Goldfish Eating Each Other?

[blogizzle]

We've recently adopted two Pond Goldfish and they've been fine for the past three days in their new tank until the silver started to go a bit strange. Now the only thing that happens is the silver one slowly chasing the orange one around the tank trying to bite it, it looks like the orange one has a few silver bits on it now and I'm worried that either...

A - the silver one isn't a goldfish and is definitely eating the other one
B - the silver one is trying to fix the other one's scar but that means the orange has messed it's face up somehow.

I've got a picture from the other day, unfortunately it's night now and I can't get a good shot of the missing scales on the orange one.

http/twitpic.com/4fmeo6

Please help.

 

[Baccus]

We've recently adopted two Pond Goldfish and they've been fine for the past three days in their new tank until the silver started to go a bit strange. Now the only thing that happens is the silver one slowly chasing the orange one around the tank trying to bite it, it looks like the orange one has a few silver bits on it now and I'm worried that either...

A - the silver one isn't a goldfish and is definitely eating the other one
B - the silver one is trying to fix the other one's scar but that means the orange has messed it's face up somehow.

I've got a picture from the other day, unfortunately it's night now and I can't get a good shot of the missing scales on the orange one.

http/twitpic.com/4fmeo6

Please help.

Could be a male trying to induce the female to breed, and she is either not interested or not ready. If it is spawning behaviour you could try putting a clean (unused mop head- the type with all the cotton tassels/ cords) or some really bushy weed and if they are wanting to spawn they should lay their eggs into these types of media.

 

[blogizzle]

It turned out that was true and now tiny seethrough eggs are starting to appear on the plant we put it. Any suggestions for what I should do next? I've read that you're meant to take them out so they don't eat the eggs and I've done that using some water from the tank.

Is there anything else I have to do?

Can someone give me a crash course in being a fish midwife?

 

[Baccus]

If you want to raise the fry, yes you really should remove the eggs away from the parents as they will happily eat their own spawn. I have never really done much in the way of nurse maiding my baby goldfish as all of mine are in a 1000L pond with plant life (when the goldfish stop eatting it long enough to grow). The eggs if fertile should hatch between 5-14 days depending on water temp. I always end up with a few babies that avoid the parents and start appearing at feed time around 6cm, prior to that thay are pretty good at hiding. With the eggs in a seperate container to the parents I would have an airstone to provide water movement around the eggs to try and prevent fungus. When the fry hatch, they are tiny and you would never guess they are baby goldfish, generally they look a little bit like a guppy fry but thinner and slightly longer. Once any remaining egg yolk is absorbed the fry will then be looking for a meal, once you start adding food to the tank/ container for any fry you will need some sort of gentle filteration to remove any toxic build up. If all they babies look brown once they start to colour up and look like miniture goldfish don't be alarmed, as they continue to grow they will eventually lose the dark copper colour and mostly turn orange. I have had white ones start out as white and stay white only getting maybe some pale orange spots/ markings.
Good luck.