Things you definitely need know about pearlscales...
- Pearlscales are sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Their water temperature should be between 18 to 22 degrees Celsius, and between pH 6 to 8.
- They are mid-level swimmers, and therefore do not bottom-feed.
- Pearlscales bred in Japan, Taiwan or China may be more delicate and less accustomed to Malaysian water. Pearlscales bred in different locations may also prove to be aggressive with one another. Care must be taken when we get more pearlscales in the future, to note their country of origin.
- Due to its egg-shape body, the Pearlscale is not a very good swimmer and not very competitive when food is served. The pearly scales can be easily damaged by rough handling and sharp objects in the aquarium.
- Be careful when moving/netting these goldfish because when they lose a 'pearl' scale it will only grow back as a regular scale.
- As a specialist breed of goldfish, pearlscales are less hardy than common goldfish, making them more of a challenge to keep. In particular, pearlscale goldfish are often cited as being susceptible to overfeeding, sensitive to pH changes and also vulnerable in excessively cold water. As a result, keeping this type of goldfish requires a little extra care.
Setting Up a New Tank
- The characteristic pearls on the pearlscales' skin is very delicate, and easily damaged. Make sure their environment is smooth and free from sharp corners.
- When setting up a new tank, your tank should have a minimum capacity of 10 gallons. Start out with one fish, before slowly adding more fish. The recommended ratio for the Dorje pond is 10 small fish each week. For large fish like Dorje, only one should be added at a time.
- Fish experts recommend 1 gallon per 1-inch fish, meaning a 10-gallon tank can safely hold 10 1-inch fish. However, pearlscale owners should make allowances for their fish's growth of up to 3-inches.
- Fish experts also recommend changing 20-30% of water everyday, because pearlscales defecate a lot and are susceptible to water changes caused as a result of their defecation.
- BUT for the Dorje Pond, we recommend a maximum of 200 fish, with a 10% water change every five days.
- When putting pearlscales into the new tank, float the bag containing your pearlscales in the tank for half an hour to let them get used to the water temperature before releasing.
- Do not put pearlscales with too many fast-swimming fish (e.g. common goldfish, comet goldfish, Shubunkin), or they will not be able to compete for the food.
- Good tank-mates include fantail goldfish, ryukin goldfish and black moor goldfish.
- Always quarantine new fish no matter how healthy or hardy they look. Quarantine period should be a minimum of 1 week, to two weeks, in a mature quarantine tank. This will allow new fish to adapt to our water and chemicals, and more importantly, to kill any bacteria, fungus or parasites they may be carrying, before adding them to our pond.
- If after a week, any fish in the quarantine tank do not look healthy, they must not be added to the pond until they recover. Their tankmates can be added to the pond safely.
- Strong medicine should never be added to the U-pond as the filter bacteria can die, leading to severe loss of fish. This type of medicine can only be added to quarantine tanks. Hence it is important to quarantine new fish.
Feeding Your Pearlscale
- As they are prone to constipation, food should be pre-soaked before being fed to them.
- Their susceptibility to constipation is also why we do not feed pearlscales with food that expands when it touches the water, as it can cause constipation. Pre-soak food to pearlscales before feeding them.
- To prevent constipation, they should be fed with slightly mashed peas on a regular basis, to help prevent constipation. Cook the peas until they are soft and refrigerate them until it's time to feed your goldfish. Remove the peas skins, then slightly mash the peas between your fingers and drop them into the aquarium. This can be done once a week to help relieve and prevent constipation.
- Do not feed your pearlscales with live food that you harvest yourself. These might contain parasites and other infectious diseases.
Disease
- Pearlscales are susceptible to swim bladder disease, ich, constipation and external parasites.
Quarantine Tank Recipes
Quantities apply when changing water.
Tank numbers refer to the order they are placed in, when leaving the back door of haven.
TANK 1
TANK 2
TANK 3
TANK 4
Tank numbers refer to the order they are placed in, when leaving the back door of haven.
TANK 1
- Coppersafe 5ml
- Tensiongon 5ml
TANK 2
- Coppersafe 5ml
- Tensiongon 5ml
TANK 3
- Medepond 10ml
- Tensiongon 5ml
TANK 4
- S1 (3 caps)
- Salt 20ml
- Tensiongon 40ml