hello again
,my balackmoore has split in his end fin,(one of the tail ones)i dont know how he did it.it looks to clean a slit to have been done by another fish,surely that would be ragged? anyway i can see no signs of infection,do you think this will heal on it own??? and i havew noticed that the two small fins coming off the bottom of his belly has like clear patches on them.ive only had him about 6 days and noticed that about 2 days ago,and i dosent seemed to have changed.is this just his markings or could it be sometinhg eles???thankyou for your time.xxx

Goldfish seem pretty good at getting slits in their tails sometimes. It's usually an injury due to another fish often during spawning or sometimes due to equipment such as getting the fins sucked into a filter intake. If there's no white or fuzzy stuff on it, it should heal on its own. It may or may not go back to the way it was depending on how extensive the damage was. The fins have clear patches on them? You mean you can see through the fins there? If they otherwise look normal, it may be nothing.

okay thanks.yeah there clear just on those 2 fins though,ill just keep an eye on them. also twice within the last three days ive found minnows stuck,wedged in behinnd my filter. i checked its not the flow or current dragging them in there and its not so i dont know why they keep wedging themselfs in there.its lucky that im continuously counting them to check there all there.im just worried they'll do it at night or when im out and drown.my heart sinks everytime i see one there as they always look so dead,but as soon as i free it it swims away,the lil buggers.just dont know how i can stop them doing it. any ideas?also , (and i know this sounds bizare) i was wondering if you knew of a site or something that helps home unwanted goldfish?no im not jokimng ,lol. i got a goldfish that needs re-homing,its such a shame he's a lovely chap.but inow know hes not compatible and will get way to big.the guy in the shop lied to me and now wont take him back.any ideas??? okay thanks for all your help and time ,i really do appreciate it.cheers luv kirsty louise x

What species of minnow do you have? If they're adult rosy red minnows, they might go behind the filter intake to lay eggs. If not, I would think the intake was either too strong, or the fish were trying to hide (scared of something). Fish cannot drown but they can certainly get stuck and then starve or injure themselves trying to get free. You can create a blockage around the intake with filter materials, rocks, driftwood, etc. To keep fins out of intakes, you can cover it with pantyhose for even tiny fish. Usually, fish only get stuck on the intake if the suction is too strong, or the fish is too weak (sick).

There used to be a US website on finding homes for goldfish but they stopped doing it. You can try various fish web sites where you can advertize fish. Many local aquarium stores will take larger goldfish so check other ones besides the one you got him from. If he's still small, it will be harder to get a store to take him. You might also contact your local watergardening club to see if they want to put him in their pond. Where do you live?

hello
there white cloud mouintain minnows.when i moved the filter yesterday a few bloodworms floated out,so i figured they were on a hunt! it cant be the filter its a sting ray 5,if you have a look at a picture (sorry i dont have one) then you'll see why.plus i was a lil worried about that when i first got them,but nothing ever happened,but i read a story about it on the web and 3 1/2 weeks ago i cover it with a bio bag,just in case.yeah i pretty much tried all the shop going around here,they all said no! i live in bournemouth in dorset.and just incase you donk know where thtsis ,its about two hours south of london. i dunno if he'ld survive in a pond in this weather,he's only about 2 inches.its sad but i just cant keep him. i dunno what to do,i really dont wanna have to cull him because of space,thats ridiculous.but i dunno what to do.once again thanks for all your help.xxx

Oh, okay, white clouds wouldn't be going behind the filter intake to lay eggs then since they scatter their eggs. They could have been hiding or eating things off of the intake. I have a Stingray 5 filter (two in fact, one died). They are pretty weak filters (not good enough for goldfish).

Your two inch goldfish is still very small so you have time to find him a home. I'm afraid I don't know much about things relevant to fish in the UK. My goldfish breed in my pond so I've had babies smaller than your fish in there over the winter. Of course, it's now almost winter so it's a bad time to put fish out that have been inside.

