Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Goldfish > Black Moor Goldfish

Black Moor Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

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Carassius auratus auratus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   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!

   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:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

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.

Buy Black Moor Goldfish From LiveAquaria.com

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.

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Latest Comments
My Black Moor is 1 1/2 years and is a big fat piggy! He lives in a 20 gal. tank with a Ryukin. Recently he was transported to the pet store. I was having trouble keeping the tank clean so instead of buying bigger the pet store said that I would have to donate them for pond people. I stood there with the two in a big bucket and announced that I didn't like that idea. "What will they do with them come winter", I had asked them. They responded with, well, goldfish are normally just pond fish. Then the gal lifted the blanket off the bucket and said, "These are beautiful. We will make sure that you have credit for these two. I told them an interesting story of how we came to get the goldfish. They took pictures of them. I went back every day for about 5 days. They told me they would be giving me $30-40 for each fish. I missed them but thought that I would start over with babies. I was told that they have gone to shows all over the nation and no one can get the black moor belly so huge and round, very difficult she said. She promised to sell them together and tell the story about them to the new owners. They were also impressed about the size of the ryukin. Then, an appraiser from the store suddenly said that the team cannot try to sell them together and that the most they can give me is $10. So I took them home. Trouble is that the black moor had one foggy eye, which has since cleared up. the other eye looks rusty. I have been trying to read as much as possible. As far as I could tell he wasn't bumped when I brought him home. It has been a week now. He and his buddy are eating and seem happy. I am getting rid of sharks in a 40 gallon aquarium so they will have a bigger playing field. Any suggestions for the eye problem are greatly appreciated. Poor piggy, I send him away and them upon his return there is something bothering his eye. Is there a more velvet net that should be used when moving this type of fish? Please send any comments. Thank you in advance. kitty Noirot 2009-05-13
My Black Moors are 10 years old! I know they won't live forever and I'll be sad when they pass on. One of them has odd patches of Orange on him now, his black coat slowly disappearing. Someone told me he's the male of the bunch. They're all very entertaining and guests love to look at them. Trevor 2009-04-27
Finally, after all of fish floating on the tank, the tank was habitated peacefully by 2 Black Moors and 2 Ryukins. at 3 inch, 4 inch, 3.5 inch and 5 inch respectively. The black moors once got white spots, which I thought were bubbles at first, but when I held them out in the net, the spots are still there. I follow this site advises and they are now healthy again! Thanks ! One ryukin, bought on 18/3/2009, is shy at first, not really hanging out and always hiding from me! But now it always comes out to look at me, although I still can't touch it. Honestly, the small black moor is the sweetest and the cutiest in my tank. I tried an experiment before, I look at it from far and it swam in the middle of the tank, I go near it and look from above. As soon he sees me he swims up the tank searching for food. My big black moor is blind, I think. Poor thing! The only problem now is the BIGG RYUKIN! It is getting very FAT and keeps swimming sideways (siwm bladder problems) I know this will happen as she eats almost all the other fish food in a few seconds. How can I stop it from eating much? Why do my plants in the tank keeps dying? Now my tank is empty but the surface is full of plants not dead yet! They keep coming off from the pots. What to do... HECTOR 2009-04-19
My black moor Tonks had eggs with out a male. Sadly the eggs died. If your Black Moor lays eggs add a Moor from the pet shop with white bumps on his head and put him at the surface and gently squeeze his stomach so a liquid comes out. Visa versa if you have a male and eggs will come out of the female when you gently squeeze her. Then keep the eggs in the tank at a temp. of 18-20 C (64-68F). The eggs will hatch if you don't move the tank at all in 4-5 days. Giovanni 2009-04-14
Never, never ever! handle a brand new goldfish with a fish net unless it likes and is used to it's environment. This could result in stress and fish could also get a rare disease. Take good care of your goldfish! and take my advice. I got over excited and wanted to look at it, so I grabbed it with my net and the next day my favorite fish was in the fish bowl in the sky. joe 2009-04-10
Some of the coolest comments:
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 bertrand 2009-04-18
Listen, many of your goldfish are mating. If a male pushes a female into a plant, it means they are mostlikely to have eggs. They only do this when they are about 4in. long. If they are being injured it means they are not compatible, with the fish killing it. HOPE THIS HELPS! joe 2009-04-10
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
I thought my black moor goldfish, Gamma, was sick. But thanks to this site I realized he is a healthy, happy, fish. Thank you! Emmy 2009-01-24
HI, my husband and I have 2 Black Moors and we totally love them. We don't have any children yet and these two our like our "kids". Blueberry (nickname is Bloob) is the oldest and is about 3 inches including his beautful long tail, and Downy is about 2 inches and a bit chubbier. They have so much personality and get along so well together (they're the only ones in our 10 gallon tank and we plan to keep it that way!). They always swim over to the front of the tank when I am near and they let me touch them...they come right over to me and brush up against me. We have been very careful to keep smooth black sand and only a few silk plants in their aquarium and they have been doing great for a year now! Thank you so much for you website it has given us so much info! blackmoorsmomma 2008-12-16
Hi, I have or OWN one Black Moor, Golden Fantail, and Red Cap Oranda. I got them on January 19,2007. I love touching fish [though I cant hold the B.M.]. My Black Moor is about 5in, the Oranda is 3in, and the Fantail is 4in. They're that big because of your guide thanks! Fantandoor 2008-12-05

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Author: David Brough. CFS.