soNatural]

I have a gutt feeling that you have just seperated your fish in the midst of a spawning ritual...... The water change you gave stimulated them to start spawning.... you mistook it for fighting and seperated them......

Their spawning activities is quite vigorous with the male chasing the female to some bunched plants (as I see you have) and then virtually presses up against the female with a vibrationous movement when the eggs are released and he sprays his sperm onto the plants..... It is however a good move to seperate them after spawning is completed (which lasts up to 3 & half hours mostly)

Emm not really.... I've seen them spawning ....
they are physically fighting, he's biting the orange fish and it's running away looks so threatened
I've never seen them making so much noise in the tank!!

The tank is definitely small, so that needs sorting out for the mean time..

 

[the_lock_man]

How big is your tank?

10 gallon

I read I need 20, I'll pass by today, and get a bigger one...
poor fish, I'm feeling sorry for them...

20g is still too small - goldies grow MMMMMMASSSSSSIIIIIVVVVEEEEE.

My suggestion would be to take them back, buy a heater, and go tropical.

 

[soNatural]

How big is your tank?

10 gallon

I read I need 20, I'll pass by today, and get a bigger one...
poor fish, I'm feeling sorry for them...

20g is still too small - goldies grow MMMMMMASSSSSSIIIIIVVVVEEEEE.

My suggestion would be to take them back, buy a heater, and go tropical.

They are very small
I'm not sure if they are still babies,

I'll ask the guy I got them from about the best size before I get it...

I can't take them back, I love them .... I don't mind spending on them, but I can't imagine giving them back

 

[fluttermoth]

But, these fish are going to grow to a foot+ long...really it's only fancy goldfish (the ones with short bodies and a double tail; fantails, orandas and the like) that are suitable for tanks.

 

[soNatural]

But, these fish are going to grow to a foot+ long...really it's only fancy goldfish (the ones with short bodies and a double tail; fantails, orandas and the like) that are suitable for tanks.

Argh, I don't want them to grow bigger!! I might end up returning them if that's the case...

Thanks for the info guys.... very much....

 

[fluttermoth]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...However, if you bought a heater (and cycled your filter) there are loads of small tropical fish that can live in a 10 or 20 gallon tank. Tropicals are not harder to keep than coldwater fish.

 

[Reret]

The truth is I have a 4 year old goldfish in a 5 gallon tank but I'm working on a pond if the raccoons permit

 

[soNatural]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...However, if you bought a heater (and cycled your filter) there are loads of small tropical fish that can live in a 10 or 20 gallon tank. Tropicals are not harder to keep than coldwater fish.

Nothing to be sorry about,,, I should have done my research before going ahead with it...

I guess I would return these and get tropical ones, buying a heater won't really trouble me... as long as live in harmony I'll be happy

 

[three-fingers]

Keep them in a set-up similar to what people keep similarly large and messy tropical species (like large catfish, cichlids etc.) in and you'll be fine .

So a large and just as importantly wide tank, with oversized filteration. Because they are coldwater and very messy (they are just a type of carp), you may need to provide an extra circulation pump or two on top of a couple of large external filters.

Something over 4 foot long and ideally not much less than 2 foot wide would do, as mentioned goldfish easily attain over a foot in length very quickly when healthy.

They will require weekly, probably twice-weekly water changes to keep them healthy and growing when they are larger too! You may decide to donate them to somebodies garden pond one summer if you get tired of the water changes, but at least then you can use their old tank for smaller tropical fish, and be amazed at how much less work they are to keep lol!