Total beginner - Don't know if fish are acting odd or not

[Mewt]

Hi all,

I was very interested in setting up a small aquarium at home so I visited a lfs and got some advice from the ppl there...from what i read now I'm off track by a long shot...anyways..I have a small tank (maybe around 10 litres) I am housing 3 goldfish right now - 1 black moor and 2 orandas. I have some canadian pondweed to help oxygenate the water and a filter pump (has a sponge like interior and hangs by the side of the tank) to help filter the water and also mix the water so that more gets oxygenated.

My query is this: I read on the internet that you should only feed your fish what they can eat immediately as soon as you throw in the food. The food the shop proposed to me were pellets ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.] <-- green tin at bottom of page next to white tin). However when i throw in some pellets (a small pinch, not more than 12-15 pellets) my fish don't seem to bother at all (I feed them in the morning)..They will eventually come up and eat some...Is this normal or is something wrong with my fish ?

Also my moor (christened Morris :) ) spends a lot of time watching his reflection in the side of the tank and nipping at it..should I be worried or am I being paranoid ?

Thanks

Mewt

[Sasquatch]

Welcome to the AC. If you've got aquarium questions this place is great.

First things first .... your tank is WAY too small for your fish. The goldfish may be small right now, but they'll get very big, pretty quick. Down the road, you should have something on the order of 55 gallons (200L) for 3 goldfish.

Realistically, about the only fish you can have in such a small tank is a betta (fighting fish).

As for your fish not eating, it could be that they're stressed from being in such a small tank, and probably because of the buildup of toxic products. Goldfish are very dirty fish and wastes buildup fast in small tanks. I don't suppose your testing for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?

Regarding the moor watching himself on the side of the tank ... is there a something to keep him interested in the tank? Decorations, rocks .... some kind of structure.

Once again, welcome. Don't get too freaked out, we all started like you, but with the friendly people around here, you'll find plenty of help to get things going right. :thumb:

[Mewt]

i realised after i set up the tank that it was too small..I intend on keeping it for now that they are small and hopefully go larger once they start growing a bit too much. As for the water toxicity, I'll be trying to do 25% water changes every 2 days to keep ammonia levels down (before you ask, no I didnt cycle my tank, didn't know what it was before yesterday) I guess the filter should help a bit but I dont think there has been any time for any bacteria buildup :/

There is an ornament in the middle of the tank (looks like an old tree root lol) and the canadian pondweed.

I'm quite pissed off at the pet shop I went to didnt warn me about toxicity levels and everything..They told me I would be fine changing 25% of the water every week!

Also something I didn't mention before is that I am using well water for my tank and not tap water..So I shouldn't have any problems with chlorine or other chemical additives although the water is definately harder than normal..

Thanks for your comments,

Mewt (and Morris, Arnold and Nanda :) )

[DragonGoby]

When you'll have the bigger tank, don't heat it... Goldfish are not tropical fish and prefer "cold water"... Unless you live in Alaska, of course, the room temperature is enough for them....
But If I may suggest, don't wait... Goldfish are fish that need space, even as small as they are now... Why don't buy another tank, and begin to establish the cycle in it? This way, your fish will have a new home quickly... At least if you have the palce and the money of course...

Best of luck and keep us informed....And welcome on AC!!!!!!:19:

[Nick_Pavlovski]

G'day and welcome!

I'm wondering if the goldfish were fed something different in the shop...that may be a reason they don't respond so promptly to you.

Set a routine for feeding. Fish can also survive a day or two without food...that may help them get used to the routine.
Every morning at 9am, every arvo at 5pm as you leave work, every lunch...just set it and keep it. And don't let co-workers give them extras!!!

[Mewt]

I am not sure what they were fed, however they were in a large pond with different types of fish apart from goldfish. The black moor was in a separate tank and may be why he (or she ? :S ) responds better to pellets.

[angelcakes]

hello and welcome:19:
,it would seem to me if your fish dont want to eat possibly there not hungry at that time try once aday in the evening,for coldwater fish i would recommend sinking pellets,normally in aquatic shops coldwater are feed on sinking pellets,but your goldfish might like floating pellets,but black moors/orandas through experience do prefer sinking,and do not worry about morris bashing his reflection it is normal but look out there are no sharp objects in his way because of eyes,
as you have coldwater fish there general diet is good there like the dustbin of the fish world eat anything(within reason lol) eg,pellets,flake fruits,veg,worms,bloodworms,river shrimp,and the list goes on.:14:

[Mewt]

I just did quite a large water change (around 45%) since i thought the water smelt a bit bad (kind of pungent so probably ammonia)....removed water using a cup and readded around 4lts of water...will also try feeding them once a day in the evening...

Angelcakes...I triple checked the whole tank for anything that might be sharp that might damage Morris's eyes and found none. The ornament i bought is blunt at all teh edges and the canadian pondweed has soft leaves.

As an aside question...I noticed that all 3 goldfish like to nibble at the leaves of the canadian pondweed...is this normal for them or is it a sign that they are hungry ? (they dont do it frequently, just every now and then)

Thanks

Mewt

[smaug]

Not to jump on the bandwagon with too much zeal,but.You are overstocked as of now.Goldys produce much more waste then tropicals and you will find yourself with a tank full of dead goldfish rather quickly if any thing goes haywire,especially ammonia.I have a black moor in my pond and I have kept them in tanks as well.The pond moor I have at the moment is as big as a small rabbit.There fins and eyes are very susceptible to damage from improper water conditions.Unless you are willing to get a 50-70 gal tank for them rather quickly the only suggestion i can give you is to please find a bigger home for them now.For future reference the pond weed will do very little if anything at all for oxygenating unless you have good light on it.And yes goldys love to eat plants so they will nibble it.Sorry for the bad news you have heard almost first thing upon joining,welcome to the forum.