Thinking Of Getting A Blackmoore

[conner2008]

After some reading i wanted to get one because i fell in love with one in a shop, but ive read that they are social and like to have companions, well because of room i can only put him/her in a bowl alone, now according to the petshop owner they are fine on there own and pointed out a plastic bowl that would give sufficent room for exercise and a plant and some gravel.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? would it be cruel to keep one alone?
what are the health issues i need to look out for
and heres a weird one but somthing im wondering, and as its a forum you cant give me weird looks if i ask so im going to haha, how intelligent are fish? i dont doubt intelligence differs but from what ive learned fish are actually capable of learning, and dont have a memory nearly as short as we believe, can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks i appreciate it, just trying to get some knowledge on it before i rush in and buy it.

 

[Davo86]

Hi connor
I doubt anyone on this site will reccomend you keeping the Black Moor in a bowl, simply becasue of lack of space for growth and also due to the amount of waste they produce,
If you are serious about a black Moor then really you should be looking at a tanksize of around 30G, this may sound alot but Black Moors will grow to around 6-8inches,
IMO fish are cleverer than many people give them credit for, fish can eventually recognise their owners and can get used to routines such as feeding at the same time each day etc, with some fish even learnign to hand feed from their owners.

 

[conner2008]

Hi connor
I doubt anyone on this site will reccomend you keeping the Black Moor in a bowl, simply becasue of lack of space for growth and also due to the amount of waste they produce,
If you are serious about a black Moor then really you should be looking at a tanksize of around 30G, this may sound alot but Black Moors will grow to around 6-8inches,
IMO fish are cleverer than many people give them credit for, fish can eventually recognise their owners and can get used to routines such as feeding at the same time each day etc, with some fish even learnign to hand feed from their owners.

Thanks for the reply mate, when you say they can recognize there owners are you being literal? fish can tell the difference between people?FISH?
Well would it be safe to start with a bowl as there not very big at the minute, and when i have more room upgrade him to a bigger tank

 

[aquila]

Thanks for the reply mate, when you say they can recognize there owners are you being literal? fish can tell the difference between people?FISH?
Well would it be safe to start with a bowl as there not very big at the minute, and when i have more room upgrade him to a bigger tank

Yup, they're far cleverer than you give them credit for. Mine can tell the difference between me and my other half, and only do the wiggle-food-dance when I come up to the tank - they know not to bother when it's him as he doesn't feed them!

I wouldn't even consider a bowl at all. To keep a fish which will grow to potentially 8 inches in size in a bowl, even temporarily, is somewhat cruel. Get a 20 gallon tank (look in the free ads section of your local paper, you can pick up tanks of this size for as little as a tenner) at least to start with, plus a good internal filter, and your fish is then set for a good couple of years at least.

Please also take a look at these topics: Beginner Resources and read up on cycling and tank maintenance. It's not just a case of filling it up with water and adding the fish.

 

[conner2008]

Thanks for the reply mate, when you say they can recognize there owners are you being literal? fish can tell the difference between people?FISH?
Well would it be safe to start with a bowl as there not very big at the minute, and when i have more room upgrade him to a bigger tank

Yup, they're far cleverer than you give them credit for. Mine can tell the difference between me and my other half, and only do the wiggle-food-dance when I come up to the tank - they know not to bother when it's him as he doesn't feed them!

I wouldn't even consider a bowl at all. To keep a fish which will grow to potentially 8 inches in size in a bowl, even temporarily, is somewhat cruel. Get a 20 gallon tank (look in the free ads section of your local paper, you can pick up tanks of this size for as little as a tenner) at least to start with, plus a good internal filter, and your fish is then set for a good couple of years at least.

Please also take a look at these topics: Beginner Resources and read up on cycling and tank maintenance. It's not just a case of filling it up with water and adding the fish.

Thank you for your reply, on the cycling, if you dont have a filter is it okay to just change the water regularily

 

[Davo86]

In that case I would be looking at doing at least 2 x 50% water changes per week, get yourself a test kit and keep an eye on the levels, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia, if these get too high you'll need to do even more water changes per week to keep them down.