Black Moor in a 10 gallon

[Raechal]

Okay so as most of you know, my black moor (Toggle) is doing much better and is still in his 10 gallon all alone. I know goldies kind of need to be with their own kind or they get lonely and all that stuff, so should I get another small black moor to keep him company or would he be fine if I just added some minnows? I know he will probably eat them when he gets bigger but still...I just don't know what to do.

I do water changes every other day for him to keep his water sparkling clean and would continue to do these water changes no matter what. I always have time to keep my tanks sparkling clean.

I would be upgrading his tank probably in a few months, less than a year definately. How fast do they grow and how fast would they outgrow a 10 gallon? I was interested in either another black moor or a calico fancy tail (I think that is what it is called, it looks like the black moor but white, orange, and black ) I would upgrade his tank to a 29 gallon. And if I *HAD* to I have a 29 gallon I could switch to a coldwater set-up and transfer the 4 cories that are in there to another spare 10 gallon.

So what do you think? Do you think I could get away with 2 goldies in a 10 gallon for now, or should I just leave him by himself, or go with the minnows?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

screw minnows, add some dojo loaches!! they're awesome and a great indicator of water conditions (squirming at the bottom = good; squirming at the top = bad). also called weather loaches, dojos are well known to significantly increase activity if the atmospheric pressure changes.

they're a pretty gold color too. you should get two or three.

 

[Raechal]

screw minnows, add some dojo loaches!! they're awesome and a great indicator of water conditions (squirming at the bottom = good; squirming at the top = bad). also called weather loaches, dojos are well known to significantly increase activity if the atmospheric pressure changes.

they're a pretty gold color too. you should get two or three.

Yea, I was tempted to pick a few of those up, but Toggle is still "recovering" from his ick outbreak. I am still not 100% sure if he is over it yet and I am continuing his salt baths for awhile. His poo came out 1/3 clear today...and I have no idea what that means. I have been feeding him tropical fish flakes soaked in water and tubifex worms and I read that the poo can be clear if he is not on a great diet so I will be picking up some goldfish food probably tomorrow.

I just don't want him to be lonely. I will probably just get another goldy for him. Then when I upgrade to the 29 gallon I can add some dojo loaches maybe.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Then when I upgrade to the 29 gallon I can add some dojo loaches maybe.

awesome! (that's what i meant anyways.)

 

[Raechal]

Then when I upgrade to the 29 gallon I can add some dojo loaches maybe.

awesome! (that's what i meant anyways.)

Oh okay. Thought you meant to cram them in the 10 gallon as well. I will probably end up making my boyfriend buy that 55 gallon I saw in the paper today for $100 then he can set it up at his apartment and Toggle and another goldy can live happily with a couple dojo loaches.

 

[Jezah]

I really wouldnt add any other goldies to a 10g. I am more of a tropical fish person, but as far as I know goldfish grow pretty fast and the more you have the faster you are gonna need to get a bigger tank. I personally like plain old comets...but thats just me.

 

[Raechal]

I really wouldnt add any other goldies to a 10g. I am more of a tropical fish person, but as far as I know goldfish grow pretty fast and the more you have the faster you are gonna need to get a bigger tank. I personally like plain old comets...but thats just me.

I know I shouldn't add anymore, but I lose either way you know? If I get him a friend, I will risk the chance of them outgrowing the tank too quickly before I can get another one, or they may get sick from being too crowded, OR I can just have a very lonely Toggle. I am going to get one I think...I always have a 29 gallon that only has 4 cories in it and they can be moved to the 10 gallon and the goldies can have the 29 gallon.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Raechal

I wouldn't keep Toggle by himself, even if it meant doing daily water changes. I've always thought goldfish did better with a little company.

BTW, what kind of corys are in your 29 gallon? If they are peppered or bronze, you could probably leave them in the tank with the goldfish. Both of those corys can thrive in cooler water than most of the others.