do you think its okay for minnows??? my blackmoor seems to be getting a bit ill.but im not sure as theres no clear tell-tell signs.he just seems a bit dozey.i did a water change and it seemed to perk him up a lil but im not sure,i hate to say it but i think it could be the start of something.also the split on him fin is still okay,not infected,but not healing. but im getting concerned cos ive noticed now that he has other lil splits starting to show on his other back fin.and one at the end of the fin but sort of in the middle,erm.. like along the seam,erm,well his fin is like a fan, you know but flattened out with the creases still there,well its like along one of these creases,it looks almost like its been worn away, like the skin is thinnened (if theres such a word) its see-through but still in tact.but its tiny. and the ones along the edge at the ends of his fin are tiny to,infact only me and one other friend can see them.but there definately there and there definately new. but i havent seen any of the other fish nipping his fins,or actually no bully has happened (that ive seen)in the last two days,and it happened in the last two days.so i wonder how those ones got there.any ideas? do they normally do this? i mean i know the main one (the first and biggest) rip was an accident,caught on plant or bit by fish.but i dont understand these ones. sorry for the ramble. :lol:

oh yeah.. but there is some good news.those clear patches on his fins under his belly seem to be getting some colour back. hopefully there'll be back to normal soon.still dont know why it happened though. cheers for all your help babe. x

Your fish may have some fin and tail rot which is where bacteria kind of eat away at the fin membranes. To treat that, you'd get an antibiotic that says it treats for that. Would what be okay for minnows, the Stingray filter? It depends on what species of minnow you want to keep, how big the tank is, and what else is in the tank. My Stingray filter doesn't have much flow and doesn't have a separate biological area in the filter (the sponge is mechanical and biological). I also have to use plyers to get the carbon cartridges out. What size tank do you have? I can suggest a better filter for it. Your goldfish should have a bigger tank.

NO ITS DEFINATELY NOT FINROT,I HAVE SEEN THAT WAY TOO MANY TIMES AND WOULD OF KNOWN. ITS DEFINATELY THE OTHER FISH. :( I WOKE UP TODAY TO FIND THE POOR THING WITH ALL HIS FINS RIPPED AND THE OTHER FISH PECKING AT HIM.IT WAS HORRIBLE. I MOVED HIM INTO THE TANK WITH THE MINNOWS IN.WHICH IS NOT IDEALISTIC AT ALL I KNOW. BUT I HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS AND IM SO SKINT THERES NO WAY I CAN GET ANOTHER TANK,I JUST DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO.
'Would what be okay for minnows, the Stingray filter? It depends on what species of minnow you want to keep, how big the tank is, and what else is in the tank. '
I HAVE 6 WHITE CLOUD MOUNTAIN MINNOWS IN A 10 LITER TANK WITH THE STINGRAY 5 FILTER.I KEEP THEM ON THERE OWN (APART FROM NOW,WITH THE BLACKMOOR :( )
MY 2 GOLDFISH LIVE IN A SEPARTATE TANK AND HAVE A STINGRAY 15 FILTER,ITS MUCH, MUCH MORE POWERFUL.I HAVE NOT YET HAD A PROBLEM REMOVING THE CARTRIDGES,MAYBE IM JUST LUCKY. ITS A A 21 LITER TANK (WAY,WAY TO SMALL I KNOW,BUT I WAS GROSSLY MISINFORMED AT THE SHOP AND HAVE FELT TERRIBLE EVER SINCE. I TRIED TO GET BIGGER TANK BUT HAD NO MONEY,I TRIED TO RE-HOME THEM AND EVEN TRIED TO TAKE THEM BACK ,BUT ALL WITH NO LUCK.
BUT IVE BEEN VERY LUCK BOTH MY MOUNTAIN MINNOWS AND 2 GOLDFISH HAVE BEEN VERY HEALTHY AND HAPPY.I KEEP THERE WATER VERY CLEAN AND FEED THEM A VARIED DIET. BUT I REALLY MUCKED UP BY GETTING THE BLACKMOOR,I LET SOME1 TALK ME INTO IT,I WAS SO STUPIED,THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I MADE.NOW MY WORST FEARS ARE COMING TRUE AND EVERYONE TOLD ME I WAS BEING IRRATIONAL.IRRAITIONAL,YEAH RITE! I JUST HATE MYSELF FOR IT.I WILL NEVER ,NEVER MAKE THIS MISTAKE AGAIN.AND I WILL NEVER LISTEN TO THE ADVICE OF A SHOP KEEPER,NOR FAMILY OR FRIENDS. I WILL ALWAYS RESEARCH BEFORE I EVER GET ANYTHING AGAIN.CANT BELIEVE I WAS SO NIEVE AS TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING A PET SHOP WORKER SAID WAS TRUE AND HAD THE ANIMALS BEST INTRESTS AT HEART. I GUESS I JUST ASUMED THAT A ANIMALS QUALITY OF LIFE WOULD COME BOVE MONEY.ITS BEEN A STEEP LEARNING CURVE.BUT I NOW KNOW SO MUCH MORE ABOUT COMPATABLITY,SIZE REQUIREMENTS,FEED,WATER QUALITY ECT ECT ECT.SORRY FOR THE RANT,I JUST HATE TO SEE MY POOR FISH LIKE THAT,THANX FOR YOUR INPUT. X

P.S SORRYS ITS IN CAPITALS,CANT GET IT OFF,KEYBOARD BUST!

