2nd question, Shy fish

Question
So sorry to keep bugging you, but I don't know any fish people in the area.  Do goldfish need light all the time?  Lani and Nico are in the 40 gallon breeder and aren't quite sure what to do with all that room yet.  Anyway, the tank has a lighted hood and everything, but it our bedroom, and neither my boyfriend or I like having that light on at night.  We are old enough and don't need a nightlight anymore, let along a 40 gallon glowing beacon in the corner.  Are the fish ok overnight with no light?  They seem to have been fine the last two nights.

Thanks again... don't have any more questions at this time! (but that could change)

Andrea
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Thanks so much for the advice!  

I'm going to go tank shopping tomorrow.  My boss said she has either a 30 or 40 gallon 'breeder'?  I think that's the correct term.  She said that it's a little deeper and not quite as tall.  I think that should work nicely for them.  If it won't fit where I have in mind I have my eye on a 29 gallon I saw advertised at petco/petsmart.

Now that I know that these little guys are Orandas, and you informed me these fish can get to about 6-8 inches.  They are pretty little right now (and I don't know if they have been stunted a bit due to the previous neglect)  But being on a proper diet and moving to this larger tank in a few days, can you just give me an estimate as to when these fish should increase in size?  I have a feeling that they are going to look so tiny in that big tank and I'm worried I'm going to be tempted to add more fish to make it more interesting.  I'll show self control though!  Having an idea as to when I should expect some more size on them would really be appreciated!

Thanks again, Andrea
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Hi, I asked the question yesterday about the filter bubbles and I have another question.  

I 'rescued' two goldfish a couple weeks ago.  Someone dropped at the campus I attend and they finally finished cleaning the dorm room they were in.  There was a fish bowl (beta bowl size, about 1/2 gallon) and only about 2 inches of brown sludge in it.  They think there was an aquatic plant in there that had started to break down.  They went to pour the sludge into a sink in a bathroom and discovered two barely alive goldfish in it.  The student that was helping clean stopped the drain and filled the sink with direct tap water.  The fish stayed in there overnight and the next day there was an e-mail asking someone to take them.  I responded because I had a aquarium kit in my basement that wasn't being used.  I quickly filled it with water, added some aquarium salt and water conditioner and let it run while I went and got the fish.  

I went to pick up the fish, which had been moved into a gallon milk jug and toted them home.  I only let the tank set up for about 3 hours before I had to get those fish out of that milk jug.  But they are now happy in a 7 gallon tank and have already filled out as they were very skinny and lethargic when I got them.  We are still going through the 'milky water' stage, but pH, nitrates, etc are all normal.  

But these fish seem to be shy.  Any time there is a light near them turned on, or if I even enter the room and move about they both sink to the bottom of the tank and don't move much, they don't seem to mind my boyfriend as much.  They still sort of sink to the bottom, but soon forget he's there and sort of return to normal.  But they sit on the bottom, almost as if they are trying to hide.  I've included a picture of Nico (larger, foreground) and Lani (smaller)  doing their 'you can see me' move.  

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s296/rugbychic1/laninico.jpg

Is this something they should get over?  or was the neglect of being in a tiny bowl with no food for a few weeks that traumatizing?  I've had them about two weeks now, and I was expecting them to settle in after I had fed them a few times.  

My second question is what kind of goldfish are these?  I know they aren't the common goldfish type, they kind of have a bubble head and are different colored than the normal goldfish I've had in the past.

Also, these fish are only about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch long.  Will 7 gallons be ok for them? I figure they can only go up from here.  Problem is I can't really find a good place to put a larger tank.  We have a large house, but a lot of windows.  I need to keep them in back corners of the room to keep them out of direct sunlight.  


Thanks again, Andrea
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Hi Andrea;

I'm so glad you saved them! They are lucky little fish. They are fancy goldfish known as "Oranda".

They are probably still scared. Who knows what they went through before you found them. They may have been harassed and teased by their previous owners. That kind of abuse can lead to the fish being very afraid of any humans. I would just always be very slow around them but be around the tank often. They will slowly get used to your presence.

The 7 gallon tank is really not large enough for both fish for very long. They will need a bigger one soon. Each fish will need ten gallons all to itself. Goldfish are messy guys and grow pretty large, 6 to 8 inches each. Here is a good web page about caring for goldfish;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins
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Hi Andrea;

It's so good to hear they will get a bigger tank! Those lucky fish really hit the jackpot when you became their "mom". ;-)

I really don't know how fast they will grow, if at all. You'll just have to keep them clean and feed them good healthy foods. Refer to the goldfish page I linked earlier for more about that. Here is another page about feeding;

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/gfish4.htm#feed

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Answer
Hi Andrea;

Just turn the light off at night. It simulates night time as it would naturally occur outdoors. If there gets to be a lot of algae growth you can shorten the daylight hours. The light is really only for us to see the fish anyway. They really don't need it. If you have live plants in there you would need 8 hours or more every day.

I have a timer on my aquarium lights. They shut off at night while the room lights are still on so the fish get the idea that it's time to "go to sleep" without being plunged into total darkness before they find their "sleeping spot". The fish rest near the bottom until it's morning and they are set to come on just after daylight in the morning.

You can ask as many questions as you need to. When you are a newbie at anything, you sometimes need help from others with experience. That's what I'm here for. I have asked questions from several other experts too. We have many wonderful, knowledgeable and helpful volunteers here. I've been with AllExperts for almost 7 years now and just LOVE it. If you have an area of expertise in something that you could offer your time as a volunteer for, you might check it out!

Let me know if you need more help...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins