My two oranda goldfish.

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kalesho

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
11
Location
Pennsylvania, United States
How can I tell how old my oranda goldfish are. They are about two to three inches big. The have a small wen on their heads. They are so beautiful and playful, and I would really like to know their ages. Their names are Gomer, and Oscar. :fish2:
 
Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Can you tell us a bit more about your fish? Are they 2-3in including tail? How long have you had them? What size tank are they in? What do you normally feed/how often? Have they grown at all since you purchased them? Thanks!
 
Hi! Welcome to AA!!! Can you tell us a bit more about your fish? Are they 2-3in including tail? How long have you had them? What size tank are they in? What do you normally feed/how often? Have they grown at all since you purchased them? Thanks!
My two orandas are about three inches from head to tail. I got them on Saturday of this last week, so a week ago tomorrow. No they haven't grown any since I got them. They are in a fifty five gallon tank. They are sharing the tank with three mystery snails and a pleco. I am feeding them omega one goldfish food. I sink the fakes into the water while feeding, I also am giving them freeze dried blood warms every three days, and frozen peas thawed with the skin removed every three days, but not on the same day as the blood worms. I feed them three times a day. I have been doing 25% water changes daily, because the tank is still establishing and got cloudy. The water is cleared up now, so should I continue to do the daily water changes? I also have an air stone in there about an inch of medium size gravel. I have a double filtration system, that hangs off the back of the tank. I also have a under gravel filter as well. I have a few decorations in the tank: I have a cave about the size of half a coconut, a rock like ornament that has a round like curvature that is open on one end about the six inches big, another rock like thing that is only four inches long and three inches high, and I have three artificial plants, that are about eight inches high.
 
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Thank you very much! Ok, I would not expect any noticeable growth in just a week. Whether they were stunted prior to you purchasing them, there is no way to know absolutely until you have had them for awhile. I am very glad you have a big tank for them but you need to be very careful with the pleco- plecos are reknowned for snacking on slow fancies at night which can lead to a host of health issues for the fancies.

Do you have a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & ph? This will be vital to monitoring your tank conditions, especially while its cycling. The API fw master test kit is highly recommended.

Ok, I am going to post two links below for you to read. One addresses fish-in cycling (which you are in the middle of right now). The second addresses goldfish and their care. Please make sure you read the diet section- what you are feeding them right now is not ideal for fancies due to their buoyancy issues. Please ask any questions you may have!!! :)

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html
 
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I do have the water testing kit. I do that everyday. So I should be feeding them more vegetables, get the sinking pellets instead of the flakes, and feed them fruit every few days. I also need to change to frozen blood worms as well. The gentlemen at the pet store told me to buy the freeze dried ones. I guess he was wrong. I want these fish to do well, so I thank you for all the advice. Is there anything wrong with what I have in the tank now, as far as the air stone, filtration, or decor. Oh, and the pleco will feed off my goldfish? That is horrible, and of course it is my autistic son's favorite fish. Now I have to figure out what to do about that. The fish tank is mainly for my autistic son, they are his. I am the one taking care of them, and I enjoy them as well, but he is the one that thinks the world of them. They are his favorite thing in the world. I had a guppy tank not too long ago, but they where reproducing faster than I could keep up with them. I decided to give them away, and get orandas instead. My son seems to enjoy them much more, and they will come to the front of the tank when he is sitting next to it watching them. It is almost as if they know, lol... I need to do everything I can to make these fish do well. Thank you so much.
 
Glad to help! Ok, in respect to filtration, besides the UGF (get back to this in a min), what type of filter(s) do you have? Do you know the gph (gallons per hour) of them? If not, if you know the make & model, we can help you figure this out. Generally, you want 10x the filtration on a goldie tank. So, for a 55g, 550+gph. As your guys are small right now, if you are underfiltered its not a big deal (yet). As they grow, it will become a more pressing issue.

In respect to the pleco, if he is small, he likely is not issue yet but you will need to keep a close eye on everyone. Once they get a taste for a fish's slime coat, it seems to be a situation that only escalates into a tragic one thats easily preventable. So, just be very watchful of your fancies for any unusual marks/sores/strange behavior (particularly when the lights go off). He may never create a problem but you need to be cautious.

Ok, personally, I hate UGFs with a passion. The science behind them is sound and they are perfectly functional for some situations. My experience has been they are far from ideal with messy goldies. Waste & debris gets trapped underneath the plates and its impossible to clean underneath them without ripping your tank apart. As the waste & debris accumulate, water quality takes a nosedive and it becomes difficult to stay on top of it. The functionality of the UGF also declines as waste & debris starts to block the holes in the plates. Whether you want to keep the UGF or not, will be up to you.

Thats wonderful that your son has an affinity for the fish!!! I am glad you discovered something that he can connect with! Keep up the good work and do not hesitate to ask any questions! :)
 
I have 2 whisper power filter 60's. I have one on each side of my tank in the back. I have no problem getting rid of the under gravel filtration because I really don't care for it anyways. I didn't like it when I had guppies. A friend of mine suggested I get rid of the rocks on the bottom, all they do is trap debris, what is your opinion on this matter?
 
Ok- you will have to bare with me here. My power just went out (AGAIN). My cell service hasn't been working right either, so I may not be able to respond on here for bit.

I prefer pfs (pool filter sand) with my goldies. It's easy to keep clean and there's no choking risks. After extracting a piece of gravel from throat of one my guys, I got rid of all the gravel that I did have. If your going to remove the ugf, it's a good time to switch substrates or go bare bottom. I'm going to try & post a link to filter gph ratings but not sure if it will work- most of my links are on my computer. :)

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/f...arium-filter-gallons-per-hour-filtration.html
 
I would like to take a minute to thank you for all the advice concerning my oranda gold fish. I appreciate all the help. I also would like to say that I just notices that you are from Philadelphia area, and want you to know that you are in my prayers after Sandy. I live in the Erie area, and we got some effects from her, and could not imagine being where you are. I pray that all goes well, and that you get your power back on.
 
Happy to help!

No power is an inconvenience, yes, but save your prayers for those that lost lives, homes and everything else!!!! My thoughts and prayers are for them! :)
 
Pleco

I would just like you to know you are absolutely right about the pleco, I just caught him chasing the orandas. He is going back to the fish store today. I was going to give him to someone, but they can't get him until next week. I am not waiting that long, because I do not want my orandas in the same tank as him. I called the people, and they said that it is fine, and they would do the same thing. I wanted to thank you. I would have never been able to realize before the reason he would chase him. Thanks for protecting them, and while I am there I am going to pick up some frozen blood worms, pellets, and a few other things you suggested. Thanks again.
 
Jlk is awesome, isn't she? ;) She's my "go to" person for Goldie info. I'm glad you're taking her advice; your fish are going to be very happy!
 
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Yeah, I am happy with all the results so far with my orandas. They seem happier than they where before. I am so blessed to have the advice that I was given. (y)
 
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