I thought you had a black fish....

My sister has one of those fish with the buldging eyes, im not sure of the exact name but I think they're sometimes called Vieltails. Anyway when she got this fish about 18 months ago it was black all over & for some very strange reason it has recently turned gold, so now it is the same colour as her goldfish. Does anyone have any idea why this could have happend? Any info would be great!

 

Just a guess but maybe it was dyed and they dye wore off?

 

Is it a goldfish (black moor maybe) ? Can you post a pic of it?

Does it look like this:


-Chelle

 

I was thinking the same thing when she described it. So I would have asked the same question as Chelle. Is it a black moor? -tl

 

I've figured out yes it's a gold fish the same as the fish in that pic except now it's gold. When you say it was dyed do you mean the pet store may have dyed it black?

 

I've read several expainations for this. The fish was exposed to cold temperatures for an extended period of time. The fish was overheated for an extended period of time. Poor nutrition. Poor genetics. And sometimes it just happens for no reason at all. Or a combination of several of the factors listed. I've also heard that the situation sometimes reverses itself for no reason at all.

In any case, she should pay close attention to water quality and nutrition.

As to the question of dying. Some fish are dyed 'pretty colors' before the fish store ever gets them. Many fish don't survive the dying process, and the ones that do typically have a shorter lifespan then their naturally colored cousins.

Some of them are dyed on the surface of their bodies, ie blueberry or strawberry tetras. They're really white tetras that have been dyed. The dye fades in a few months, and the fish is white again.

Others have the dye injected into them, which is much more lethal to the fish. A great number of them die before reaching the pet store, and most don't survive for long. It's a practice that should be banned, IMO.

 

The fish is fed a good quality fish flake (Sera) as far as I know the water is ok but shes going to do a test tonight just to make sure. The thought of injecting dye into a fish is sick & cruel, I hope this isn't the case with her fish.

 

Don't worry, I doubt her fish is dyed. Most of the fish that get dyed are white/clear to begin with (dye wouldn't show up very well on a dark fish). From what I've seen of black moors, it's not uncommon for them to get a definite gold/bronze color to them after a while (was at the LFS today and none of their moors where pure black). As long as the water quality checks out and the fish is still acting fine, I wouldn't worry too much.

-Chelle

 

Just did a ph test on the water & I think it has too much acid. Just determining how to make the acidic levels safe again. Could this be why her fish has changed colour? This tank hadn't had a test in quite a while, so it's not surprising that the water wasn't satisfactory.

 

What exactly was the pH reading?

-Chelle

 

The exact reading was 6.0

 

What is it straight out of the tap? Is there any driftwood in the tank?

-Chelle

 

When you say did we use water straight out of the tap I think you mean when we first filled the tank up (if not correct me) anyway yes we did but we conditioned the water & let it sit for a few days to get rid of any harmful chemicals & chlorine.

 

Oh & no there isn't any driftwood in the tank.

 

I meant what is the pH of the water straight out of the tap. Basically I'm trying to figure out if something it your tank is making the pH that low or if it's just naturally low.

Really, 6.0 is on the low end of the range, but I don't think it's low enough to warrent trying to adjust it. Fluctuating pH can cause a lot more problems than a pH that is a little too low or too high but is stable.

-Chelle