Black moors

[Trout11B]

I have 2 small black moors in my 5 gallon tank. When the tank light is on they seem lethargic and stay put in a corner. When the lights go off they are more active. Is this semi normal?

 

[SeverumGuy]

Entirely too small

 

[Goldfish lover]

Ya those fish well quickly outgrow that tank if you can you should get a least a 10 gallon tank.

 

[Trout11B]

Ok, I realize that it's too small currently. I'm working on a larger tank. But to answer the question about the activity level with the lights on and off besides belittling me about tank size any answers?

 

[subliminalanarchy]

Is that a fluorescent light or incandescent? If the hood feels hot to the touch it may be stressing them out. That's all I can think of.

 

[ChelseaLake]

Okay, have you been keeping an eye on your ammonia level? What is your water chemistry like? Because this sounds like ammonia poisoning. If your fish are super lethargic and lazy, have a decreased appetite, and just lay in one place, it's probably ammonia poisoning. Check your ammonia level, as well as nitirites and nitrates and pH, and see if that is your problem. If it is, you should be performing PWCs very often til the ammonia decreases.

I know you realize that your tank is too small, and as somebody making minimum wage, I can understand. However, goldfish have fast metabolisms, and create a lot of waste. This increases the amount of ammonia in the water, and in such a small tank, it will quickly kill your fish. Look on Craigslist, your newspaper...anywhere, and transfer them to a 10g MINIMUM as soon as you can. In fact, you're going to need a larger one in the long run. I'm transferring mine from a 29g to a 55g as soon as it cycles.

Keep on those water changes!

I know it sucks when your goldfish are sick. My goldies are my BABIES!

Good luck!

 

[Trout11B]

Ive been keeping up on pwc:25% daily. I've checked the water daily and the ammonia levels are under .25. The nitrites are at 0 and nitrates are under 10 ppm. Its not that they're inactive, it's only when the lights are on for awhile. So, I'll have to check into the light fixture. Thanks.

 

[Trout11B]

So after spending a few hours watching my moors. Ive come to the conclusion that it has something to do with the light source. The light is currently off and they're swimming around all over. When the light is on they tend to shy away from moving and "sit" in particular spots. Is the light just to strong, or do they need more hidin places, what's a light recommendation?

 

[mfdrookie516]

consistency... fish tend to freak out a little if things aren't done on a consistent basis. Timers on your lights, feeding the same time every day, etc... They'll come around.

I won't give you a speech on the tank size since you already know, but this is probably adding to the stress that you're seeing.

 

[Trout11B]

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into timers next time I'm at the store. I know they'll get bigger, but right now they're only about 1" to 1.5". I know it's probably just me thinking they're ok, but they don't seem to be extremely stressed out. They get along. (are fins up a good thing, I thought it was). And they only seem to freeze when the lights are on. If the lights are off they're moving.

 

[Trout11B]

Ok, just a little update. Ive switched to a compact fluorescent which should put off less heat than an incandescent. They still seem to be hiding to an extent beneath the plants in the tank. The parameters are good. Ammonia is 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate <10. Any ideas?