mustcooktea

They look lovely, Caper! I particularly like the mostly white one. Now you need to think of three more names. And you will have to let your son know that there really is no more room but that fish store vouchers are always appreciated! :lol:

Oh my! What kind of goldfish did he get you and how big are they at the moment? Sometimes surprise gifts are a little too surprising! Assuming the new fish are all still small you could get away with things for a short while but they will appreciate more room and since they are messy fish a larger volume of water. The goldfish forums recommend a minimum of 10 gallons for each fancy goldfish (more for commons). What is the turnover of your filter? An extra filter could help in the mean time. And I know that you will keep an eye on the water parameters. There could be a spike in your cycle with the introduction of three extras (just when you got your other tank cycled too!). How quickly the nitrates build in the tank will help you determine the frequency of water changes once the system has adjusted. You may need to do larger or more frequent changes depending on what readings you get. Best of luck and don't forget to take photos! MCT

Hi radu and welcome to the site! I can't think what might be wrong with your new fish except perhaps the stress of moving tanks. Tell us a little more about your set-up and perhaps someone with more experience than me may be able to help. What size tank do you have? What exactly are the other fish that are in the tank with the oranda? A temperature of 23 degrees seems warm for a goldfish tank - are you using a heater or is it much warmer where you are? How long has the tank been set up? Sorry for all the questions! I hope that your oranda and his friend start eating soon. He sounds like a lovely big fish.

Hi Not about feeding but I thought this might interest you if you haven't already seen it. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pets-animals/Fish/Fish/auction-31907284.htm Let's hope some of your babies turn out to be as gorgeous (and valuable). MCT

Hi mamma of fishy family! You remind me a bit of me as I am living my fishy life through my children too. At the moment my daughter (8 years) has a big goldfish tank and my son's last little leopard fish is living out its days in with them. I was just starting to plan my own tropical fish tank but Dad said no to turtles and lizards and so now my son (6 years) is going to get an aquarium. We are planning something similar to what you are doing (but with a slightly smaller tank). He loves the bettas and the bristlenose too and we are going to try a shoal of glowlight tetras in with them. I am sure you have done your own research but I thought I would share a couple of things that I have found out. - Put the betta in last so that other fish are seen as part of his environment, rather than an intruder in his territory. - Bettas are individuals and what works for one may not work for others so be prepared to put him in his own tank if it doesn't work out in the community tank. We are still a couple of months away from setting up so I look forward to finding out how you get on. And don't forget to take pictures! MCT

Welcome to the site, Rachel. It's a great place for information and advice isn't it? I'm glad that you are feeling a bit more in control of what is happening in your tank now that you know what is going on. Best of luck for the rest of your tank's cycle! In reply to your question about salt. Yes, you are right - for most fish salt is used medicinally and then removed with waterchanges. Salt is helpful for fish during the nitrite spike in your cycle but once your tank is through this, you won't need to add it during water changes. Unless, of course, you have fish which like salt e.g. mollies. And, just to confuse matters more, sometimes your will find people that keep a small amount of salt in their tanks as a 'tonic'.

I'm no expert, Caper, but you may be right about the nitrites. I have read that neons can be difficult when cycling a tank and prefer an established system. But as they say 'Where there is life, there is hope." All I can suggest is that you do extra water changes until the nitrites drop away. Best of luck!

Hi Heather I'm with you on the book Pride and Prejudice - it would have to be my fav too. My husband rolls his eyes everytime I make him sit through the TV version. Absolute classic!

Sorry to hear about your loss debs01 . I hope the other two are doing okay. It is difficult for children to lose their pets. Which one was it? My son (6 years) lost a few fish last year while we have been learning. I find fish more stressful for me than other pets like dogs and cats in that regard. It hasn't made him want to give up though - we are now planning a better size tank for him.

Hi all I tell everyone that I live the traditional NZ dream. My husband and I have two children – a boy and a girl. We live on a ¼ acre section in our traditional three bedroom weatherboard bungalow. We have a Labrador, a cat and a station wagon. What more could I wish for? On top of that already perfect life, I am half way through an early years teaching degree. I like walking, surfing the internet, reading and watching TV with my husband. Our favourite programmes at the moment are CSI and House and I loved The Lion Man series. Favourite food for studying: chocolate, chips and coffee. Favourite food for watching test rugby: cheese board and port.

