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Black Moor GoldfishFamily: Cyprinidae
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The smaller of my Black Moors on occasion has always laid dormant on the bottom of the pond but feeds well and has never caused me concern. However just... (more) Janice The Black Moor Goldfish is basically a black version of the Telescope Goldfish, though the eyes usually don't protrude as far as they do on the Telescope!Black Moor Goldfish Contents Rather than having the long slender body of the Common Goldfish or the Shubunkins, The Black Moor Goldfish is one of the more rounded or egg-shaped fancy gold fish. The rounded body shape of this beautiful goldfish is enhanced by large bulbous eyes protruding out on the sides of its head, metallic scales that give it a deep velvety black color, and long flowing finnage. Their hardiness and ability to live in cold temperatures makes them ideal pets.They are very popular gold fish and are found in collectors tanks throughout the world. The Black Moor is basically a black version of the Telescope Goldfish though its eyes don't protrude quite as far. These eyes have given rise to some descriptive names for this fish, such as the Dragon Eye Goldfish and Black Peony Goldfish. Juveniles are a dark bronze and without the protruding eyes, but as they mature they become black and their eyes begin to telescope. Most Black Moors stay black but their color can change with age, ranging from gray to black, or they can revert to a metallic orange when kept in warmer water. Though they once were available with a beautiful veil-tail, the specimens available today will have either a broad tail, ribbon tail, or butterfly tail. Black Moor Goldfish along with two other egg-shaped goldfish, the Fantail Goldfish and the Ryukin Goldfish, are recommended for the beginner, but unlike the Fantail and the Ryukin, the Black Moor must not be kept with highly competitive tank mates. These three varieties of goldfish along with the Common Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, the Shubunkin, are all considered good beginner goldfish. This is because they are hardy and can tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing, as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. For most of these goldfish, their hardiness and ability to live at colder temperatures makes them ideal for outdoor ponds as well. The Black Moor is the only possible exception to this, not because it lacks hardiness but because of its telescopic eyes. Its eyes cause it to have poor vision so it is not a good competitor for food, and they are subject to injury and infection. None of these hardy fish are really good companions for the Black Moor because they are all too competitive during feeding time. Better tank mates would be the similarly handicapped but less hardy Telescope Goldfish, Celestial Goldfish, and Water Bubble-Eye Goldfish. For more Information on keeping this fish see:
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| Geographic Distribution Carassius auratus auratus |
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| Data provided by FishBase.org |
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Actinopterygii
- Order: Cypriniformes
- Family: Cyprinidae
Distribution: The Goldfish, a wild carp originally known by such names as the Crucian Carp, Gibel Carp, or Golden Carp, was described by Linnaeus in 1758. They originated in Asia; Central Asia and China. These fish inhabit the slow moving and stagnant waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches feeding on plants, detritus, small crustaceans, and insects.
In the early 1600's these fish were exported first to Japan and then to Europe and were developed into the wonderful colors and forms of gold fish we see today. Today domesticated goldfish are distributed world-wide.
The Black Moor Goldfish is a black version of the Telescope Goldfish which was believed to be developed in China in the early 1700's. It was known as the Dragon Eyes or the Dragon Fish. In the later part of the 1700's it was produced in Japan where it is known as the Demekin. The Black Moor is also referred to as the Dragon Eye Goldfish as well as the Black Peony Goldfish and the Black Demekin. It is one of the more than 125 captive bred fancy gold fish varieties.
Status: This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List, and presumably there are no wild populations of this captive bred variety.
Description: The Black Moor Goldfish is an egg-shaped variety of goldfish. The body is short and stubby and the head has large bulbous eyes protruding out on the sides. It has metallic scales that give it a deep velvety black color and it has long flowing finnage. Most Black Moors stay black but their color can change with age, ranging from gray to black, or they can revert to a metallic orange when kept in warmer water. Juveniles are a dark bronze and without the protruding eyes, but as they mature they become black and their eyes begin to telescope. Though they once were available with a beautiful veil-tail, the varieties available today will have either a broad tail, ribbon tail, or butterfly tail.
Size - Weight: Black Moor Goldfish will generally reach about 4 inches (10 cm), though some hobbyist report their Black Moors reaching up to a whopping 10" (25 cm)!
