# Oranda Goldfish play with gravel normal?



## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

I have two Oranda Goldfish and they play with the gravel all the time. They are always picking it up and sort of sifting through it. Then at night with the lights off they go nuts with it making a lot of noise. I find the gravel moved all over like on top of other things in the tank. I clean the tank regularly by doing a 20% water change every other week and a gravel vacuum cleaning at least once a month. I feed them often too so I don't think they are looking for food unless they are little piggy eaters. They do love to eat. There's a small shipwreck ornament, a lava rock with a hole in it that they like to swim through and a couple plants in the tank too. Oh, and they are small right now too. The bodies are between 1-1.5 inches long. Maybe they are just playful young fish?

I just wanted to know is this normal? None of the other goldfish I currently have in another tank or even tropical fish I've owned in the past have played with gravel this much. I was thinking are they just smart fish and always like to be doing something? I do have the tank well stocked with other stuff so I don't think there is a lack of things to swim around or do in there. I'm not really concerned in a health way as I don't think it's anything that can harm them. But I just more wonder why they do it so much. 

They are great fish though. They really have good personalities and are fun to watch. 
Thanks.


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

PostShawn said:


> I have two Oranda Goldfish and they play with the gravel all the time. They are always picking it up and sort of sifting through it. Then at night with the lights off they go nuts with it making a lot of noise. I find the gravel moved all over like on top of other things in the tank. I clean the tank regularly by doing a 20% water change every other week and a gravel vacuum cleaning at least once a month. I feed them often too so I don't think they are looking for food unless they are little piggy eaters. They do love to eat. There's a small shipwreck ornament, a lava rock with a hole in it that they like to swim through and a couple plants in the tank too. Oh, and they are small right now too. The bodies are between 1-1.5 inches long. Maybe they are just playful young fish?
> 
> I just wanted to know is this normal? None of the other goldfish I currently have in another tank or even tropical fish I've owned in the past have played with gravel this much. I was thinking are they just smart fish and always like to be doing something? I do have the tank well stocked with other stuff so I don't think there is a lack of things to swim around or do in there. I'm not really concerned in a health way as I don't think it's anything that can harm them. But I just more wonder why they do it so much.
> 
> ...


Yep, perfectly normal behavior with all types of goldfish. That's why it's a good idea to never have really fine gravel with goldfish because they can choke on it.


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## Dragonbeards (Dec 14, 2008)

This is completely normal, and in fact stems from their carp ancestry. All goldies will sift through the gravel, what they are doing is looking for food. They will pick up a piece in their mouth and turn it about, eating algae/leftover food/whatever off of it, spit it out, and get another one. My two do this also, it is nothing to worry about (when they stop doing for days at a time is when you need to worry )


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## PostShawn (Dec 22, 2009)

Ok. Yeah, they are the "normal" almost pea size gravel so not worried about them choking. They do look like they are having fun so as long as it's a normal trait then cool.


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