I am thinking of purchasing 5 Black Moor fish from my local aquarium. Most of them already have some Bronze/Gold to them. I understand this is a natural process.

Is a Goldfish bowl an acceptable housing unit for Black Moor? If so what do I need to add and how often do I need to change the water?

Thanks

PS Where can I purchase high quality housing units for Black Moor goldfish on the internet?

no

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... p?topic_id=18617&forum=14

Hi. Welcome to FK

A goldfish bowl isn't acceptable for any fish I'm afraid. They really should be banned. For 5 Blackmoors, you're talking a minimum of 55 gallons plus to stop stunted growth, as they're large, messy fish, growing up to around 6-10".

They require enough filtration for double their tanksize to deal with the bioload. You'd also need a background, plants/decor, substrate (gravel, sand, etc) gravel vacuum, thermometer and a test kit.

The first thing you need to do before getting any fish, is getting the tank, setting it up, and carrying out a fishless cycle. The links below have more information, but in summary, the cycle is when you add ammonia to the tank and test the water on a daily basis until ammonia and nitrite reach 0ppm and nitrate is under 40ppm.

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... esheet.php?caresheetID=50

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... ection/item.php?itemid=12

HTH Any questions, just ask.

EDIT// I see Complecs has already given you the cycling link.

hiya, welcome to fk.
no, bowls are not suitable for goldfish - or any fish to be honest. black moors (and all other varieties of goldfish gorw huge, and nedd a long tank for enough swimming room to stay strong and healthy. moor can grow to about 6-8inches in length, and they need a large external filter to cope with the amount of waste they produce. for 2 black moors you will ideally need a 3-4foot long tank giving them around 100 litres each.
yep changing colour is natural, as black is not a stable colour, a bronzey colour is a more natural colour of the original wild type fish goldfish were bred from.

Thanks. So if I purchase a Juwel 600 Aquarium will this be sufficient for 5 Black Moor? Will I be able to have even more fish in there?

(I am unsure whether you can add links but this is the fish tank I mean

http://www.theaquariumshop.co.uk/offe ... info.php?offerings_id=454

Will I ever have to change the filter? Please help I am so ignorant as to how I take care of fish.

if you wish to add more fish later on make sure you get a tank that will accomadate for them.
as for the filter, well i don't change the media (sponges etc) unless it is falling apart. all i do is clean one piece in the dirty water when i do a water change. (take 20% of water out tank and put in clean dechlorinated water, give a max of half the filter media a quick rinse through in the removed water) the filter media wil.l hold all the bacteria needed so you don't want to be replacing it all in one go etc etc.

before you buy anything make sure you have chosen the right fish. different fish need different things so just be certain. if you google black moore you will have a whole load of websites come up that will tell you what is required. what they eat is also important as fish flakes every day isn't bery varied and like all animals they need variety in their diet

hope all this has helped
chrissy

Do Juwel make a 600l aquarium? have you got the link?

I'e checked their own website and it says the biggest is 450l (vision)

http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/aquarium.htm

EDIT/ confusion: the rekford 600 is a 75l, that would not be enough for 5

dont worry, no-one expects you to know everyhting to start with!
no that tank isnt big enough for goldfish either, the dimensions of that tank are 60x30x42 centimetres. which gives you 75 litres theoretictal volume but you will lose some of that space with the gravel and decor in the tank.

if you want 5 you should get them a tank that is around 120cms long (4 foot) around 60cms (2ft) from front to back and as deep as possible around 45-60cms deep (1.5-2ft). if the ones in the shop are small, it may be hard to visualise why they need this much room, but they will grow quickly provided with proper conditions.

the sponges in the filter should not need changing often, once a week about 25% of the water should be removed from the tank, at this time the sponges inside the filter should be checked to make sure they are free from excess gunge, and if so, rinsed in the old tank water. but that it all that needs doing. eventually sponges loose their spongyness and need replacing, but you dont need to worry about that yet.

before adding any fish to the tank you need to have the tank running for upto 6 weeks and feed it with ammonia, this simulates fish waste and encourages bacteria to grow in the filter sponges. this bacteria digests ammonia into less toxic forms which makes the tank safe for fish. this process is known as a fishless cycle.

you will need an aquarium test kit so you can monitor this process so you know when its safe to introduce your fish.

please say if theres anythign you dont get

Thanks for all your help so far, I appreciate it. Wow the cost is spiralling out of control. When I browsed the Juwel 600 I actually thought I could have different species as well as the intended 5 Black Moor. I realise the utlimate living space for Black Moor is 10O Litres but would 75 really be cruel to them? If I purchased the Juwel 800 what other types of fish could I have. I know that I cannot have single tailed because the inferior vision of the BM's mean they would go without food.

I was planning for the aquarium to be in my bedroom where my office is also. Are aquariums noisy? Can the light be turned off at night long with the filter? So I could sleep in the same room?

Am I able to feed my fish diced Earthworms?

not sure about the earthworms someone else will have to get back to you about that, the light can go off at night, but the filter HAS to stay on 24/7
the rekford 800 holds 110l, so would only really suit 1 goldie species (I think? )