Care and feeding: Since they are omnivorous, the Black Moor Goldfish will generally eat all kinds of fresh, frozen, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. To care for your Black Moor Goldfish feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen), blood worms, Daphnia, or tubifex worms as a treat. It is usually better to feed freeze-dried foods as opposed to live foods to avoid parasites and bacterial infections that could be present in live foods. Due to the protruding eyes they have poor vision and a harder time seeing their food, so need extra time to feed. When it comes to feeding, they will not thrive well with fast competitive tank mates.
Black Moor Goldfish are some of the hardier species of goldfish. They are very undemanding of water quality and temperature. They can do well in a fishbowl, an aquarium, or even a pond if the environment is safe and their tank mates are not competitive. Many people will keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.
The shape and size of the aquarium is important and depends upon the number of fish you are going to keep. Goldfish need a lot of oxygen and produce a lot of waste.
- A large surface area of water will help minimize goldfish suffering from an oxygen shortage. Surface area is determined by the shape of the tank. For the same volume of water, an elongated tank offers more surface area (and oxygen) than a tall tank. In a fish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area (and oxygen) than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
- Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed.
- A general rule of thumb for young fish only is: 1 inch of fish (2.54 cm) per 1 gallon of water. This rule applies only to young fish and is not adequate as they grow. Larger gold fish consume much more oxygen than young fish so maintaining this formula for growing fish will stunt them, and can contribute to disease and even death.
- Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish. To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the above formula) or be prepared to get a larger tank.
Because goldfish produce a lot of waste, good filtration is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy. Be careful when netting these fish, as their eyes are easily damaged.
Use a gravel substrate. You can add some decor but keep in mind that its eyes are a handicap, and these fish have very poor vision. Make sure that all ornamentation is smooth with no protruding points or sharp edges. Plants would be the best choice but this fish is a digger, so live plants may be uprooted. Artificial plants make a good substitute and silk plants are safer than plastic ones. Other decor, such as smooth rocks or driftwood, should be used sparingly if at all. A cover for the tank is desirable as it reduces evaporation and though they are not prone to jumping, on occasion some gold fish will jump out. Most aquariums come with a cover that includes lighting. It is not essential for goldfish, but will help if you have live plants.
Goldfish are subject to the same diseases as tropical fish. A couple of the more common problems are Ich, Swim Bladder disease, and external parasites including flukes, lice and anchor worms. To learn about these and other diseases and how to treat them see: Aquarim Fish Diseases & Treatments.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions: The Black Moor Goldfish are one of the most hardy varieties of goldfish and can tolerate temperatures a few degrees above freezing, as long as the cooling drops only a few degrees a day. A quick temperature drop can kill them, so if you live in a very cold climate a heater is advisable.
Temp: Goldfish are a cold water fish and will do best at temperatures between 65 - 72 ° F (18 °- 22 ° C)
Hardness: 5 - 19 ° dGH
Ph: 6.0 to 8.0
Social Behaviors: Goldfish are very social animals and thrive in a community. Not only are they a great community fish but they are great scavengers as well. The Black Moor Goldfish, along with the Telescope Goldfish and the Celestial Goldfish, are all visually handicapped. They cannot readily compete for food with other types of goldfish so should may not fare well if housed with them, but they will do well housed together. It is really not necessary to add other scavengers or other bottom feeders to the aquarium when you have goldfish.
Sexual Differences: Although is it impossible to sex Goldfish when they are young and not in breeding season, the male is usually smaller and more slender that the female. In the breeding season the male has white prickles, called breeding tubercles, on its gill covers and head. Seen from above the female will have a fatter appearance as she is carrying eggs.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom: These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Breeding/Reproduction: Black Moor Goldfish are egg layers that spawn readily in the right conditions. See Breeding Freshwater Fish - Goldfish for more information on breeding Goldfish.
Availability: The Black Moor Goldfish is readily available and is fairly inexpensive.
| Black Moor Goldfish Small Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $2.99  |
| Black Moor Goldfish Small Offered By: PetCo Price: $12.79 |
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| Black Moor Goldfish Extra Small Offered By: PetCo Price: $5.59 |
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| Black Moor Goldfish Medium 4 5length Offered By: PetCo Price: $14.39 |
| Black Moor Goldfish Medium Offered By: That Pet Place Price: $6.99 |
| Comments | ||
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View All 312 comments!View all 12 of the coolest commentsView all 30 questions | ||
| Latest Comments | ||
Hi The smaller of my Black Moors on occasion has always laid dormant on the bottom of the pond but feeds well and has never caused me concern. However just recently he been floating on the surface of the water upside down. When it first happened I thought he was dead and proceeded to fish him out with my net only to be surprised when he swam away. Any ideas what can be the cause of this.
