Hey there... I bought 3 fish (1 white with little orange in the fins, one half white half orange and one full orange) the full orange one died about 2 weeks after i got them i don't understand why, i do 50% water changes every week and use water conditioner, now the half orange half white is turning black, first it was the fins now it's turning into his body.... But the white one is good. My dad said that when he got back into the store because he wante to buy a new fish that all the fish were in quarentine (it's been 3 weeks since i got the fish). What is happening ? Is it a disease ? Is it anmonia problems ? I'm getting frustated and sad...
Goldfsh turning black
- Thread starter JoanaaM
- Start date
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If your tank is a new setup, chances are it has not cycled yet, making ammonia a big problem.
It's great that you change out 50% of the water every week. Consider changing 25% of the water 2x a week. Space a few days in between WC's until things level out. Feed very sparingly.
I am not aware of any aquatic disease where the primary symptom is darkening scales and fins. The problem might be ammonia burn?
Research cycling an aquarium, and aquarium water parameters. Good luck.
It's great that you change out 50% of the water every week. Consider changing 25% of the water 2x a week. Space a few days in between WC's until things level out. Feed very sparingly.
I am not aware of any aquatic disease where the primary symptom is darkening scales and fins. The problem might be ammonia burn?
Research cycling an aquarium, and aquarium water parameters. Good luck.
As of this morning I have officially learned about an aquatic disease that primarily affects goldfish, that specifically applies to your situation: "Black Smudge".
As suspected, the darkening of scales and fins is a reaction to poor water quality, most likely ammonia. Black Smudge is the term veterinarians labeled the darkening physical reaction certain goldfish can have to unsafe water parameters.
As for your apparent healthy goldfish, there is no accounting why one fish is more resilient than another, other than maybe better genes.
Since "Black Smudge" is a symptom brought on by poor water conditions / ammonia, the solution is "Cycle" your tank. Research "Fish-in" tank cycling. A lot of members invest in water testing kits, available at most petshops, to check water parameters.
Stick with it, things will get better.
As suspected, the darkening of scales and fins is a reaction to poor water quality, most likely ammonia. Black Smudge is the term veterinarians labeled the darkening physical reaction certain goldfish can have to unsafe water parameters.
As for your apparent healthy goldfish, there is no accounting why one fish is more resilient than another, other than maybe better genes.
Since "Black Smudge" is a symptom brought on by poor water conditions / ammonia, the solution is "Cycle" your tank. Research "Fish-in" tank cycling. A lot of members invest in water testing kits, available at most petshops, to check water parameters.
Stick with it, things will get better.
If the fish have to endure the ammonia spike very long, it will damage their gills or kill them.
Try changing 15% of the water every other day for about four weeks, and don't feed them very much. A month of this routine should be enough time to completely cycle your tank and filter media. The ammonia level should be zero and you can start to gradually add new fish. Stay active in the forum and post questions as they come up.
Try changing 15% of the water every other day for about four weeks, and don't feed them very much. A month of this routine should be enough time to completely cycle your tank and filter media. The ammonia level should be zero and you can start to gradually add new fish. Stay active in the forum and post questions as they come up.
Angellove78
Aquarium Advice Addict
Filter on this tank? Vacuum the bottom to get all the waste out? And I recommend a test kit. Water changes are important. But, you gotta know how much to change and when. Having the fish you have you are probably at the end on cycling the tank and your getting ammonia spikes and nitrite getting high, along with the ammonia, not good for fish friends. And depending on the size of the tank and size fish could be higher than what you think. Sometimes when cycling a tank with fish will require a few water changes(one after another) same day. It's helpful with a test kit.
Yes i have a filter that i clean with the water changes i make because i read that cleaning it with tap water kills the good bacteria in the filter. I clean the fish waste and bottom food everytime i see it. Yes i'm getting a kit and i'll put more focus in this tank. I have another tank with a betta, tetras and a corydora (i'm getting more since i read they should be at least 4) and i haven't had any problems with it, only with this tank... One thing i've noticed is that the filter from the goldfish tank turned orange from white and i can't take it off even with a lot of cleaning, is it from the ammonia ?
Only rinse off the filter media / Pads maybe once every three or four weeks. Don't worry that the filter media looks stained. A dirty looking filter pad is likely a healthy one. It's good that you are rinsing the filter pads in old tank water.
Over cleaning the filter media kills a large percentage of the benificial bacteria, resulting in an ammonia spike. Over cleaning might be causing the health problems in your tank.
Over cleaning the filter media kills a large percentage of the benificial bacteria, resulting in an ammonia spike. Over cleaning might be causing the health problems in your tank.
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