Blackmoor Tank Size Being Questioned (survive, molly, kind, alive)

[SharonLeighGermain]

I am confused about the tank size recommended for blackmoors. I am 66, love blackmoors and have kept them consistently since age 10. My first lived 9 years in a one gallon bowl. Next I put two in a 10 gallon tank, and they lived through my college years and first 3 kids -- one died after 10 years and the other a few months later -- we thought from loneliness. Busy with kids so waited several years to replace them; while in Michigan inherited a 3-year-old from someone who moved from Florida -- turned light silver immediately in the 10 gallon tank (?) but lived another 4 years. We now have two (again) in a 10 gallon unheated tank -- they eat out of our hands and have been fine for 5 years. What goes with the "one blackmoor per 30 GALLON TANK" advice I am seeing on the net?

[SharonLeighGermain]

Sorry -- wanted to add that none of my blackmoors ever exceeded 4 inches and were extremely friendly and lively. We hold food over tank and they rise up and play with us until we drop it. Jaws -- whom we kept 13 years -- took pellets from between our thumb and index.

[foxywench]

they never got over 4" because they were stunted...likely due to overall borderline poor water quality and lack of space...
moors will easily double that if given the correct amount of space.

the generally 30gal for the first goldfish is based on the fact that goldfish are incredibly messy fish...if your changing the water religiously every week, testing parameters ect then they can live in a smaller space (though not ideally if you want them to truly grow properly) but how many people are seriously doing 50% water changes on their tank every week without fail gravel acuming, testing waer parameters never forgetting ect...
as ammonia builds it weakens the immune system and slows growth and shortens lifespan

I mean 9 years SOUNDS amazing...but did you know that the oldest goldfish recorded was 43 years old?!
kinda says that while that 1 gallon bowl might have seemed just fine...better parameters, better life.

I mean...a human being could technically live ina roo big enough to lay down in...doesn't mean its healthy, same fo a dog or a bird or...a mear fish...

a well kept moor can hit a BODY size (not including tail) of 8" if given proper parameters, tank size and feed...

round bodied goldfish (like moores) I generally say a min of 10gals per fish...they arnt as fast/active and don't require quite as much swimming oom so 10 gals per fish when properly kept can USUALLY support the bioload without an issue.
long bodied goldfish like commets I generally say 30 gals for the 1st and 10 gals per additional simply due to their fast nature and need for more swimming oom/maneuverability...while 10 gals is usually enough for the biolad hey can easily reach 12+" long and a 10 gal tank is only about 24"...

[SharonLeighGermain]

Thanks, Foxy... That's the information I see everywhere... but after a half century, I don't think our moors could have been healthier or happier. I know about the 43-year-old goldfish but believe it's an anomaly (in a half century I have never personally met anyone whose goldfish lasted longer than ours at 14 years... MOST lasted a few years at most according to what owners have told me, even in much larger tanks.) Most encyclopediae say what wikipedia does: "The average goldfish lifespan is 10 – 15 years, though it is not uncommon for them to live 20 years or more in well-maintained goldfish aquariums and ponds." Talking averages here... Our shortest lived was 7 years (inherited and, as I said, turned silver so may have been old or ill when we got him but lived another 4 years), others lived 9 - 12 and our longest two for 14... (they loved to do "tricks" like the eating from hand and swimming through bubble-hoops.) They may have been "stunted" but I do NOT think they suffered or were compromised in any way. People kept them in bowls for centuries before the aquarium industry. Of course, I was ONLY 10 YEARS OLD when I put one in a large bowl (not knowing as it was 1959 and NOBODY was pushing big aquariums for goldfish back then.) Of course, I'd never do that again but I am pretty convinced people can raise happy, healthy moors in a 10 gallon... I have seen that personally over and over and have , like I said, never met anyone who honestly kept one any longer in a huge tank. I'm pretty sure I'll hear from plenty of folk online who HAVE... but never MET anyone...nor have I personally in 50+ years ever seen one in A HOME AQUARIUM bigger than 6 inches (at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago we saw some 8- and 9-inchers in 1981 and have seen them bigger in PONDS...) I HATE to see parents denying their kids the joy of a lovely companion because they can't afford or don't have room for a huge tank. Thinking it's better for people to want a good pet for 14 years than wanting to see how huge they can be made to grow or how many years longer they can live... (And yes... we are religious about care because we've always loved them so... named and petted and spoiled them like the real pets they are.) Thanks for your thoughts and for taking the time to share them. Appreciated!

[simplepeace]

2 comets here that are 16 years old, and still going strong. I would say their bodies without tails are 6-8 inches, I will have to check.

Not sure exactly the date I got them, but it was shortly before 9/11 (I bought them to cure a tank for more tropical fish) I remember the tank was right by the tv that morning.
I'm glad it worked out this way though, because I really do like goldfish. I especially like the fancy ones like the Orandas, but I could never keep them alive more than a few years.

I never change their water, unless I have to move them (even then I travel with as many gallons of their tank water as possible).'I have had a few people freak out and tell me I must change out their water! Of course I said they are 10, 13, 16, or whatever... So I am not going to mess with what has worked so far.

Of course I do scrub the tank, and replace the (2 big) filters, and I occasionally vacuum the bottom if it looks bad, the filters I buy by the case, so I rarely have an issue with the bottom.

I have usually have them in a 55 gal tank, sometimes with a bubble wand, but they normally tear that up. I had them I a 29 gallon tank after they hit about age 3, and probably about 5 years later I felt they needed a bigger tank.
Honestly, I hate their life in a tank now that they are so big, and have been with me for so long. I think a bigger tank made me feel better. I don't think they care so 55 gallons it is.

Oh and everyone I know always asks after them too. I didn't realize how,old they were until they were about 10 and I was really amazed. They have traveled coast to coast with me.
Best 20 cents (total) I have ever spent on pets!

[SharonLeighGermain]

Hi, Simplepeace! Interested in knowing how large your comets grew in the 55 gallon tank over all those years.

[simplepeace]

They have only been in a 55 gallon tank for about 8 years I think.

They were in a 10 gallon to start for about 3 years, and they just got too big for that. Then after another few years the 29 gallon just just started to look cramped. I don't know if they grow with age. I always heard they would grow to the tank size, but that never made sense to me.and mine got big Ina small space

You know? Now that I think about it their tanks started getting dirtier (more upkeep) about the time I realized they needed a bigger tank. Duh!

As best as I can guess it looks like they have 6 inch bodies. Probably 8 inches with their tails? I am under guessing a bit.
They were teeny tiny feeder goldfish when I bought them. They were about the size of a molly (hard to find comparisons). I did actually choose one white one just in case they survived.

[Mr. Zero]

I had always heard that if cared for and given enough room, most goldfish will usually live to about 20 or 30 years old and grow up to around 10 inches.

[Murk]

If you keep everything very clean and healthy, it's probably not a huge problem.

I've always looked at it this way. You can keep 3 german shepherds in a studio apartment, but wouldn't most people think that's not enough space for these dogs? Maybe a chihuahua instead and leave the 3 german shepherds for a large house and yard?

Just because they're "only fish" doesn't mean they shouldn't be given appropriate space to do their thing. A fish tank should, imo, as closely mimic their natural habitat as possible and very few fish live in puddles.

[simplepeace]

I just realized I am still bad at simple math. My goldfish are coming up on 15 years, not 16.