2010-03-11 | ||
Replies (2) Have you been feeding it too much?? Or he could just have some gas bubble disease that happened to my betta. If I were you I would go to the nearest pet store and ask a professional. ... I also have a blackmoor that swims upside down. I have been told that it is swim bladder, where air is trapped in the fish's bladder. All you have to do is feed it a pea. It seemed to work with my fish. Hope it works, ... | ||
What other fish can black moors be with... I have a large fish tank and I want to have more than just black moors.
2010-01-08 | ||
Replies (4) I actually housed my black moor fish with a plecostomus, and goldfish! They do excellent together...like the best of friends.... I house my black moor with a teloscope goldfish, a dojo loach and 2 comet goldfish. They all hang out and swim together fine. Only thing is the comet goldys will eat the food fast, so what I do is get my moor and tele up to the top first by luring them with my finger, throw a little food on top of them then, and half a pinch spread around the rest of the tank.... Ok lets first just say anyone that has goldfish of any kind knows that they aren't known as the cleanest fish, but they are the kindest fish that I know of. I have 4 tanks with a total of 21 fish. I have all kinds of fish. Black moors can be put in with any of the goldfish family. Just be sure that they are of the same size so there isn't a lot of chasing around. Comets, common gold, fish fantails. I hope this helps some. ... I wish i could help u i bought one today and she has eaten five of my other fish now i dnt no what to do... | ||
I find that moor goldfish are pretty nasty... I have a bunch of fish and the tank gets extremely dirty very fast. So I put him with my bad betta, that probly killed about 10 fish so far.
2010-03-02 | ||
Tania, Have you tried Ich medicine? A few of our freshwater fish died from it (although ours was manifested in white spots) before we figured it out. You have to buy some medicine for your tank to get rid of it. Do it fast, because the Ich is actually a parasite that kills the fish, so that may be why your smaller fish died first.
2010-02-16 | ||
| Some of the bestest comments - here's the beef! | ||
Moor Goldfish Owners, please do not put your moor in a tank with anything other than another Moor. If you are extremely experienced then disregard as you know what types can live in harmony. Moors are my favorite:) It makes me ill when I hear "I just bought a new moor goldfish and put him in a bowl" Or " my other fish nip my moor and scare him to the other side of the tank" Or "My moor is in a 3 gallon tank". These fish CANNOT compete with anyother fish for food. If you think it is funny when your other fish nip at him try putting a pitbull in your bedroom and when ever you try to sleep it bites you. This is what your putting your Moor goldfish through. They are not athletes and their eyesite is poor but they have the best personalities of all fish I have owned. To kill a fish out of ignorance is still your fault. If you have killed more than 2 fish then pick a different hobby. Fish are not for children. If you are too busy to change 20% of the water each week then get a betta. If you do not have the money for a filter that is $20-$30 then go get a betta. If you do not have the money to buy your moor antibiotics or melafix or other remedies when it gets sick then you should not have a fish. MOOR GOLDFISH ARE THE MOST DELICATE FISH. DO NOT GET A MOOR GOLDFISH IF YOU HAVE NEVER HAD A FISH BEFORE. Start with a Betta, or a NON-FANCY Goldfish. Regular old goldfish are very very hearty as are Bettas. These are fish you can put in a 3 gallon tank and feed and have very little responsibility.
