sick blackmoor?

Question
hi Chris, we bought my dad a fish tank for christmas and a blackmoor and a red cap fish. they get on really well and the red cap seems fine but the blackmoor is spending an awful lot of time at the bottom of the tank staying very still and we've noticed that his black scales have started to turn silver along his belly and front and also it is progressing up its sides!is he ill? or is this normal?the tank is H44 L33 W24cm. Is that too small?

Answer
Hi Katie;

The tank is an 'okay' size for your 2 fish, but as they grow you will have to get a bigger one. Your fish are both fancy goldfish and get to be 8 inches long or more. They are also pretty messy so make sure you do weekly water changes for them to be in good health. Replace 25% of the water every week. Vacuum the gravel every 2 to 4 weeks as well.

Black Moors will often lighten in color as they get older. It is normal. They are also a slow moving fish that sit around a lot unless it's feeding time. Lack of water changes will make fish lethargic though. If you haven't done them very often you might consider doing a 25% change daily for 4 or 5 days in a row to get the water chemistry back in shape again. Doing it gradually helps avoid shocking the fish. Replacing too much of the water at once can really stress them. Be sure to use a good water conditioner too.

Here are some sites to help you know more about goldfish and their care;

http://www.netpets.org/fish/reference/freshref/goldfaq.html
http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/articles/Goldfish.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html
http://www.flippersandfins.net/goldfishcaresheet.htm
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=957

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins