stock tank 110 gallon

[brownie10969]

put river pebbles in bottom for substrate, waterfall works good has aerator in pond, 4 shubunkin goldfish but they seem to have trouble eating with the large gravel, and they won't eat floating food, turn waterfall off when feeding. should i put smaller pebbles in bottom or no substrate at all?

 

[brokensword]

put river pebbles in bottom for substrate, waterfall works good has aerator in pond, 4 shubunkin goldfish but they seem to have trouble eating with the large gravel, and they won't eat floating food, turn waterfall off when feeding. should i put smaller pebbles in bottom or no substrate at all?

whatever you use for a substrate has nothing to do with your fish not eating. Did you just add the fish? Have you done any water tests? Your fish might be experiencing some discomfort and don't feel like eating. Provide more details and it'll be easier to help; water tests, pond size, your location, water temps, how large are your fish, were your fish eating prior to this, and filtration.

 

[brownie10969]

no indoor 110 gallon stock tank fish have been in pond for a month, water tests results are: ph-7.5 , nitrite , 0.0 nitrate 0.0. gh 150, ammonia 0.5-1.0 no heater water temp is 68.7,fish are small now about 4" in length,filtration is 800 gph submersible pump to a waterfall filter box with filter media pad, zeocarb bag and precycled ceramic rings bag that was in 40 gallon tank the goldfish were in before i live in pine island ny lower hudson valley but my pond/ tank is indoors in my basement and also has an stone aerator and porthos houseplant with roots only touching water on one side and plant light on time for 8 hrs on 8hrs off

 

[j.w]

@brownie10969

 

[brokensword]

no indoor 110 gallon stock tank fish have been in pond for a month, water tests results are: ph-7.5 , nitrite , 0.0 nitrate 0.0. gh 150, ammonia 0.5-1.0 no heater water temp is 68.7,fish are small now about 4" in length,filtration is 800 gph submersible pump to a waterfall filter box with filter media pad, zeocarb bag and precycled ceramic rings bag that was in 40 gallon tank the goldfish were in before i live in pine island ny lower hudson valley but my pond/ tank is indoors in my basement and also has an stone aerator and porthos houseplant with roots only touching water on one side and plant light on time for 8 hrs on 8hrs off

I'd get that ammonia number down; since you're inside, I'd suggest 30% water changes daily until you get it down. STop feeding as that may be the main culprit if the fish aren't eating what you are giving them. Ammonia can be toxic and burns fish gills. Otherwise, doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong. The fish will do okay without eating and if they're not well, won't eat anyway.

Be sure you're adding dechlor as you add any water from a public main.

 

[JRS]

I prefer bare bottom tanks when housing my goldfish over winter. Much easier to keep clean and the fish can easily find the food that may fall. If you have to have a substrate go smaller so the food is not trapped in the voids.

 

[brownie10969]

thanks guys i will change water and i have been using a dechlorinator, i will give an update after i do the water changes and get that ammonia # down planning n changing the substrate size to a much smaller stone, they don't seem to forage as much in it as they did in the 40 gallon aquarium

 

[brokensword]

thanks guys i will change water and i have been using a dechlorinator, i will give an update after i do the water changes and get that ammonia # down planning n changing the substrate size to a much smaller stone, they don't seem to forage as much in it as they did in the 40 gallon aquarium

Because goldfish are more mid-top water feeders, I'd feed less and watch that they get everything that drops. Don't let any fall to the ground. And if you're feeding the floaters, I'd drop in a few and wait until they are gone. When I feed my fish (both goldfish and koi), I throw some in and when I see it's all being eaten, will wait until they're through before I throw a bit more out. This way, there's not much that falls to the bottom, though koi ARE scavengers and not a worry for me.

 

[Lisak1]

I was going to say what @brokensword said - goldfish should be getting most of the food from the surface. While they may poke around in the gravel, that's more for entertainment than food. And you don't want a lot of food finding it's way into the substrate where they may not be able to find it as that will affect your water quality.

 

[Bluerooster]

Interesting. My goldfish seem to prefer to grab the feed as it sinks. They very seldom grab it from the top. But will suck it off the bottom with gusto. problem is that very little sinks before the skimmer gets it. I have weird goldfish. Now back before the Minnow died, they would churn the surface in a feeding frenzy.