| Common Name | Black Moor
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| Species/genus |
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| Keeping | These are known for their colour which is almost jet black.
These are variants of Telescope eyes, whose eyes which extend almost like a tube in adults sometimes
up to 3/4 of an inch. The eyes are larger and shorter than telescope eyes and are prone to diseases.
The term telescope is an anomaly since these fish actually have limited vision due to defective eye formation.
But their eye sight is better than that of telescope eyes. In body shape they resemble Fan tails with
double anal and caudal fins. These fish live from 5 to 10 years. Apart from Fan tails, these are the
only fancy variety that can live in outdoor ponds. Given enough room these will grow from 4 to 6 inches,
tail excluded. These are beginner's fish since they are hardy enough. Adults develop a velvet like texture
with age. They are very good for outdoor ponds since they can stand much lower temperatures than other
fancy varieties.
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| Breeding | Select a pair of healthy male and female. You can have multiple males
and females breed together as a mass. Have a 20 Gallon breeding tank with some plants and a sponge filter which
does not produce a very strong water movement. Water level to be not more than 6 inches. Clean conditioned water should be provided. After introducing the male and female condition them with live foods for a week. Then make
a 40% water change with cool fresh water. You can add some ice to the water to make it cool before adding it
to the tank. The drop in temperature will stimulate the fish to breed. The male chases the female
vigorously, but not violently. The female is pushed to a corner and the male shimmies around the female.
Eggs and sperm are released and eggs get fertilized. Eggs are colourless and sticky. They normally stick
to plants. Parents may eat the eggs so remove them after spawning. Males can be identified by small tubercules
near the Gill covers during breeding period. Normally male will be less rounded than female and will
chase her around mostly.
Eggs will hatch after 4 or 5 days. Eggs can be spoiled by fungus, spoiled eggs are white milky coloured.
So keep the gentle filter action and add a few drops of methylene blue to the water. Fry may need freshly
hatched brine shrimp to start with. They grow fast and soon should be able to eat powdered flakes and other
vegetable matter. Good quality fry can be obtained only if the parents are strong and healthy.
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| Origin | Temp | Water | Temper
| Size | Tank | Food | Breeding
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| China | 55-65°F | 7.2-7.6 pH
| Very Peaceful | 3-4 inch | 20G Tanks/Ponds
| All, worms | Egg layer
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