5 Orandas turning black!!!

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It could be a fault on the heater?? If you heater uses a bi-metal strip, it may be sticking or the built in thermostat may be malfunctioning. Try turning off the heater for a couple of hours, then on again and see if there is any difference.
 
I don't think the UV would cause that, at least not normally. I have an internal UV and a UV that came with the canister filter and haven't noticed a big difference in temp.

Hmmm... then really, I'm stumped!! Maybe it was the closed lid and the slight heat wave we've had here...
 
It could be a fault on the heater?? If you heater uses a bi-metal strip, it may be sticking or the built in thermostat may be malfunctioning. Try turning off the heater for a couple of hours, then on again and see if there is any difference.

I don't use a heater as these are goldfish.
 
Oh, lol... forgot you are in NZ! Just the weather then eh? :D

Hahah! Yeah, the weather has been hot (NZ Hot) so not a lot actually, which is why I am just soooo confused!!

Really!! I will put up some pictures this evening, so hopefully everyone can see what I'm freaking out about. :(
 
Hmmm... then really, I'm stumped!! Maybe it was the closed lid and the slight heat wave we've had here...

Maybe it is just the way mine is set-up. I'll try and do some research tonight (crap reception) - canister filter uv has high flow so I'm not convinced it does much. The internal UV might heat but my water is fairly clear. I normally run for 8hrs each day but have run both all day.

Maybe if the UV was hitting lots of solids the energy could heat the water?
 
Thanks, but I'm still curious as to why they are sitting at the bottom or hiding behind the ornaments... I keep calling home to check on them and apparently the ice hasn't really helped either... They have been getting worse...The white oranda has gone pinkish now...like raw flesh
 
Pics will help, Cecejay! If you need help with posting them, please ask!

Although the temp at 24c is high, I do not believe any of your issues are direct result of solely this. High temps though can cause discomfort such as bottom sitting or clamping but my thoughts are the issue is your water source.

Ok, let's go back to some things you mentioned. Did their symptoms start when you added the UV? Remove it completely until we can get to the bottom of this just on a rare chance something is leeching from it. Or did it coincide with a water change? I suspect something in your water is the culprit as you said you did another wc and they have more issues today. When did the fluoride addition start? Did their symptoms begin with this? Fluoride can be toxic to aquatic creatures and the sources used for fluoride 'enhancement' in public water supplies are quite questionable. Have you contacted your water authority to see what levels are being added, what source is being used for fluoride or if anything else has changed with how they process your water supply? Is it possible to have your tap tested independently by a private company?

Your fish are definitely NOT under going 'normal' color change. They are exhibiting classic signs of chemicals burns. You have had them for quite awhile thus negating the possibility that a new fish introduced a pathogen. So, I am going to go out on a limb here in my suggestion if budget is not a major constraint. Invest in an RO unit for your sink. The water will need to be properly reconstituted with buffers and minerals such as Seachem Goldbuffer and Seachem Replenish. Switch them over to RO. It will eliminate the fluoride and any other potential issues your tap water seems to be harboring. They may need some additional intervention to help clear up the bacterial issues that are now present but I am not sure of the antibiotic availability in your country. Anyway, its a suggestion but it may not be a reasonable one for you to consider. Rainwater may be another option to consider (reconstituted) that would be less expensive. If you have brand new carbon or purigen, I would run this now and replace it every two days or so until you can figure out what exactly is going on with your tap water. If you have antibiotics available, I can make some suggestions, too. I wish I could offer something more concrete here but these are the best guesses I have right now with very limited information on your water source itself or what may be amiss.
 
....investing in an RO at this stage, is a little expensive as we have just bought the tank and a whole lot of other stuff.... the flouride apparently was added 3-4 months ago as I've discovered from the council.
So...This probably is not the issue i'm guessing...
 
....investing in an RO at this stage, is a little expensive as we have just bought the tank and a whole lot of other stuff.... the flouride apparently was added 3-4 months ago as I've discovered from the council.
So...This probably is not the issue i'm guessing...

Asked the guys here to double-check and we have had fluoride in the tap water for some time. I think that is the same in Queensland. I don't know concentration levels though.
 
