Temperature for Black moors?????

[Dawn A]

Can someone help me out? I am confused as to what the ideal temperature is for Black Moors. I have been told by Walmart, PetSmart, and some other sites that it is 68F-72F. I have also been told by Petco, Tetra, and some other sites that it is 75F-81F. I truly do not trust Walmart or PetSmart because of some issues that arose right after purchase of these little guys and their former tank mate as well as some bad advice given to me regarding these fish. Can someone please help me out here. They seem to thrive better in the warm rather than the cold. Please keep in mind these fish have been sick recently and are in the process of recovering. Any advise is much appreciated!

[Aiken Drum]

My understanding, albiet not informed by first hand experience, is that black moors are temperate fish and the ideal temperature is 20 to 23c (68 to 74f). So thats around room temperature in a habitable room.

They will be ok at higher temperatures, but their metabolism will increase, they will eat more, poop more, need more maintenance etc.

Remember goldfish are often kept outdoors where you have no control over their water temperature and it can fluctuate quite considerably.

[Dawn A]

Thank you so much. Now that you say that, they do seem to be eating a little more or atleast acting hungrier. They are also poop machines now.

I will lower the temperature to between 68F and 74F but what is a safe way to do that without it dropping to fast and hurting them? Right now it is at 77.4F. Would it be ok to just turn the heater off and let it drop naturally since my room usually runs between 68-74 depending on whether the ceiling fan is on?

I'm sorry if I am asking a lot of questions, it's just that I had black moors years ago and really never went through all this for them. I had them in a 55 gallon tank with a crowntop goldfish, an Oranda, and a Pleco. We literally filled the tank, turned on filter, heater and aerator and let them go. We cleaned it with an aquarium vacuum and did a 50% tank change every month and fed them, and they lived happily for over 5 years. The only reason we lost them was because I bought a sick fish from Walmart without knowing and he killed them all off in just 2 or so days.

I truly appreciate all your help Aiken, as well as everyone else who has helped me. I would have lost my babies if not for you.

[Aiken Drum]

I would say its fine to just turn off the heater. If the room is at room temperature then any temperature drop will be gradual. Like i say, goldfish are often kept outdoors, they will go through quite large and rapid temperature changes in those circumstances. I often dont pay enough attention to water temperature when doing water changes and it can drop 2 or 3c (sorry i really struggle with Fahrenheit, i can do length and volume in metric/imperial in my head but not temperature) in a matter of 30 minutes, never had any problems.

Often people can know nothing about cycling and get away with it. Put a handful of small fish in a tank, change some water regularly and the tank will cycle without you knowing anything about it. Your previous tank was bigger than your current one so more volume to dilute any waste in. Perhaps as a novice you changed water more often when you started than you did when you got more comfortable? Maybe you just got a batch of healthy fish before and they was more tolerant of the poor water conditions during your cycle. Who knows. Many reasons why you got away with things before and it worked out differently this time. Maybe you had really low pH before and now its high? Ammonia toxicity increases with increasing pH, i notice you have high pH now. That may be a key difference.

[Dawn A]

That is very true. I lived in a different place back then and the water quality may have been different. Either way, I will be keeping up with the water changes and testing to keep them happy. You have been such a godsend in this. I would have lost my fish without you and for that I am forever grateful! Thank you so very much! ��