Black Moor not well

Question
I just bought a Black Moor 5 days ago. He is in a round fish bowl with gravel only. He has been on the bottom of the tank every since and 2 days ago he was only breathing out of one gill. I went to my local pet store and bought T.C capsules which treat almost everything. He has since been doing better but still stays at the bottom of the tank and doesn't ever eat. At one point i had plastic grass in the tank and then found out it wasn't good to have this in the tank. I want my fish to get better soon and want him to last as long as possible. I am going to buy another Black moor this weekend. I don't know if it will help him eat or not. Please give me some helpful advice. When he first arrived here he was always swimming around. Now he sits and does nothing. What so i do?

Thanks,
Jessica, New Brunswick

Answer
Hi Jessica,
Sorry your black moor isn't feeling his normal self.
First of all I know you see pictures of goldfish being kept in bowls or in crowded small tanks but it never works very long in those types of living conditions. All goldfish are very dirty fish and produce a lot of ammonia and fish waste and will pollute their water very quickly. It would be equal to us swimming in a toilet. When the ammonia and nitrites get high they will become very sick.
Any tank has to complete a cycling period of 3-6 weeks in order to establish beneficial bacteria to help handle all the fish waste. Until the cycling is completed you have to do frequent water changes just to keep the ammonia under control and keep your fish from getting very sick.

It would really help your fish alot if you could buy at least a 10 gallon aquarium since goldfish are really supposed to have at least 10 gallons per fish. That amount is necessary in order for the water to not get polluted quite so fast. Also, even in a larger tank you would need to do partial water changes and remove at least 50% of the water once a week to be sure that it stays really clean. Also, be sure to dechlornate all water and make sure it is the same temperature as the tank water. Don't overfeed fish since any leftover food will decay and cause water quality problems. If any leftover food is on the bottom of the tank be sure to always siphon it up and always siphon clean the gravel at least once a week when you do a water change. Clean any filters in aquarium water if dirty and never rinse them in tap water since chlorine will destroy any beneficial bacteria that is established in your filter media.

If you can possibly get a larger filtered tank you could buy a container of beneficial bacteria at the fish store. Some brands are Bio-Spira, Cycle, Colonize, Stress Zyme and Biozyme. Any of these will help to start beneficial bacteria in your tank.

While a tank is cycling you don't need to add any extra fish since this will only overload the system more and cause more problems. Just be patient and wait until the water can be tested to see if ammonia and nitrites are at 0. When they are at 0 then you can gradually add fish. Just remember that you can't add alot of fish since you have a goldfish and it will be too much unless you are planning to get a much larger tank.

You could buy an ammonia and nitrite test kit and test your tank water so you will know if the ammonia is getting too high. If it gets dangerously high immediately do a large water change to help get it under control. It really helps during cycling a tank to do partial water changes every other day and remove at least 1/3-1/2 of the water so the ammonia won't reach really high levels.

Since you have already medicated him it is really important to change his water in his bowl daily until you can get a larger tank for him. He is probably having a hard time with the ammonia and medication being so concentrated in his bowl. The water changes might help him to survive until you can get him into a tank.

The reason your fish isn't eating could be because his water is making him sick. Just please try if possible to get him into a larger filtered tank. It is really hard on fish if ammonia and nitrites start to build up. Goldfish can live a very long time if there tank conditions are kept really clean. He will grow into a big beautiful fish.
Black Moors are gorgeous fish when they get large.

Hopefully, you can get him out of that bowl soon. I think if you can just get him into a better tank and get it cycled he will be fine.

Hope this has helped,
Karen