whats wrong with my goldfish?

Question

my goldfish are changing color. i guess they are fancy goldfish because one of them (the one thats changing color) was gold with a black stripe down his back, on his fin, and above his mouth. over the last few days i noticed they are disapearing. is that normal? i've also noticed that my other goldfish is starting to become more agressive, hes about 5inches long and 3inches in height, but i dont understand why the sudden change. My last fish has become somewhat lazy. I've noticed they all stay near the top of the tank now kinda as if they are trying 2 "breathe" whats wrong with them??

im not really sure if they are males/females/or whatever. He had the black spots on him when we bought him because hes a fancy goldfish...I bought them from wal-mart so im not sure. What should i do to make them happy?

yes i have a filter/oxygen pump, the water isnt warm, and they are in a tank.

Answer 1

It's normal. The black may have been due to an irritant or rough handling when he was shipped to your store (like a bruise in humans), and the skin is beginning to heal. Another possibility is that the fish had even more black coloration, but the color is changing due to its genetics. Here's a photo essay documenting the change in one goldfish with an explanation of how/why this happens: http://thegab.org/Articles/ColorChange.html

Answer 2

I would suggest a water change...The gasping could be due to ammonia poisoning. When there is too much ammonia in the water, it inhibits the ability for the goldfish to absorb oxygen. Goldfish also have high oxygen requirements, so if you aren't running an air pump I would suggest that as well.
And as some others pointed out, goldfish do well in colder water (65-75F). Make sure you are not running a heater with them. Also cooler water makes the ammonia less toxic.
It looks like you have three goldfish? If that's the case, you will need at the very least a 29 gallon aquarium (pref. a 55). If you are in a smaller aquarium upgrading to a larger one could solve some of the aggression problems.

Answer 3

ONE REALLY IMPORTANT THING, fish from careless places like walmart are all ready dead. Bad treatment causes dead. And if you have them in a bowl you are just a horrible person. Goldfish need big tanks.Are you feeding a good food? I'm not really going to blame you because you didn't know, but 60% of the fish that are mistreated die faster than a realy sick fish. I will recomed you find out more about your goldfish and go to a more clean place. MAybe a good petsmart?

Answer 4

If they're tryting to "breathe", then their water must not be clean or they must need more air (like air bubbles). They may also be acting different because they are growing to the tank. They might becoming territorial, that's why some are agressive. Look them up on the web, that might be useful and informative. Good luck!

Answer 5

The blackning on the skin is a sign off ammonia poisiong, and them been at the top is them probibly gasping for oxgen/air. And when you say aggresive, Is he chasing the other fish? This is probibly because he is a male and hes chasing the females, The dont usualy do this at a young age and this is probibly why the change, They have become sexually mature,?

Answer 6

Water may be too warm, goldfish like it cool. Yes they do change or lose color as they mature.

Answer 7

I have lots of friends that have had fancy goldfish all their life and have see lots of color changes. I have just seen one change in two of my little fry so I would have to say it's okay.

Check out www.thegab.org they have lots of information regarding behavor of goldfish.

Good luck

Answer 8

well im no vet but it seems like they are just getting older.....you may want to consider getting a bigger tank for them and keeping it well cleaned