New tank!!

Ah I picked up the new tank and two new fish today!  It's really big, much better than the other one.  The two goldfish were put in the pond, but the goldfish looked like a dot!  A dot that looked scared and eatable, so we fished it back out and put it back in its tank when it was ready.  The three biggest from the fry were also put in the new tank, although they look very small compared to the goldfish.  The goldfish seems alright with them, but it does keep chasing them round the tank.  At least it hasn't eaten them.

Here's the new tank, obviously.  It came with the ornament in the middle as well, excellent.  It's an Aqua Start 500, so I'm very pleased to get it for free.  The black moor swam off in the pond, it's about half the size of the smallest fish in there.  But here's the goldfish, who I think is feeling very big now and king (or queen) of the tank!

Lovely.  I'm hoping to get some live food for them all tomorrow.  I gave them some freshwater shrimp which they loved.  I've heard that they also like bloodworms and daphnia so I'll look out for those tomorrow.  There are three little fish in the new tank, the other five seemed too small and the goldfish might eat them.  So they're still in the little tank.

Oh dear.  I'll also buy some new plants tomorrow!  I put most of theirs in the new tank!  Oh by the way, there's their little treasure chest of course.

Well I've turned the aquarium lights off for the night, and hopefully everyone will sleep well :-)

New developments

I decided to buy a little ornament for the tank, it's a treasure chest.  I haven't got a photo though, maybe later.  But I think the tank is too small for them.  Luckily thanks to www.freecycle.net I've been offered another tank.  It already comes with two goldfish who are 3cm and 6cm, one black and one gold.  The tank is 14 gallons, which is still not ideal but a lot better than what they're in now.  I'm very excited to see the new tank, we're hopefully picking it up tomorrow!  Perhaps if they all look very squashed we could keep some in the smaller tank they're in now.  I'd really have to see, and of course the new goldfish might look a lot bigger so I'd have to make sure they're not going to eat anyone.

I've always thought I was looking after baby carp, but now it turns out goldfish are silver before they turn gold.  So who knows!  Not that I would mind, I'm not a breeder or anything.

Gravel and tank sizes...

So, I was looking at my little fish swimming about with their new plants.  They seem to really like them.  It suddenly occurred to me that maybe I should get some gravel for the bottom?  The main benefits seem to be it looks nicer, you don't see all the rubbish.  But I don't really mind that...maybe I'm just used to it.  Plus it lets me see when it should be cleaned.  Maybe there's some other, more important reason for having gravel that I'm missing?

Also, little Eye-lene and her friend aren't growing much.  I don't want them to be eaten when the bigger ones get big enough.  I don't know whether the fish tank is big enough for all of them either, there's eight of them, with the biggest one being 2cm.  I know they can only grow as big as their tank, and I don't want to prevent them growing!  But on the other hand I don't want to traumatise them by splitting them up.

Another issue (this is turning into an essay!) are Eye-lene's eyes.  Are they supposed to be black?  I read that could be an infection, so I started watching her to make sure she could see.  She seemed to be finding bits of food alright, so I guess she's okay.  I just don't know why she's got purely black eyes. Birth defect, perhaps.

I shall ponder these things a little longer I think....
 

Finally an update

Sorry I've neglected this blog, life got in the way.  Just some updates on the little babies in the tank.

Firstly, one of the smaller ones died :-(  Very sad.  I came downstairs one morning and noticed it floating underneath the filter.  In a vain hope I fished it out (no pun intended) with the net, and put it in a cup of water.  Just in case it sprang back to life, you never know.  Except it didn't.  Awww.  The mutant things also all died, still not sure what they were.  Dad suggested maybe too much rain water got in overnight.  They didn't develop into fish though, maybe blood-worms.

So then there was eight.  They're getting big now.  Except one, Eye-leen whose eyes are big and black, hence the name.  Hopefully the others won't get so big they eat her.

I noticed the plant we have in with them was shedding all its leaves, which were turning brown.  They were just creating debris in the water, and I couldn't get it all out.  I changed some of the water and got as much of the plant out as possible.  Then today I replaced it with a new one.  I decided to get the same kind, and the fish seem to really like it.  It's bunched up with a metal holder so there's about four strands.  The fish seem to like getting lost in it and eating it, which is good.

The guy in the shop also suggested I squash some peas up for them, and put those in.  Hmm maybe.  I think mine are still too small for peas at the moment, even squashed ones.  I don't want them to choke!