my black moor fish

Question
"i just bought my black moor fish yesterday. He's not very big yet. I would say he's about 3 and a half inches.  I put him in an aquarium with a filter. I also put gallons of purified water in it that i bought from the store.  I didn't put anything else in the water.  He seems ok in it for now but my first question is will he be ok the the purified water from the store?
When i went to the store i didn't have much money but i was anxious to get the fish so i bought a decent 5 gallon aquarium.  I plan on getting a bigger one when i have the funds(which will be pretty soon) but will he be ok in a 5 gallon aquarium even if he's only about 3 and a half inches?it's a hex aquarium and i would say it's about 18 inches by 20.
can you please help me out?"


Answer
Hi Vicky,

First off, let me recommend a few sites to you. The first two are just right for beginners, and the third is about goldfish specifically:
http://www.firsttankguide.net
http://freshaquarium.about.com
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com
Bookmark those links and look at them when you have time.

To answer your question, yes, the black moor will be fine in the purified water - but there is no reason to use purified water, really. Goldfish like hard water, so your tap water ought to be fine. The only thing that could be wrong is that your tap water runs through a water softener - in that case, use water that does not run through the softener. This is usually outside, like the faucet for the hose.

Any other kind of tap water is almost certainly going to be just fine, all you need to do is add some dechlorinator to it. Prime is the brand I use, get the 50 mL bottle which is a dropper bottle - just 2 drops per gallon and you are all set. Tetra AquaSafe is a brand I also use.

The 5 gallon tank will be ok for a little while, but do get him a bigger tank as soon as you are able. Frankly, tanks like 5 and 10 gallons are a waste of money for goldfish - they outgrow them in no time. At the smallest, get a 15 gallon tank. Walmart sells a 14 gallon kit that would be perfect for a single goldfish. Tanks that are 5 gallons are really only OK for a single fish such as a betta, or a paradisefish. You could also have a 5 gallon tanks with just "critters" in it - snails, shrimps, etc. Very limited, these tanks!

Since 5 gallon tanks are so unstable because of their small volume and goldfish so messy, try feeding very little. A diet of 50% vegetables, 25% dried foods (flakes, pellets) and 25% frozen foods (brine shrimp, daphnia, etc.) works wonders to keep your tank clean and your fish free of bloatiness or constipation. Read the articles below to get an idea of the "people foods" you can feed your goldfish. They also love to eat aquatic plants, the second website will tell you all about it:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/food.html
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm

Also, this article gives you a run down of general goldfish care:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfish101art.htm
It may surprise you to learn that goldfish can actually be rather challenging! If you can meet their dietary needs (mostly vegetarians) and their water chemistry needs (need hard water) you'll do fine.

I hope that helps! Take care,
Nicole