5 Gallon With 2 Baby Black Moors?
- Thread starter betta527
- Start date
aly_starh
Fish Aficionado
you shouldn't have really brought them then, the water changes doesnt mean they can live there, rehome asap, buy a betta instead 
kelly528
Fishaholic
They'll have a good sticky on this in the coldwater section.
You are half-right in saying that they'll grow to the size of their tank. Their skeletons will. Their organs wont. The internal organs will grow too big for the skeleton until they crush themselves, then the fish will die. Not pretty.
This is all assuming they won't die before then of ammonia poisoning. Goldfish are notorious poopers and require twice the space of any other tropical fish because of it. Water changes, even daily, won't make a dent in your case.
Take the goldfish back. That tank would make a fabulous home for a betta! If you need some eye-candy to get you hooked, why no browse the 'Best of Aquabid' thread in the betta section?
You are half-right in saying that they'll grow to the size of their tank. Their skeletons will. Their organs wont. The internal organs will grow too big for the skeleton until they crush themselves, then the fish will die. Not pretty.
This is all assuming they won't die before then of ammonia poisoning. Goldfish are notorious poopers and require twice the space of any other tropical fish because of it. Water changes, even daily, won't make a dent in your case.
Take the goldfish back. That tank would make a fabulous home for a betta! If you need some eye-candy to get you hooked, why no browse the 'Best of Aquabid' thread in the betta section?
Curiosity101
Is now at University! :D
You could alway do the upgrades over a period of time if it were easier?
They need a 10gal straight away, this should last up to 3months
They'll then need a 20gal which should last another 6months
And then they'll need between 30-40gal which hopefully should last them longterm. But if you review the situation after you have owned them for 18months (by which time they should be in at least a 30gal!) and see how big they are. If they still haven't reached 6" then they may well need another upgrade, or you may need to at the very least up your water change routine because they may have stopped growing due to too high a concentration of growth hormones in the tank.
If you can't do the above, then I certainly think you should follow the advice given above as they are both correct.
They need a 10gal straight away, this should last up to 3months
They'll then need a 20gal which should last another 6months
And then they'll need between 30-40gal which hopefully should last them longterm. But if you review the situation after you have owned them for 18months (by which time they should be in at least a 30gal!) and see how big they are. If they still haven't reached 6" then they may well need another upgrade, or you may need to at the very least up your water change routine because they may have stopped growing due to too high a concentration of growth hormones in the tank.
If you can't do the above, then I certainly think you should follow the advice given above as they are both correct.
Curiosity101
Is now at University! :D
You could alway do the upgrades over a period of time if it were easier.
They need a 10gal straight away, this should last up to 3months
They'll then need a 20gal which should last another 6months
And then they'll need between 30-40gal which hopefully should last them longterm. But if you review the situation after you have owned them for 18months (by which time they should be in at least a 30gal!) and see how big they are. If they still haven't reached 6" then they may well need another upgrade, or you may need to at the very least up your water change routine because they may have stopped growing due to too high a concentration of growth hormones in the tank.
And tankmates aren't a possibility, particularly tetras and guppies. They are tropical fish and need a higher temp than the goldfish. Also the goldfish are likely to eat them (or at least try too) once their mouthes are big enough.
They need a 10gal straight away, this should last up to 3months
They'll then need a 20gal which should last another 6months
And then they'll need between 30-40gal which hopefully should last them longterm. But if you review the situation after you have owned them for 18months (by which time they should be in at least a 30gal!) and see how big they are. If they still haven't reached 6" then they may well need another upgrade, or you may need to at the very least up your water change routine because they may have stopped growing due to too high a concentration of growth hormones in the tank.
And tankmates aren't a possibility, particularly tetras and guppies. They are tropical fish and need a higher temp than the goldfish. Also the goldfish are likely to eat them (or at least try too) once their mouthes are big enough.
aly_starh
Fish Aficionado
Just to drive the point home:
ahhh bless... is that an oranda, OMG, i personally never knew they got THAT big ?!?!
Good thing i dont have coldwater fish
Curiosity101
Is now at University! :D
Yes, it's a lion head oranda.
kelly528
Fishaholic
Nuh-uh. With Goldfish in general, the minimum you are looking at for 2 is 50 U.S. gallons, probably a pond for some of the larger species like comets. They also need to be kept in a goldfish only tank... their bulky eyes and slow swimming make it easir for other fish to steal their food and even injure them, furthermore they must be kept in water colder than what many tropical fish (even neons) can stand.
There are a few general setup types, all of which are for different groups of fish:
-Tropical (Freshwater)
-Coldwater
-Brackish
-Saltwater
These fish can rarely be mixed.
There are a few general setup types, all of which are for different groups of fish:
-Tropical (Freshwater)
-Coldwater
-Brackish
-Saltwater
These fish can rarely be mixed.