Thank you for the pics! They do not look happy at all. I still believe that unless something is wrong with the uv, your water is the culprit here. Remove the uv as a precaution for now. I would then take a sample of your tap water and your tank water to your lfs and have them test it. If you have a decent lfs (typically one with a sw area), they will be able to test beyond just basics. Compare their results to your own- perhaps something is wrong with your tests? Double check the expiration date on your water conditioner, too.

I would still contact your water supplier and talk to them if the above suggestions does not reveal any results. Beyond just the fluoride/source of/levels, I would inquire if they have changed anything or how the water is processed or if system was flushed recently, repairs were made, etc. perhaps they flushed the system on a day you did a wc and the chlorine levels were 5x the average ppm. Burns, slime coat issues, breathing issues due to gill damage, depressed behavior would be apparent afterwards. Ongoing exposure to fluoride could possibly cause similar issues as well. Do some investigative work to see if you can find out more about your water to see if something can be pinpointed as a possible cause.
 
Asked the guys here to double-check and we have had fluoride in the tap water for some time. I think that is the same in Queensland. I don't know concentration levels though.

Hi Delapool... Ws wondering if those levels if any affected the fishes or anything at all.
 
Hi Delapool... Ws wondering if those levels if any affected the fishes or anything at all.

Hi, not that I know of. We don't especially treat the water for any metals or such for the aquarium. I believe some fish come across from New South Wales and some local but it looks like most states have water treatment. I have mostly found the tap water to be pretty consistent when I test it for ph, etc though and I know the lfs just uses tap water treated.

We used to have cattle and not aware of anything there.
 
Hi, not that I know of. We don't especially treat the water for any metals or such for the aquarium. I believe some fish come across from New South Wales and some local but it looks like most states have water treatment. I have mostly found the tap water to be pretty consistent when I test it for ph, etc though and I know the lfs just uses tap water treated.

We used to have cattle and not aware of anything there.

Oh yeah, same thing here. The water levels have been very consistent with pH and chlorine etc etc for the last 2 or so years...and we've learnt from experience on choosing fishes that are healthy etc etc... I do think that these poor guys are stressed now...so definitely not normal colour changes...they are also constipated and yesterday one of them seemed to be getting a little lighter, the colour on her back and face seems to be fading and she's not swimming as much.
 
Oh yeah, same thing here. The water levels have been very consistent with pH and chlorine etc etc for the last 2 or so years...and we've learnt from experience on choosing fishes that are healthy etc etc... I do think that these poor guys are stressed now...so definitely not normal colour changes...they are also constipated and yesterday one of them seemed to be getting a little lighter, the colour on her back and face seems to be fading and she's not swimming as much.

You could try taking a water sample to the council if possible or get a water sample assay at a lab. We did that on the bore water. Cost a bit but then you know if any ongoing issues.

It does sound water related, thoughts? I do wonder if the high ph, algae die off and tank shift (think that was all at once?) may have contributed. Perhaps I'm just hopeful as that would mean the cause may be a one-off. Are the black patches getting worse?

Only other thing I can think of is if you can get filtered or ro water at a service station or such and try that in a small tank and see if makes a difference.

Treatment wise I can't think of anything extra. I would try to keep the tank temp down to discourage bacterial infections.
 
Oh yeah, same thing here. The water levels have been very consistent with pH and chlorine etc etc for the last 2 or so years...and we've learnt from experience on choosing fishes that are healthy etc etc... I do think that these poor guys are stressed now...so definitely not normal colour changes...they are also constipated and yesterday one of them seemed to be getting a little lighter, the colour on her back and face seems to be fading and she's not swimming as much.

Constipation may explain their lethargy. You may have read my advice to others about feeding daphnia.... live or frozen. Other natural foods are also good including earthworms (night crawlers do you call them?).

You seem conversant with the need to check water parameters and you say you test ammonia everyday, have you at any point recorded high levels of ammonia or nitrite?

I have been reading through your questions again

You say the tank went very alkaline - 7.8 isn't a particularly high alkalinity and certainly no problem for goldfish, nor is a temperature of 20-24F... this is in fact ideal for goldfish. Although ammonia will be more toxic at these levels, these parameters are also ideal for Nitrosomonas bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite, so it is doubtful, in a well established, well maintained filter, that ammonia would reach high levels.
 
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