Kristy, do you have a Freecycle site for your area ( on Yahoo ). You might be able to piece together a larger tank/home for your fish. People have given up things from cars/tires to deodorant for free. You never know, good luck.

Your 10 L tank is only 2.6 US gallons. It may be fine for 3 or 4 white clouds but certainly not a goldfish. The Stingray is big enough for a 2.6 gallon tank (disregarding the fish in it). I hope you can find a cheap, larger tank for your goldfish. You can even use a non-toxic Sterilite storage tub (about $7) in a pinch. I have a few; they're about 18 gallons. Even if you couldn't add a filter and other supplies, it would at least keep the goldfish alive for the time being. If a goldfish has any damage, other goldfish often take advantage of that and attack the disabled goldfish. It's very common. Even if the cause is the other goldfish, the damaged fins can certainly also become infected. I would keep the injured goldfish with a tablespoon per 2 gallons or so of aquarium salt and some MelaFix if you can afford that which aids healing. You could also put a divider in your goldfish tank to keep the two goldfish apart but in the same tank. The problem is that your goldfish tank is only 5 gallons so it's already too small for goldfish anyway unless they're still itty bitty (under 2").

Don't be so hard on yourself. All of us, even me, have impulse bought a fish in our life to later wish we hadn't. All of us at some point didn't know about fish because we are all born knowing nothing but how to suck (milk that is). Most pet stores are selling fish to make money and don't really care about the animals; I know, I worked at a store for a few months. They got mad at me for telling people that goldfish need 10 gallons each. The manager said to me, "Don't ever tell anyone they can't do something. We're here to sell fish. If they want to put 100 goldfish in a gallon, let them do it."

Have you tried finding your local aquarium or pond club? I'm sure someone in that could adopt your goldfish.

thanks for your reply guys. im so sad my poor lil blackmoor has died. im completely crushed.cant talk about it now as it makes me feel sick i think i need to find a home for the shub and common still though,as they'll well out grow that tank. what coldwater fish would be okay in a 5 gallon?

thanks for that suggestion SadieMay,i'll go have a look.

oh and i might be able to get a 14 liter tank for the minnows.i know its noy much better but still better rite. but its gonna cost some cash,(alot cheaper than in shop tho.) so is it worth getting for the minnows until can get proper one? or.... is it not worth it cos it still too small and i should save the cash to put it towards a bigger 1??? thanks for all your help guys xxx

I'm sorry about your little black moor. There are a lot of tropical fish that can do fine as long as it doesn't go below 65 degrees F or so. If you want to go colder than that, then I suggest fish native to your area. In the Eastern US, the easiest native fish to find for sale is the rosy red minnow. I'm not sure which fish is a good choice for a 5 gallon that is native to the UK. As for the tropical fish that can do okay in a 5 gallon tank at 65 degrees F or warmer - white cloud mountain minnows, zebra danios, rosy barbs, regular guppies, regular platies, and more. The barbs and platies are larger so you'd only want a few but, with the others, you could have 5 or 6 of them.

Instead of getting the slightly larger 14 L tank, I would save up your money to get something larger. Try your local yard sales and internet trading groups to see if you can find a cheaper, used tank. Good luck!

thanks.one ive found a home for my two goldies ,i thinkn i'll move the minnows to the 5gallon and leave it at that. sorry i know im pushing my luck,but , i was wondering if you could give me a quick guide to the pro's and con's of keeping the mountain minnows in warmer or cooler water.thanks for your time.

I'm glad you found a home for the goldfish.

By warmer or cooler water, how much difference in temperature are we talking? White cloud mountain minnows should be kept at at least 60 degrees F but they may live down to 50 degrees. If by cooler, you meant say 60-65 degrees F versus warmer, say 70-80 degrees F, then here are some quick pros (which hold by the way for most fish). The cons would just be the opposite of the pros for the other temperature.

Pros of keeping fish cooler:
Longer lifespan in general (as long as it's not too cold).
No breeding.
No heater.
You can add other fish that like is cooler.

Pros of keeping fish warmer:
Stronger colors.
Breeding.
Easier to treat illness if it occurs (the cycle of illness is faster).
Faster biological cycle.
You can add other fish that like it warmer.

Other people can feel free to add more.