I wouldnt get them if it were me. If you cant upgrade their tank enough its not fair on them, you risk lots of issues if you keep them in small tanks, they are gorgeous when kept properly but 2 in a 5 gallon tank just wont work long term. If it were me I would get a heater and a fat veil tailed black betta Or 2 fat male black fan tail guppies. I just dont see any reason not to go for an alternative
Or 2 fat male black fan tail guppies. I just dont see any reason not to go for an alternative
10 gallon is the bare minimum *just* for the two black moors. You shouldn't add anything else. These fish produce loads more waste than other fish so they need that extra water volume to help keep their home safe for them and they also grow very big and very fast.
With regards to neons, guppys and such, these are tropical fish and should NOT be mixed with cold or cool water fish. It'd be like keeping people in the Arctic without proper cold weather clothes. Brrrr! They would be sluggish and get sick pretty easily. Don't do it!
As far as tankmates for black moors go, they need to be kept with other fancy goldfish. Because of their body shape and eyes, they are slower movers and have poorer sight than many other fish and so are more likely to starve because they can't compete for food or to be damaged.
If you can't provide the right environment for a certain species, please look into getting another kind of fish. As people have said, 5 gallons would be super for a betta (siamese fighting fish) and they are really interesting and beautiful fish. You would need a heater and lots of plants and caves but it's totally worth it.
I know I am a bit of a newbie round here but I've kept coldwater fish for over 6 years now. I started knowing nothing other than 'what the guy in the pet shop said' which I now realise is all about him making profit and nothing to do with keeping happy healthy fish...
I know from personal first hand experience that fish CAN outgrow the tank they are in, with horrible effects and disturbing ease. I started with a little 1 foot tank and 3 tiny goldfish on the advice of the friendly pet shop guy, one of them outgrew that tank within a month, and was renamed 'big evil' due to the number of broken bones he had aquired... Then we upgraded to a 2 foot tank, and guess what, he out grew that too...
I now have a lot more experience, a 4 foot tank taking up a large portion of my kitchen but alas, no Big Evil. He died shortly after purchasing the larger tank. Oh, and guess what else, I am currently planning the pond I will have to build soon for the fish that look like they might out grow the 4 foot...
All that said, even though I now know what I should have done, I am glad to have had my goldfish indoors. They have wonderfull personalities, some are more outgoing than others, one of them acts like it wants me to stroke it every time I put my hand in the water for cleaning etc... Some of them have a little 'dance' when they want food or attention. They play games following my fingers up and down the tank. Then theres the loner who never seems to interact with the others. I don't think I would have gotten to know them anywhere near that well had they been in a pond from day 1. I keep standard golfish and comets though, not the fancy ones. All my fish are pond hardy fortunately
I know from personal first hand experience that fish CAN outgrow the tank they are in, with horrible effects and disturbing ease. I started with a little 1 foot tank and 3 tiny goldfish on the advice of the friendly pet shop guy, one of them outgrew that tank within a month, and was renamed 'big evil' due to the number of broken bones he had aquired... Then we upgraded to a 2 foot tank, and guess what, he out grew that too...
I now have a lot more experience, a 4 foot tank taking up a large portion of my kitchen but alas, no Big Evil. He died shortly after purchasing the larger tank. Oh, and guess what else, I am currently planning the pond I will have to build soon for the fish that look like they might out grow the 4 foot...
All that said, even though I now know what I should have done, I am glad to have had my goldfish indoors. They have wonderfull personalities, some are more outgoing than others, one of them acts like it wants me to stroke it every time I put my hand in the water for cleaning etc... Some of them have a little 'dance' when they want food or attention. They play games following my fingers up and down the tank. Then theres the loner who never seems to interact with the others. I don't think I would have gotten to know them anywhere near that well had they been in a pond from day 1. I keep standard golfish and comets though, not the fancy ones. All my fish are pond hardy fortunately
Honeythorn
Sugar coating and nicely nicely? I don't think so
Not remotely. One moor needs 40 gallons when an adult, and a pair needs upwards of 50 gallons.
Upgrading graduallly can get expensive ( unless you source your tanks second hand ) and you will end up with a load of tanks you may not want or have space for.
It's far easier to save up and buy a ( second hand it's cheaper ) 55 gallon or bigger to begin with and save the hassle.
BETTA527 - A 10 gallon is no good for even one small goldfish of any sort. It is however, good for a variety of small tropical fish.
If you still plan on getting a 5 gallon, then a Betta, 6 Endlers/guppies or a Honey gourami is a good choice for that size tank ( no fishy tankmates as it will overload the filter, shrimp are fine though ) .
As for the Huge goldfish pictured, his name is Bruce and he's approximately 17 inches long. Proof that goldfish should never be sold for tanks of under 40 gallons.
As an aside-
I personally think the sale of goldfish should be drastically reduced and Gold barbs offered for tanks of 60- 80 litres - this seems to be what a lot of shops are recomending for goldfish tank size and while better than a bowl, it's still far too small . Gold barbs are similar in shape and colour to normal bodied golds, are active, stay small and can be kept in a group of around 5 in a heated and filtered 60-80 litre tank.
drobbyb
Bowhead
Just to add another no for goldfish in a 5 galon tank. All the arguments made above should tell you not to do it. Period.
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