But the catfish probably wouldn't like the 12 degrees celcius that my tank is sitting at! Besides, my black moor looks so cute checking the gravel for every last scrap of food that might be there.

Hi Caper I have also read on quite a few sites about soaking food for goldfish. The fancy varieties are more prone to swim bladder problems because of their funny shape. Taking in air with their food one of the things that is meant to make this worse. With our goldfish, I put a little tank water in a cup that I keep for feeding. I put the flake food in this and swirl it around until it sinks (usually only a few seconds) before adding it to the tank. The goldfish soon learn the routine and will chase the food as it sinks. I don't worry about the odd piece that makes it to the bottom of the tank as goldfish love to scavenge among the gravel and I am careful not to be too generous with feeding.

Have a look here for the different types. http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/ftypes.html I can't help you with availability though. It sounds like you have a nice mix of compatible fish in your tank - they all have similar needs and speeds. Just watch that the black moor gets his share of the food as they can have trouble seeing.

Hi Caper I give our goldfish peas once a week, often after their fast day, in place of their flake food. The peas help prevent constipation, which goldfish are prone to. A day or more of fasting followed by peas is a recommended treatment for some goldfish problems like long stringy poo or swimming imbalance. I cook them and pop them out of their shells before dropping them in the tank. Our goldfish (a fantail and a black moor) are still small - about 5 cm without the tail - and one pea each is probably enough although sometimes my daughter drops in a couple of extras. I don't know much about ottos but peas are good for quite a few types of fish. Since ottos like to eat algae I would be fairly confident that if they like the peas it won't do them any harm. I have also fed the goldfish: courgette, cucumber, green beans, apple and orange.

I've heard that black can be an unstable colour and I have seen photos of some calicos that have transformed as they grow. I don't know if they always do though.

Some people do feed their fish twice a day, debs01. However, with your small tank I wouldn't feed them that often although I would feed them more than twice a week. I am feeding my goldfish once a day but giving them one day a week without food. Be careful about how much you feed though as excess food will pollute the tank. Try to feed them so that they eat it all up in a few minutes. I also feed my goldfish peas once a week (cooked and shelled) as this is good for them. Sometimes they get other veges too. Do you have a gravel vacuum? These are great for doing a water changes as they will suck out waste from the gravel and will help to keep your tank healthy. I usually feed peas or veges the day before my water change so that I can get any left over bits before they have been in the tank too long. BTW You must be doing a few things right as you have managed to keep your fish alive for two months - with all your new knowlege you will do even better.

The final size tank they need will depend on the type of goldfish. The single tail varieties (common goldfish and comet) grow bigger and need more swimming space than the fantails, etc. My daughter's 2 fish (a fantail and a black moor) are in a 100 litre tank (76x30x50) and this should be big enough for them to live their lives out. Single tail varieties make great pond fish. MCT

Hi Caper I love the calico fantail goldfish but my daughter wouldn't choose one when she was getting her fish I tried to be brave since they are her fish, not mine. I wonder if yours will change colours at all as it grows. The guppies are pretty too. Is that Slim's tail at the edge of the first picture?

For bettas it is best to use silk plants as the plastic ones can shred their fins . Remember that water changes will need to be more frequent in a small tank. Good luck!

Don't apologise for your humour; it was just the kind I like! :lol: I grew up with puns and so they always remind me of my Dad. MCT

Hi peanuts and welcome. I know that you will find this site invaluable, as I have. There is lots as valuable information at the push of the search button and someone always seems to be around to answer questions. Good luck with setting up your tank again.

How big is the tank, clarkeymaster? A smaller tank is likely to drop to a lower temp during the night especially but in Auckland I wouldn't have thought that temperature would be too much of an issue. My daugher's goldfish (in her bedroom) had their temperature drop to 10 degrees the other day (now back up to 12 or 13) and they were still active. I have heard that below 10 degrees you shouldn't feed them and I have reduced feeding our goldfish for the winter. BTW what is their current temperature? MCT

Thanks Snowman. I was planning on having some colourful little fish like platies too. The bristlenose is the biggest fish I want so with the other fish it will be more how many fish rather than what size tank. MCT

Here is one of my son's last two leopard fish. This one is called Puss'n'Boots. (Not the best picture, these little fish are tricky). MCT

I am only looking at having one as I am not ready for breeding. Are they okay without another of their own kind? The AR380 is 38cm long - would 50cm be more suitable? (I can't take up too much space on my kitchen bench.) Otherwise I will have to choose something else . MCT