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darkmoore
I have a small, pentagonal tank (one gallon to be exact) with an air stone, a top-mounted light, a thermometer, rocks and an artificial plant. My black moore, Jacque, lives in it by himself. I was curious about possible tank mates and how often I should change the water in the tank for optimum health and happiness of my little buddy. I had another small fantail in it for about a month and she just died the other day, which kind of left me depressed. I heard that black moores are playful, schooling fish and would appreciate any advice. Sorry for the long post.
calico4
You cant get any more fish. You need to get a bigger tank and a filter. Goldfish need at leist 10gals per fish.


-calico
darkmoore
So, I shouldn't even have Jacque in a one gallon tank by himself?
Whirlwind
You shouldnt happy.gif
Goldfish are really meesy fish and then need atleast 10 gallons each.Also when keeping them in small spaces,they get stunted and dont grow to their full potential and have a shorter life and more prone to illnesses.It's best to maybe get a 10 gallon with a filter or a 20 if you want another gf.
d_golem
Think of it like living in a 2mx2m cubicle compared to a proper house. does that sounds right blink.gif hehe that's just how i view them rolleyes.gif
Comet
Yeah, one gallon is too small even for one fish. It could stop them from growing, among other things.
chico
If you can, it would be in the fish's best interest to get a bigger tank. As everyone has suggested, one fancy goldfish needs about 10 gallons of water for proper growth. Along w/the bigger tank you're going to need a filtration system, filtering 100 gallons of water per hour (or 10 times your tank size).

There is tons of great information on this website to help you get started, if you choose that route. Take a look at the pinned topics.

On a side note, a neighbor of mine has kept a veiltail in a 1 gallon tank w/ an airstone for 3 YEARS!! blink.gif Can't believe it myself!!
Graham
Hi Darkmoore and Jacques welcometo.jpg !

Sorry to hear about your fantail! heartpump.gif It is very sad but that tank size cannot hold 2 goldfish and keep them healthy. Many of us started out the same way - at least you have a filter and an airstone! - so there are no hard feelings, it is just the sad truth that the petstores often do not educate people about the best environment for fish...

I have a blackmoor - an orange blackmoor (he decided to change colors to express his joy) - I had him in a 3 gallon tank for a several months with 2 frogs and an oto cat - until he got sick! That's when I found Koko's. I learned a lot! I thought I had been taking good care of him - and I was to some degree - but applying what I learned here has made him a really happy healthy huge fish!

It is true that the recommendation for a fancy GF is 10 gallons per fish - I find I can endorse that now that I have seen it in action! It has changed my fish's life! THere are lots of ways to try to "upgrade" - I know it can be quite a shock to find all this out - I am still recovering myself!

If you would like to get another fish - then maybe you can move straight into a 20 gallon... I find lots of stuff at www.craigslist.org which is local and you can inspect stuff before you buy it - lot sof fishtanks available! But, I would not keep more than 2 GF in there. Just make sure you have enough filtration and that you do regular water changes. You might even see Jacques grow! Also, if you don' t have a cat, you could use a Rubbermaid tub for a awhile or even permanently if you like the indoor pond look!

Blackmoors are truly adorable sweet loving fish! I hope Jacques gets a buddy - and maybe a bigger tank for both of them! biggrin.gif

PS - In the tank J. is in now, I would do 100% water changes every day to every other day. In a bigger tank (min. 10g) I would do it maybe 30% once a week - mor eif the water quality dictated it. I have a 20g with one fish and a huge filter - and I do 25-40% water cahnges once a week - amount depends on the nitrate readings. When I was cycling, I did the changes more frequently to help keep ammonia and nitrite levels from harming my fish.

Don't forget water conditioner! A very good one is Prime and it is not too expensive.

One small piece of advice - I did it the expensive way - go for the biggest tank you can handle, otherwise you will start accumulating tanks like I did! I moved my fish from 3 to 10 to 12 to 20 - now I have lots of tanks and I spent a lot of money that could have gone straight into the 20!

Please feel welcome to come. make long posts ( rofl3.gif ) , ask as many questions as you like, and post some pictures!
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