[Citrinewiz]

So I have recently cleaned my fancy goldfish tank and I noticed that my goldfish have missed a lot of their sinking pellets. I do not overfeed, once every 2-3days and I drop in about 4-6 small pellets. This is to feed 3 fancies.

I believe they miss most of their food because of the gravel I am using. It's dark colored and it's very easy for the pellets to camouflage themselves among the gravel. My goldfish graze a lot but most of the time they eat and spit back out gravel. I have also read online that goldfish have poor eyesight and it's very easy for them to miss the food.

I am using Aquatic nature sinking pellets. It comes in these ball form pellets. The small ones sink and the big ones float. I also use floating plants such as pondweed.

I was thinking of using white sand to help them see their food better and also help me to keep tabs on how much is being consumed. What I am worried about is their grazing.

Will they ingest sand and if they do will it be harmful to them?

I am also building a 35gallon long aquarium for them and I am not sure what type of plants to use. Any suggestions? I am looking for that brush look, plants that grow long and fast.

 

[rickey]

So I have recently cleaned my fancy goldfish tank and I noticed that my goldfish have missed a lot of their sinking pellets. I do not overfeed, once every 2-3days and I drop in about 4-6 small pellets. This is to feed 3 fancies.

I believe they miss most of their food because of the gravel I am using. It's dark colored and it's very easy for the pellets to camouflage themselves among the gravel. My goldfish graze a lot but most of the time they eat and spit back out gravel. I have also read online that goldfish have poor eyesight and it's very easy for them to miss the food.

I am using Aquatic nature sinking pellets. It comes in these ball form pellets. The small ones sink and the big ones float. I also use floating plants such as pondweed.

I was thinking of using white sand to help them see their food better and also help me to keep tabs on how much is being consumed. What I am worried about is their grazing.

Will they ingest sand and if they do will it be harmful to them?

I am also building a 35gallon long aquarium for them and I am not sure what type of plants to use. Any suggestions? I am looking for that brush look, plants that grow long and fast.

Goldfish feed by smell and touch they have teeth at the back of their throats, called pharyngeal teeth and gill raker. They pick up sand and mud sifted for bits of food and they eject the sand and silt through the gill opening and mouth. Anything that maybe food is ground into a paste and ingested. Goldfish have no stomach be a very long intestinal tract where food is broken down by bacteria.
Goldfish do better with a fine substrate or bare bottom aquarium where the food does not become trap in the substrate. Is sand harmful? No ,it is their natural feeding pattern.
If your fish are leaving food something is wrong.

R

 

[Citrinewiz]

Goldfish feed by smell and touch they have teeth at the back of their throats, called pharyngeal teeth and gill raker. They pick up sand and mud sifted for bits of food and they eject the sand and silt through the gill opening and mouth. Anything that maybe food is ground into a paste and ingested. Goldfish have no stomach be a very long intestinal tract where food is broken down by bacteria.
Goldfish do better with a fine substrate or bare bottom aquarium where the food does not become trap in the substrate. Is sand harmful? No ,it is their natural feeding pattern.
If your fish are leaving food something is wrong.

R

Thank you so much for the reply

One of my small fancies keeps laying down on the bottom floor. It doesn't move or swim just stays on the bottom. Sometimes it does but during the day it spends the majority of it's time just "sleeping" from the looks of it. Any idea what this could be/mean/indicate ?? Is it sick?

Temperature of the aquarium is 12C

 

[DeboraBremner]

I'm sure Rickey will explain further....but that is far too cold!! Goldfish don't eat at that temperature. Why is your tank so cold? Hmmm... I'm thinking that was an error?

 

[rickey]

12*C is temperature Goldfish will go dormant (do not feed at this temperature) and far to cold for fancy goldfish min. temp. for fancies should be no less that 22*

R

 

[Citrinewiz]

I'm sure Rickey will explain further....but that is far too cold!! Goldfish don't eat at that temperature. Why is your tank so cold? Hmmm... I'm thinking that was an error?

In a sense yes, I read it wrong. It's 15C not 12C not much improvement though.

12*C is temperature Goldfish will go dormant (do not feed at this temperature) and far to cold for fancy goldfish min. temp. for fancies should be no less that 22*

R

Oh damn really? I've read online that it shouldn't drop more than 10C as that's when they go dormant. I guess it meant for the common comet goldfish not for fancies. I've placed the heater on and it's set on 24C

Temperatures are slowly going up, it's at 19C now.

Is this why my little baby Ryukin is always standing still on the bottom? The panda fancies seem to be doing alright they are always active and eating.

 

[Citrinewiz]

Bump!

 

[Citrinewiz]

Nevermind. The little Ryukin died this morning. I have no idea what caused this, possibly was sick from before and just finally kicked the bucket.

Parameters were all fine. My panda are doing extremely well.

Water Temperature; 22C
pH; 7.5
Ammonia; 0.25

I do 25% water changes every Sunday and I leave the water to dechlorinate 2 days before the water change is done.

If anyone can shed some light on the matter I would appreciate that.