Help

[abelxavier]

I've just got some new fish and i'm curious about their feeding habits.

I've got a decent sized tank, in which I now have living 4 fish. Until recently we'd had 2 plain goldfish (one is a shubunkin and one is a red and silver comet, I think) living in one of the crappy cheapo tanks.

Anwyay we've just got a nice new tank with a nice new filter etc and they looked mighty lonely wandering around in there (they're only small, the shubunkin would be maybe slightly over an inch long and the other fish would be slightly less than an inch, so a bit shorter). Anyway, now with a nicer tank and a better filter, we've gone out and invested in two more fish. A small black moor and a small Oranda (who is a rather strange pink colour). Anyway, they'd be about the size of the smaller fish.

I've since read on a few websites that these fancy fish shouldn't be mixed with shubunkins or comets and the like, which we were blissfully unaware of. However they've been living in the tank together for over a day now and no trouble yet. The reading i've looked at on here suggests that the problem will lie with feeding them, in that the two fancy ones will be too slow and struggle for food.

Is there any way around this, in ensuring that my moor and oranda get fed? I don't want rid of any fish as i'm quite attached to them, and i'd feel awful banishing the shubunkin and comet back to their crappy old tank after a good 10 days or so in their new home.

Is there any types of food I can get which will ensure they all get fed fairly?

I'm sure i've seen these fish living together before, which surprised me when I read otherwise on various sites.

Cheers.

 

[Dakotagirl]

Hi Abel,

I am not an expert by any means, but I soak my food in a glass jar with a little tank water until it sinks then dump it in the tank because my black moor is way slower than my orandas are. This way the food is at all levels of the tank and everyone gets something to eat. It seems like my black moor stays toward the bottom of the tank more than my orandas do and so when I was feeding at the surface the orandas ate everything before he got any. Also I don't dump it all in one spot I spread it out a little bit and this has worked for me, hope it helps you.

Barb

edit: Make sure you dump in all the food at once not little by little.

 

[abelxavier]

It isn't the Oranda that particularly concerns me (if anything he seems slower than the moor), but it's the comet and the shubunkin stealing the lot before they even get near.


Is there anything I can do, i'd really like to not have to seperate them.

Would edible plants be an answer?

I'm currently only using basic floating food flakes.

Obviously the shubunkin and comet can't eat all of a plant before my oranda and moor get there! (id hope!)

 

[Flaringshutter]

I would definitely invest in a variety of food. My goldfish eat collard greens, zucchini, cucumber, romaine lettuce, as well as sinking and floating pellets. If you always have a piece of something green in there, and at feeding time add some sinking AND some floating pellets, that will help to ensure that everyone gets something.
Keep something green in the tank all the time- not much, maybe ONE collard green leaf, or a couple of pieces of lettuce- and replace it as they eat it, then your slower fish will always have something to much on, so even if they don't get enough at feeding time, they'll still have full bellies.
Also, for a treat, I buy live brine shrimp. Once every week or two, I go to the LFS and get a full scoop (my LFS sells by the scoop, yours might do something different). They especially love live food, and having live food swimming all over the tank helps to ensure that everyone gets some. You could try live bloodworms, too, or even small live earthworms.

Also, having such a variety ensures that your fish are getting the proper nutrients. I would advise against having ONLY floating flakes - it's like feeding your baby ONLY dry cereal, for their whole life. Also because fancies often develop swim bladder problems if they feed from the surface. They stay healthier if they can feed in the middle of the water column or from the bottom.