Goldie Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Hey all, I've kept fish for a long time (mostly cichlids) and have now done my research and gotten myself into fancy goldfish. Here's my scenario: I have 6 small 5cm - 7cm fancy goldfish in my 600l tank to grow up in. Heaps of room. My eheim canister is filtering and agitating the surface of the water upwards - so plenty of aeration that simultaneously reduces the flow to stop them flying everywhere. I thought initially it was an oxygen problem, but it's not... I have a weird ranchu. His name is Stanley, and he is the picture of health. No ich, no visible signs of worms, eats normally, reactive (when a person goes to the tank, or another fish swims by), no sunken stomach, beautiful black colour... but he does 1 of 2 things constantly. He either sits at the top of the tank, gulping like he can't breathe, or he will sit completely still on the bottom. That's it. Those are his defaults. All my other goldfish act like normal goldfish. At first I thought oxygen issues but the other fish are fine. Then I thought it was the water - Ph 7.4, NO2 0, NO3 5, Ammonia 0. Temp 22. Not the water. Then I thought maybe he has a weird stomach (because goldfish are all genetic mutants really) and it was when he ate. Nope. Food does not affect him. Then I thought he may just have a swim bladder issue, but no. He swims around just fine without any indicators of wonky-swimming. So...thoughts? What is wrong with my weird ranchu? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matmatmat Posted September 28, 2015 Report Share Posted September 28, 2015 Stanly is lazy, it is likely that he has issues with his swim bladder as Ranchu are all kinds of odd internally but if he is healthy and happy just keep feeding him a varied diet with heaps of greens and he will make you smile for years. The best thing I ever did for my Ranchu was having a small pond outside that I would put them in from time to time, this did a few things.. One was there was always gross green algae for them to munch on and they got actual sunlight that seems to make them happy, there was always weird bugs to eat and most importantly they got to see clouds... They like to look at clouds clouds fix everything, lol. I'm not sure how scientific it is but going outside saved some of my dudes that I thought were goners. But yeah, Stanley sounds lazy [MENTION=2649]goldenswimmers[/MENTION] you got any wise words? Oh and pics! Show me some pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Thanks for your feedback. I hoped it was nothing I was doing, and no common ailments were really coming to mind after I tested everything. Stanley is soooo difficult to photograph because he is the richest black I've ever seen on a fish (think ghost knife fish black) so even with a prime lens and lighting he is hard to capture. Anyway this is Stanley, the little weirdo ranchu. He isn't the prettiest but I'm keeping him and the others for leisure and never intending to breed/show.I just liked him. A fair bit of quality lost through resize. Hopefully this has attached right... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 I figured out the attaching an image thingy! So here are a few pics of the inhabitants. I'm looking forward to watching them over the next couple of years growing into big full bodied goldies And dog tax. The big one has been known to try her hand at getting into the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netto14 Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Is your Ranchu blind? It could explain it's behavior? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 I hadn't considered it, but just did a few checks. As soon as he sees movement he comes swimming over like the others to see the human and get food. I haven't been able to see any damage to his eyes. Could explain it though. I'll test the theory again a few times over today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenswimmers Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Yep could be head growth over the eyes which is real common on the black ranchu plus I find black ranchu indoors can get a bit lethargic but outdoors in the sun it's back to party mode like their conditions in Thailand (pretty much all the black ranchu we get are from Thailand ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenswimmers Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Nice photos too Goldie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 I found a better photo of my lazy ranchu. Today I did a few more tries, and he has zero sight issues. I considered the head growth, but being still a juvenile he hasn't really developed any head growths aside from small pom poms which I'm sure will develop over time. We're driving down for the grand final this weekend, but when I get back I'll try putting him in the sun for a day with an air pump - should that be okay just for the day? (I'll obviously be using tank water!) Here is the better photo of Stanley. As you can see he really is a true black goldfish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 I'd suggest you get about twenty or more goldfish to grow up as you will have to cull (or give away) quite a few to get some you are happy with. Part of the reason large fancy goldfish are so expensive is that it has taken several hundred other fish culls to get there. Your not paying for one large quality fish, you are paying for several hundred mediocre ones. It takes a lot longer to grow so you might as well improve your chances. However if you just want some friendly pet fish then "nymphs" are good value and much hardier as they haven't been so inbred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 This is a good point, however I don't plan to show or breed them. I picked these little guys up because I personally found them aesthetically pleasing, not that they fit breed standards or anything like that. Also having just got a mortgage I unfortunately can't justify going out and spending as much money as I used to on aquatics...as much as I'd love to! Hence cheap baby fancies that don't necessarily conform to breed expectations, but look nice enough in my tank for me. If that finance changed down the road I would absolutely look at getting a whole bunch and culling, but I'm poor monetarily and in time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
