Goldfish mating.

Question
I have a tank of about five goldfish but it used to be six. The one albino seemed to be the male since it liked vibrating around most of the fish in the tank. After adding two more fish to replace an earlier dead fish. The albino died. Now we have four goldfish lieing down at the back of the tank and two on their side. The fifth fish still swims around. I just took the hint that it was another male. But how can you tell if the four goldfish are just bloated and fat instead of being ripe with eggs? And do we have to worry about goldfish eating the eggs? if so is it fear of both or just the male or female? IT's my fifth goldfish tank I have a black Moore, three fantails, and one orange goldfish of which I don't know the name of.

The fish lieing at the bottom of the tank are: Black Moore
Two fantails And the one gold fifth to which the name of I have not learned.

The gold fish swimming around is the third fantail.

And how long till eggs are laid if they are pregnant?

Also The air bubble strip is getting like orange copper color mold on it where the bubbles coming out. I am definitely thinking of changing that out. But what is in the water that does that?  

Answer
Hey John,

The brown copper color growth is called brown algae. It's fairly common, and there is little you can do to rid it. No More Algae works to keep it from getting worse, but a scrubbing is the only way to rid what you have now.

A pregnant female typically is only buldgy around her anal fin area, similarly to a female human gaining weight primarily around her lower stomach. The eggs need a place to be laid, live plants or smooth rocks are common birthing grounds. Typically, most fish will eat their young and their eggs, so it's advisable to move them once their laid to a new tank setup, or divide the tank you have to isolate them. Some may argue to leave the eggs as they stand, but i find that it's just easier to move them.

As for your fish lazing around, I'd consider the idea of an infection. Fish, even when pregnant, typically dont lie around. Check the water quality for problems, and check the fish over for signs of bacterial infection. Odds are, there is something you didnt quite see before, and needs to be treated.

Hope this helps, best wishes.