new goldfish concerns

Question
Hi, thank you for all your great advice.  An update on my new goldfish. He's a cute orange lion head young'un! I've seen him swimming around a bit now, eating the peas off the gravel, his head is down but his tail still raised up not completely vertical but not horizontal either.  And as soon as I get close to watch him, he swims away and hides under the plants again,  in a straight horizontal laying down position using the plants to keep him anchored down. Is this normal? Will he get more accustomed to my presence eventually?  It's been a week now.  Should I add more beneficial bacteria or aquarium salt. Should I change the water?  Would another fish stress him more or give him more comfort? I appreciate your advice.
Lori


Answer
Hi again Lori!

Aww you've got a shy little guy on your hands! I think another fish would definitely make him more confident. If you'd like, you can go with a Black Moor as a tank mate (one of my personal favorites!) They'll swim together and if the Black Moor is a little larger, your Lionhead will make him a "bodyguard," so to speak. Since he's still a little guy, it's normal for him to be shy. As he grows, he'll learn to recognize you and stop darting away when he sees you.

As for his swimming, it seems like he's doing better. You can start giving him some of his normal food, and cut back a little on the peas. Since Lionheads don't have a dorsal fin (the one on most fish's backs) they pitch forward a little when they swim to keep control of where they want to go, so what you are seeing is most likely normal.

If you've got a filter running, you shouldn't need to do a water change more than twice a month. Otherwise, I'd recommend a 50% water change at the end of each week. Be sure to remember to treat the water and get the temperature stabilized before adding it back to the tank. As for salt/bacteria, you shouldn't need to add more of either for a few months.

Keep me updated on your little guy, especially if you purchase a tank mate!

-Amber Worman