Adopted a BIG Oranda Help Needed

[Autumnsky]

Jumbo-Tron/ JT (Oranda) was an adoption fish at the store so I brought her home and she is in a 17 gal QT atm. 74F degrees. She is the size of a fist/hand including tail, her body is approx. the size of a racket ball. I have a 32 gal I will put her in soon.

I also have a pond with some 4 Koi/ 2 Comets but thinking I would like to watch her and in the pond, will not see her well. I have a rescued little 2" feeder comet Tipper who will go into the pond when he gets bigger, 4-5". And a Fantail whose body is the size of a boulder marble.

So it will end up, the two, JT and Fanny and just temporarily Tipper in the 32 half hex.

I will put some kind of bottom feeders in there too, I could put in a couple Emerald Cories from my other tank, have 2 and could add a couple more for for their group...Suggestions for bottom feeders/cleaners welcome.

 

[Autumnsky]

Concerns...

Concerns I have...

Is the tank ok for them? I have never kept such a large gf.

JT at first seemed weak, I moved the heat up 2 degrees to 74F. Seemed to respond well and is swimming around more and seems to hang out next to the heater frequently...

And at first she seemed to go on her head alot like it was hard for her to move around and she would go for food and end up up side down. Now it has been almost a week and she doesn't do that, but rarely.

She still seems have a little difficulty seeming to get her self where she needs to go, I am wondering if she isn't a little weak, maybe had too small tank growing up and didn't get to swim much???

She is eating well, I have been feeding a variety of foods, omnivore sinking pellets, broken in pieces, originally due to the difficulty she couldn't aim well at the water surface. Aqueon Goldfish floating pellets, Betta Hikari Bio-Gold, and some Spectrum with Garlic. JT is eating well.

I do PWC every 3 days (or if needed), test the water every couple days, all good numbers. Have a new 20 gal Hagan filter on the already established QT tank with a seeded filter sponge.

Water Parameters
Nitrite10
Nitrate 0
Hardness 100
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 100
pH 7

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[ccross]

I was told for goldfish, 20 gallons for the first and another 10 gallons for each additional. So for 3, you'd want at least 40 gallons. 2 should be fine in 30 though

 

[Autumnsky]

???

JT is looking for something to rest on... I am afraid my little plants can't really hold her although I have some which may help, she gets tangled upp too easily in the roots so I took them out, I will try putting a couple back in.

What can I use which won't scrape her scales?, won't get tangled up in? Anyone have any answers?

Please provide some recommendations for the 32 gal decor, best for big goldies.

It has black Petco sand, and lots of free floating Arrowhead plants with twisty long roots, and a few rocks, and a 12 in diameter tree trunk deco 15 in tall kinda looks like a mangrove roots and partial trunk.

This is a roomy tank but a little taller than wide...And I could take out the tree trunk deco if need be... the current fish love to play and hide in the "Roots". They will be moving to a new tank to make room the gf.

Also I have a canister filter received when I purchased a 2nd hand tank, and it was missing a piece, haven't yet hooked it up but I have what I need so I can use it for awesome filtration, providing it works properly!

 

[Autumnsky]

The 3rd one should only be in there for 3-6 months so he's not food size for the pond fish.

 

[jlk]

Ok- just so I am clear, you want to keep the fantail, oranda & the little feeder in the 30g short-term? I assume its cycled? The bioload of these guys is going to tax whatever level this tank is presently established at until it adjusts upward. So, keep a close eye on the parameters & do prepare for lots of water changes. I would follow an aggressive water change schedule as it is with these 3 guys- atleast 50% 2-3x a week. Do not add any other fish because you are already fully stocked with two fancies. Some large snails (that wont fit in their mouths) are fine. The feeder really should hit @4inches in 3-4 months (or sooner) and will be fine to be moved.

I would def add the canister & keep whatever filtration the tank presently has. You may need to add an additional source of aeration if the tank is tall vs long. I would also tank out the large tree trunk (sorry!)- its taking up lots of valuable water space & the oranda & fantail may get stuck in & around it. Other decor should be soft & tangle-free (live or silk plants).

