Black Moor Goldfish Help Anyone? Please

[MollyMaster]

I have a 29gal. tank and i really wanna buy a male and female Black Moor and breed them, is this tank big enough, how do i tell a male from a female, how should i set the tank up, heater? plants? anything special, what to look for, how big do they need to be? just 1 male and 1 female? take the parents out after lay eggs? Take babies out?. how to tell when shes prego, will they eat eggs, ANYTHING to help any advice or tips, EVERYTHING will help
Thanx

 

[Blueiz]

It is very difficult to tell the sex of goldfish, if not impossible until they breed. They are also coldwater fish and do not need a heater, they eat most types of live plants so they aren't really a good option either. Perhaps some anubias will do well with them.

I would go with no less than a 29 g tank, and that is pushing it as far as being to small because goldfish are huge waster producers due to there large body mass.

My personal experience in this goes way back when I first had a tank. My goldfish layed eggs, the next day they were gone. I don't even know if they were fertile or not. Hopefully someone with more experience and/or suggestions will chime in.

 

[dkpate]

The Black Moor Goldfish are one of the most hardy varieties of goldfish and can tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing, as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. A quick temperature drop can kill them, so if you live in a very cold climate a heater is advisable.
Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72° F (18°- 22° C)
Hardness: 5 - 19° dGH
Ph: 6.0 to 8.0

Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.

Goldfish typically shoal, forage and feed in groups and are likely to breed as well. It is best to add oxygenating plants such as Anacharis in the aquarium for the spawning process and for eggs to adhere to.
To induce spawning, the temperature can be slowly dropped to around 11° C (60° F ) and then slowly warmed until they spawn. This is done to mimic the conditions found in nature when spring arrives which is the only time they will spawn in the wild. Feeding lots of high protein food such live brine shrimp and worms during this time will also induce spawning.
Before spawning as the temperature increases, the male will chase the female in a non-aggressive way around the aquarium. This can last for several days. The colors of both fish will intensify, the male somewhat more than the female. During spawning the male will push the female against the plants while both fish gyrate from side to side. This stimulates the female to drop tiny eggs which the male will then fertilize. The eggs will stick to the plants by sticky threads. Spawning can last 2 or three hours and can produce up to 10,000 eggs. The parents, when finished will then eat as many eggs as they can find.
For this reason it is best to remove the parents after spawning is complete. You will need to feed one of the various specialty foods for fry (see Foods for Fry) until they become big enough to eat flake or brine shrimp. At first the fry are a dark brown or black color in order to better hide and not be eaten by larger fish. They gain their adult color after several months and can be put in with larger fish once they reach about 1 inch long.

Hope this helps!
Good luck!

 

[dkpate]

Here is a little more:

The Black Moor Goldfish is one of several varieties of Carassius auratus auratus. Goldfish originally came from parts of Asia, Japan, and China but now enjoy worldwide distribution thanks to controlled breeding programs. The Black Moor Goldfish is of the Veil Tail variety, and has an overall black coloration. Moor varieties have metallic scales. All goldfish are members of the carp group and are generally quite hardy.

The Black Moor Goldfish will do well in a 30 gallon or larger tank with a fine gravel bottom and hardy, cold water plants. Goldfish are diggers and will scatter the fine sand onto leaves, injuring thin and less hardy plants. Roots and well-rounded river rocks are appreciated. There appears to be a definite courtship ritual when Goldfish breed. Breeding often results in up to 1,000 eggs, with fry hatching in five to six days. They should be fed small pieces of live or prepared foods designed for egg-laying fish.
Goldfish are omnivorous, and will eat all types of dried and live foods. Limit protein, however, to 30% of the diet. A Goldfish flake or pellet food will provide these fish with the proper nutrition.

 

[Giannis86]

just some side notes to the above posts

The 29g tank is more than sufficient. I do not follow the 20gallon for first and 10g for every other fish rule as i find it very exaggerated. Personally I would keep up to 3 goldfish max in that tank, provided a very good filtration and good water quality

The process of lowering the temperature for breeding must be done over a very long period of time (months ideally) in order to reduce stress.

Another method of inducing spawning behavior is doing small frequent water changes (~10% every day or every other day). This assures a better water quality (a must!). Just make sure the new water is conditioned and the same temp as the tank.

Your best indication for sexing the fish is the breeding stars. Once goldfish reach sexual maturity they will develop white spots (breeding stars) on the first ray of the pectorial fin (next to the head) and on the gill cover.
Another area to look at is the vent area. The males have a longer one, whereas the ones from the females are more protruded.

Sexing is very difficult when the fish is very young, but if the fish is about 1year old it should be easy to do

Make sure you read through my moor breeding log. There is a lot of information throughout the thread, along with the feeding of newly hatched fry.