Hi, I'm new around here. I just had a question about a Bubble Eye that I purchased. I read through several articles on the site and found out some things that I didn't know, and now realize that I have committed several no-nos with fancy goldfish, especially the 1 fish per 10 gallon rule. So I apologize in advance.

First off, some background info. My dad has a 20 gallon tank that had 2 orandas and 1 common. The two orandas are 2" gold and 3" chocolate. The common was about 7" long and about 10 years old. The common died recently, so I decided to go to the pet store and get some fake plants so that the tank didn't look as empty. They had small bubble eyes (about 1" long), and I decided to get one. I really like bubble eyes, though most people (including my girlfriend) find them odd looking. I used to keep a bubble eye with a ranchu several years ago, so I figured it would be fine with the 2 orandas.

At first the bubble eye seemed happy. The first day I put him in the tank, he was energetic and was able to get food despite the 2 larger orandas. My girlfriend said that the bubbles looked like Jowls, so I named him that. However on the next day, I saw the bigger oranda was chasing Jowls around. It was a lot faster than the Jowls and was actually pressing Jowls against the wall of the tank and into the gravel. I was worried about one of the bubbles bursting so I separated Jowls and put it into 5 gallon bucket of water. My dad keeps several of these in our basement to sit and detoxify for whenever he changes the water.

Like I said, I used to have a bubble eye and a lionhead, so I cleaned out my old 10 gallon tank and set it up. I let the filter run for 24 hours and put Jowls into the tank. I didn't know about cycling.

I kept a close eye on him for a few days to see if there were any signs of shock. He was as he was before: energetic, swimming around, and foraging for food. After several days I noticed that one of the bubbles managed to break. I kept another bubble eye in this tank for 2 years several years back and this never happened. So, I removed one of the fake plants that I felt was probably the reason for the bubble popping. The bubble actually grew back, though not as large and robust.

Today I came home and saw that the same bubble had popped again, though this time it looked ripped. The bubble is actually now hanging in what looks like a tatter off of his face. So I removed all of the plants in the tank to protect the other bubble.

Finally, I watched Jowls for a while to see if there was anything he did that could endanger the bubbles. I noticed that when he forages in the gravel, he tends to do it pretty aggressively. He tends to forage and then kind of turn his body, swim up a few inches, and then level off. When he does this, he sometimes rubs the bubble against the gravel, which might explain the rip in the ruined one.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to do in this situation. If the gravel is a reason, what can I do to make the tank safer? I apologize for the long post, but I figured I should include as many details as possible.

It's recommended bubble eyes are kept in a barebottom tank, so gravel is a no-no. Plants are also a no-no as they can poke the bubbles. They're pretty fragile those things so pretty much anything that could rip at the bubbles shouldn't be with them.

You're probably having a lot of water quality issues also... which isn't good for that bubble popping, but I'm not entirely sure what you should do so I'll let someone else help you with that...

I would recommend going barebottom as Bzoink has already said. Also I would get a water test kit so you can change water accordingly. Good luck with him, I love bubble eyes!

Oh and welcome to Koko's!!

Thanks for the replies and the welcome.

When you say barebottom, does that mean nothing at all on the bottom of the tank? I know that there is bacteria in the gravel that helps with the tank, but if taking the gravel out is the way to go then I'm not about to argue. ^^;

Since I'll be removing the gravel and the plants are already out, is there anything safe that I can put in the tank which will make it more aesthetically pleasing? It seems kind of bare. ^^;

I'll go get a water test kit tomorrow. It should basically test levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates?

Hi there, Cerlic, and !

I have a whole 75 tank filled with 6 bubble eyes myself, and there are a few things they need in order for the bubbles to stay intact. You already took out the plants, which is the first thing I would have done too.

The gravel is another thing, but I wouldn't recommend just tossing the gravel out. If I were you, I'd get some sort of mesh bag, or a piece of pond netting, and fill that with gravel, stick it into the filter, in any empty space in the filter you can find. The reason is, like you mentioned, the gravel contains beneficial bacteria. When the gravel is taken out all at once, a LOT of the bacteria disappears with it, which causes a big bump in the cycling process, which we don't want of course.
When I switched from gravel to bare bottom, I hung those bags of gravel all over my tank, and stuck it inside the filter. The hanging-in-your tank isn't an option for you, since it could pose a danger to the bubble eye, but stick as much as you can inside the filters. That way the beneficial bacteria will at least somewhat be preserved.

As for what goes on the bottom when its all empty and strange looking - I have bigger smooth river rocks in there now. I got those at craft stores, and they come in quite a white array of natural colors. I just put a single layer of rocks on the bottom. The fish get to do some rearranging after a while, and they might not be so neat looking anymore after a while, but it serves its purpose.
I also have some terra cotta pots laying on their sides in the tank. I have sanded them down first, and closed the hole on the bottom with some aquarium sealant first to avoid any rough edges. I never had a bubble pop on my bubble eyes on either the river rocks or the pots.

I would also put something over the intake tube of the filter - another spot where bubbles tend to get sucked into. I use sponges that come with the filter media, cut a little slot into the center, just big enough to go over the intake tube.
There needs to be some precaution with the tank decor and bubble eyes - but once the basics are covered, those guys are happy and funny fish.

Andrea has just covered everything you need to know.I have a bubble eye I love her to bits.I have japanese pebbles in bottom of my tank.Also bubble eyes should only be in a tank with their own kind or mixed with celestials as with their visual impairment they will have trouble feeding especially as the bubbles grow larger.Good Luck with your baby

Thanks for the tips Ranchugirl and Blue.

Unfortunately, when I woke up today I noticed that Jowls now has these white spots on his tail and fins. They have the grain-of-salt look of Ick. Judging by what is said in this thread adding one teaspoon of salt per gallon every 12 hours 3 times to get the salinity of the tank to .3% seems to be the way to go?

I guess I should make a new thread in the Disease section once I get the water tested.

Sorry your baby has got more probs and yes salting to .3% is the way to go.You must really be careful she doesnt get a bacterial infection in her burst bubble so it may be worth feeding her medigold if available where you live.However getting your water quality spot on is the first most important thing to do

I wish you good luck. It sounds like your doing whatever you can. I hope everything turns out for you and Jowls.