As the oranda already has some buoyancy issues, you really need to adjust their diet. Feed only quality sinking goldfish pellets & daily cooked veggies. If there continues to be swim issues, you will need to switch to a homemade gel food diet (check out The GAB for recipe ideas). If you have any more questions, dont hesitate to ask!

 

[Autumnsky]

Thanks for the fast response!!!

The feeder will be temporary.

The fantail and Oranda will be the tanks inhabitants.

Will remove big root deco out of the tank, to make room for swimming.

There is a 24 inch bubble wall on the back of the tank with a large air pump creating a nice amount of air. I have an additional unused air pump I could add more oxygen if you think it would be beneficial, it has a 6" bubble bar stone.

I plan to add some plants, Anubias Nana, some med and large Anubias depends on what the store has, I can add a little Java Fern and I don't have any yet but am supposed to get a few clumps of Java Moss.

I understand that Elodea is a snack for the gf if it is healthful for them to eat it, I would buy it but I rather not just put plants they will eat. I'd rather feed them veggies.

What kind of veggies, I know about how to make them peas, have tried some romaine lettuce none ate it, I grow my own Mesclun so I know it is clean, usually grow carrots and herbs?!?

 

[jlk]

They may snack on elodea but they may not- give it a try! I keep my tanks well planted & no one snacks on anything that I am aware of but they are also well fed. Most veggies are game as long as they are cooked to soften them. Broccoli florets are a favorite! Other veggie ideas are cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, aspargus heads, peppers, peas, carrots, turnip greens, etc. Skip anything starchy (potatoes, corn, etc) or anything spicy (onions, hot peppers). I use a garlic press to crush hard cooked stuff like carrots or peppers into bite-sized bits. I also feed fruits a few times a week- pretty much anything is game as long as its either smooshed into bits, soft (canned fruits in juice) or they can easily bite bits off (watermelon). Tangerine pieces are a favorite! You will have to experiment a bit to see what they like but dont expect them to jump on board the fruit & veggie wagon immediately- it may take a few tries! Good luck!

 

[Autumnsky]

So do you cook/soften them before or after making them bitesized?

Also what about the diet regarding buoyancy. What are the food issues and diet effects?

I had a few pellets of Aqueon, but I was going to get some Hikari gold small pellet Koi food, would that be good for the Goldies too?

 

[Autumnsky]

BTW I do weekly if not more water changes to make sure the water stays good, if it is weekly its about 1/3rd other wise if I have a special circumstance I will do 1/4 several times a week, pretty much whatever is needed.

ok just noticed the Koi food is floating...

 

[Autumnsky]

What food from the store would you recommend?

Since it is sinking food, what about the bottom, I have the Petco sand will that be ok or should I get large stones to go over the top?

 

[jlk]

Sand is fine! The food sinks but it wont sink into the sand. It will just get lost in gravel. Hikari saki or hikari lionhead are both quality sinking foods. Pro-gold from the Goldfish Connection is another quality food as is NLS. You will have to see what you have available to you.

 

[Autumnsky]

Does color matter with Food?

Hikari is a favorite of mine so I will get that, but both of the ones you mentioned seem outstanding for options, any idea how one would be better than the other?

JT is a white fish, the wen is peachy pink and she has some orange (not red) stripes, spots on her head, back and dorsal fin dorsal. In case that makes any difference. The little fantail is orange.

Saki said it increases red color without interfering with white.
The lion head said enhances color and form - to colors not normally expected

 

[jlk]

Saki is one of hiksri's latest formulations & it's price def reflects that! It's usually $10+ more than an equivalent sized bag of their other foods. I have tried both & haven't noticed any big differences between the two but feel free to decide for yourself!

Fresh foods do make a difference though when compared to feeding only the bagged stuff. I also feed bloodworms, brine shrimp, human- food shrimp/salmon/tuna plus the fruits & veggies. This stuff doesn't blow up the way fish food does so it limits a lot of digestive problems that fancies suffer from & keeps their systems moving.

 

[jlk]

Sorry- totally skipped the color issue. Neither food has affected color negatively. Reds are rich reds, whites are pure white & blacks are black. I imagine if I switched to feeding them junk they would not be quite as vibrant.

 

[Autumnsky]

Wow on the price! I feel it is important to feed high quality food, but don't have much experience with the fresh foods, I will check it out, and see how it compares. Thanks again.