And don't forget about the loaches. They need a little tank room because they are fast swimmers, but they are lots of fun to keep. A weather loach (dojo loach) can also be kept in tropical tanks should you change your mind about keeping goldfish, as long as the water is not too warm. I love mine which I keep in my 55 gallon cory tank.

 

[Raechal]

Hi Raechal

I wouldn't keep Toggle by himself, even if it meant doing daily water changes. I've always thought goldfish did better with a little company.

BTW, what kind of corys are in your 29 gallon? If they are peppered or bronze, you could probably leave them in the tank with the goldfish. Both of those corys can thrive in cooler water than most of the others.

And don't forget about the loaches. They need a little tank room because they are fast swimmers, but they are lots of fun to keep. A weather loach (dojo loach) can also be kept in tropical tanks should you change your mind about keeping goldfish, as long as the water is not too warm. I love mine which I keep in my 55 gallon cory tank.

The cories are two bronze, one peppered (I think), and one albino. I also heard fancy goldfish like their water a little warmer than normal goldfish, is this true? So I could keep the temp at like 70 or 72 and the cories and goldies would be fine?

What about the goldfish's "toxic" slimecoat towards the cories?

BTW I have been doing daily water changes for the past week since he has gotten ich I wanted to keep everything really clean so no secondary infections popped up. But normally I will do water changes every other day. Or sometimes when I am doing the larger tanks' water changes I just do the smaller tanks as well to get it out of the way, even if they just had a water change the other day.

 

[CFC]

Goldfish should not be kept in tanks below 20 gallons.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Raechal

As long as you are willing to do frequent water changes, there is nothing to worry about. I never heard about goldfish having a slimecoat that is toxic to corys. In fact, these corys were traditionally kept with goldfish. The water changes will just ensure that the large amount of waste products that goldfish produce does not encourage the growth of harmful bacteria, which is what could cause problems with the corys since they live on the bottom with it.

Here's a couple of links about these corys:

http/www.scotcat.com/factsheets/aeneus.html

http/www.scotcat.com/factsheets/c_paleatus.htm

As you can see the temperature you plan to keep your tank at will be fine for them.

I would suggest making sure Toggle is well cured of ich before putting him in the tank with the corys. While corys are resistant to ich, they do not do well with the salt or medication usually used to cure it.

Good luck!

 

[Raechal]

I know they *shouldn't* be kept in anything smaller than a 20 gallon, BUT they also *shouldn't* be kept alone. So that was the point I was trying to bring up before CFC.

Inch, I will take a look at those links for sure. I would be putting a 60 gallon filter on the 29 gallon along with a 30 gallon filter as well. And keep up with the frequent water changes.

Well people told me I couldn't keep my black moor in my tropical 120 gallon community because his slimecoat would be toxic to the tropical fish? Are cories an exception?

 

[sylvia]

I would say you shouldn't add anything to the tank until you have up-graded. Then you can add one more goldfish to keep him company. Bad water quality will kill the fish, being lonely will just make it feel bad for a little while longer.

 

[Raechal]

I would say you shouldn't add anything to the tank until you have up-graded. Then you can add one more goldfish to keep him company. Bad water quality will kill the fish, being lonely will just make it feel bad for a little while longer.

But there won't be a chance for the water to get bad if I am doing water changes every day or every other day will there? Plus there will be like 5 times the amount of filtration.

 

[sylvia]

If you honestly believe you'll be doing water changes daily then fine but I still think there's a risk you'll miss a change or two and they'll suffer. I think being patient but getting the bigger tank sooner rather than later is the safest option - for the fish. Also, you asked about how quickly they grow, last time I had a goldfish (rescued - a friend got it from a fair...), it was 2 inches when I got it and had doubled its size in just a month! I don't know how big yours is and there are lots of things that influence the speed of growth but my point is that they do grow quickly and 2 of these fish in a 10 gallon - even with daily water changes - might still end up quite crowded. If you think you can manage, get the goldfish a friend but get them both a new tank within the next couple of months as well.