All my fish are turning orange!

[Princess1982]

Hi All

I have noticed that all my fish are starting to get patches of orange/gold on them! I know that fish change colour as they get older but even the black moor is starting to get golden tones to his scales.

Is this down to feeding a certain type of food or water treatments? I really like my fish the colours they are. Is there something I can do to stop this from happening?

1 x black moor
1 x panda moor
1 x common goldfish
1 x red cap oranda
1 x leopard plec
1 x white ranchu
1 x calico ryukin

Thanks in advance for you help

 

[barterking85]

Nope Goldie's will change colors my black moor is about 5 and there is no black to be seen it just comes with age

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Princess,

I too have a Black Moor in my cycling 60 gallon, and her underbelly has definite overtones of gold -- it seems to be "spreading" up her body as well, so I assume this is normal with growth (as Ryan alluded to as well).

BTW -- do you have any pics of your goldfish tank?

Ryan -- with regard to your Moor, do you have any pics? I'd love to see him/her without any black left...

 

[Princess1982]

My panda moor has also lost all her colour and is now a white moor! She looks beautiful though so I don't mind.
I just thought it was strange that all of my fish have suddenly started getting gold patches at exactly the same time. They are all different ages and types of fancy so I'm not sure it's a coincidence that they are all going a bit gold at the same time.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

So long as the patches are "gold" and not infected-looking reds or whites, this may indeed all be growing signs or normal...

 

[Princess1982]

My beautiful Juwel Vision 450 litre tank

 

[Princess1982]

Yeh they are not infections or anything like that. Just patches of gold colour.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

My beautiful Juwel Vision 450 litre tank

Thanks for the pic! Your finned friends look really happy! I wouldn't worry about the color-changing; it indeed sounds like a coincidence that they're all going at the same time...

How big is that tank in U.S gallons, do you know? BTW -- I love England! I want to get back there some day with my wife; went when I was a young boy, but can remember loving Westminster Abbey, the palace, Big Ben, Picadilly Circus and the racetracks in the outskirts of town in the hills...awesome country!

 

[Princess1982]

Yeh England is pretty great, apart from the weather! We have just had 1 months rain in 48 hours so most of England has flood warnings at the moment. Not so great!

450 litres is about 119 US gallons.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Yeh England is pretty great, apart from the weather! We have just had 1 months rain in 48 hours so most of England has flood warnings at the moment. Not so great!

450 litres is about 119 US gallons.

Were you born there? Yeah -- the rain...I know...there's a reason they call the company "London Fog"...

Wow -- that's a big tank! Do you have any future plans of aquascaping it a bit more dramatically?

 

[Princess1982]

I was born in the UK but lived overseas for 6 years. I moved back 3 years ago and now live in London. (I was born in Cambridge)

I upgraded from a 180 litre tank to this tank about 1 month ago so I am just letting it settle. I will be getting 2 new fish soon (hopefully a pearlscale and pom pom) and am looking to completely redesign the tank. I haven't added any new ornaments or plants since the upgrade so it does look a little bare at the moment! I want to get rid of the plastic plants too and replace them with some real plants. I already have a moss ball but the other plants don't tend to last long because of my common. She eats everything she can fit in the mouth! Do you have any suggestions as to decoration/plants/ornaments etc?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I was born in the UK but lived overseas for 6 years. I moved back 3 years ago and now live in London. (I was born in Cambridge)

Cool -- is Cambridge far from Sheffield, or is that another part of the UK altogether?

I upgraded from a 180 litre tank to this tank about 1 month ago so I am just letting it settle. I will be getting 2 new fish soon (hopefully a pearlscale and pom pom) and am looking to completely redesign the tank. I haven't added any new ornaments or plants since the upgrade so it does look a little bare at the moment! I want to get rid of the plastic plants too and replace them with some real plants. I already have a moss ball but the other plants don't tend to last long because of my common. She eats everything she can fit in the mouth! Do you have any suggestions as to decoration/plants/ornaments etc?

Oh boy -- don't get me started on decorating these goldfish tanks! I'm in the same dilemma -- did you see my thread in this General Freshwater section about my own 60 gallon and its decor??

Something to keep in mind about keeping fancy goldies: While I like the "fully stocked and decorated" look of a tank, these fish are just so delicate what with their potruding eyes, colorful scales and unique body designs, that sometimes it's argued by fancytail fanatics that their tanks should be completely bare -- close to what you're running now. It seems sharp objects and decoration pieces can injure them, especially the "blinded" types of super-exotic goldfish, and I am experiencing something like that now with my Black Moor (she apparently got "sliced" or cut on something in our tank, as there is a scale wound toward the back of her body)...I did a small water change and dosed the tank with Seachem's Prime for added slime coat protection...

 

[barterking85]

Another reason for color change is professional breeders looking for the perfect cross a lot of black moors are bred with gold fantails to improve eye sight this is another reason for color change some you may notice right away some over time depending on the dominate gene they receive it's the same for calico mixes you can get calico ryukins and ranchus or even black but we are talking big bucks the more rare the cross and color patterns. Finding a true "purebred" fantail is all but impossible almost all have been crossed with other breds to make them more appealing for home aquaria.

 

[Princess1982]

Yeh that is what conerns me too hence why it is taking me so long so decide what to add to the tank. My panda moor (now white moor) has managed to slice part of her tail fin off in the last few days. It isn't sore or anything and I am keeping an eye out for infection. Have done a massive water change and will be keeping the water super clean. I will be getting some aquarium salt tomorrow too. There is nothing sharp in the tank at all so I am thinking she tried to get some food that was stuck under the bog wood as there is a small gap and she got stuck. I thought piranha were vicious but they have nothing on my goldies as feeding time!

Im thinking to be on the safe side a few non sharp plants and something like a bridge that doesn't have sharp edges.

 

[barterking85]

Another reason for color change is professional breeders looking for the perfect cross a lot of black moors are bred with gold fantails to improve eye sight this is another reason for color change some you may notice right away some over time depending on the dominate gene they receive it's the same for calico mixes you can get calico ryukins and ranchus or even black but we are talking big bucks the more rare the cross and color patterns. Finding a true "purebred" fantail is all but impossible almost all have been crossed with other breds to make them more appealing for home aquaria.

Here are some examples such as
Pearscales lionhead
Calico ryukin
Calico telescope
Calico ranchu

Alot of color change is due to breeding

 

[Steelhawke]

Long live the queen. !!!!!!!

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Here are some examples such as
Pearscales lionhead
Calico ryukin
Calico telescope
Calico ranchu

Alot of color change is due to breeding

I want that red-and-white gorgeous fantail in the second pic!!

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Yeh that is what conerns me too hence why it is taking me so long so decide what to add to the tank. My panda moor (now white moor) has managed to slice part of her tail fin off in the last few days. It isn't sore or anything and I am keeping an eye out for infection. Have done a massive water change and will be keeping the water super clean. I will be getting some aquarium salt tomorrow too. There is nothing sharp in the tank at all so I am thinking she tried to get some food that was stuck under the bog wood as there is a small gap and she got stuck. I thought piranha were vicious but they have nothing on my goldies as feeding time!

Im thinking to be on the safe side a few non sharp plants and something like a bridge that doesn't have sharp edges.

That sounds like a plan -- if I would have thought about it more before I dumped the tree stump or "spiky" plastic plants in the tank, I wouldn't have done it...