2009-10-31 | ||
Replies (1) "Moor Goldfish Owners, please do not put your moor in a tank with anything other than another Moor? The statement you've made is incorrect: I have a 30 gallon tank with a moor, tele, and dojo loach for the past 5 years and they get along fine, you don't have to house them with just moors as long as your goldies aren't fighting they can be housed with a bunch of different fish excluding aggressive fish as they will nip and bite at them.... | ||
PLZ, PLZ, PLZ, do Not keep goldfish in a bowl! Get it a ten gallon aquarium with good filteration plz. If u like your fish the rule is 10 gallon per fish, and trust me, even if lfs employees told you it's alright in a bowl, it's not! Do not squeeze your goldfish if you are a beginner, rather get a male and a female, do it naturally. When I breed my goldies I simply add ice to the tank at night. When the ice melts and the water becumes warmer the urge to merge will come automatically to your fish. Keep a look out for eggs on plants and plant decorations. If you do find eggs, remove them immediately as the parents will eat it. Place in a container with an airstone and wait till they hatch. Feed your fry bbs and crushed up flakes until they get bigger. Hope this helpe
2009-04-18 | ||
Replies (1) Can you breed goldfish if they are not the same breed, and does putting ice in the water really help breed them?... | ||
| Questions - Answers | ||
Right, so my black moor 'ishy' isn't doing so well. He was in a tank with a large oranda like fish and a smaller one. The small one died totally out of the blue and now ishy is sick. The other night he was lying on his side floating at the top, not being able to dive down to the bottom. I looked it up and it said he has gas, so I fed him a pea and now he can dive to the bottom. The problem is he keeps lying down there. Every now and then he will come up for food but he's acting odd. I had to take the oranda out as he decided it would be okay to attack ishy whilst he was chilling at the bottom. The pet shop man said to add aquarium salt and swim bladder treatment. So yday I gave him a water change and added the treatments. He perked up a little and his clamped fin has seemed to loosen up a little. He was swimming against the filter for more than an hour last night, letting it push him down, he'd swim back up to it then let it push him down again. I thought he was maybe just feeling better and larking around. I got up this morning and he's changed colour. He was black and now he is still kinda black but the bronze is shinning through even more. Any ideas what the deal is with him?
2010-03-07 | ||
I have a black moor goldfish and he's not too well. His tail doesn't look as big as it did, like it's disappearing, and the ends are turning white. I went to a pet shop and she gave me stuff for bacterial infections and told me to add it too the tank everyday for 7 days. Today I found him floating in a straight line head up to the top of the water, and noticed that he has a white spot on his butt. Don't know if it's stopping him going to the bathroom.
2010-02-18 | ||
Replies (1) Hello there. I also have a black moor goldfish that this time last year had the very same condition. You need to treat him with melafix. It works wonders. What your fish has is called fin & tail rot. It will take a while but his fins and tail will start to grow back. It's a very slow process so be patient all will be well.... | ||
I just bought a rather large Black moor who insisted on sitting on the bottom corner of my tank for a little over a week i checked the ph at the pet shop and they said all is good i have a few other black moors who are now doing the same thing which is very unusual as they were very active before. recently i noticed my smaller molls had white stringy stuff on there tails the large on looks good and is swimming around happily but my smaller ones have just died, i also have a fantail that is having the ssame problem looks like she going to die next
2010-02-12 | ||
Replies (1) It sounds like your fish may have a type of fin rot. This can be treated with medication. When you tested your water, did you only test the pH or did you test other factors also? Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all possible contributors to your problem. They come from built up waste product and food in the tank. If either of these are out of their optimum levels (0-0.25 ppm ammonia, 0-0.5 ppm nitrite, 0-40 ppm nitrate), this is something you need to address before using the medication. Usually keeping up on water changes will keep these levels in check, so make sure you are performing the MINIMUM 25% monthly water changes with gravel vacuuming. Also, keep in mind that when keeping a number of Black Moors, you need a large aquarium (ex: 54 gallon minimum for 3 full grown fish). You will need a minimum of 2 gallons per one inch of younger Black Moors. *Note: When treating your aquarium with medication, you normally have to remove any carbon from your filter during the treatment process.... | ||
| Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear! | ||
Hi, I am new to keeping fish and I've found this website very helpful in answering a few niggley questions I've had by reading your info and from peoples questions that have been answered. Great website, keep it up, Bec.
2010-02-14 | ||
We have two Black Moor goldfish and three regular goldfish and they all get along really well. My son loves to feed the fish and he alerts me when he thinks something is not right. The other day he told me he had seen some white stuff on one of the Black Moors, so I took a look. On the tail of the smaller of the two there was white stuff, like cotton. I had never seen anything like that, so I researched it and came upon this site. Thanks to this site, I was able to treat my goldfish and save their lives!
2010-01-21 | ||
I thought my black moor goldfish, Gamma, was sick. But thanks to this site I realized he is a healthy, happy, fish. Thank you!
2009-01-24 | ||
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