Do you have a goldfish that is turning black? This can be a cause for concern, as it may be indicative of a health problem. There are many reasons why your goldfish may turn black, and it is important to determine the root cause in order to provide the appropriate treatment.
Goldfish have vibrant appearance, they come in different colors which is the most iconic feature of the fish. They are ornamental fish and very popular in aquarium hobby. The variety of colors can vary from shimmering gold to yellow, red, brown, white, bluish grey and black. Black moor goldfish or black telescope goldfish is the one whose natural color is black.
If you have a goldfish that is not black but starts to turn black it is a cause of concern for you. This article will walk you through all the 12 reasons that can cause your goldfish turn black.
Why Is My Goldfish Turning Black?
Wondering why my goldfish is turning black? And what are the reasons behind it? Then let me tell you that your goldfish can turn black from various reasons. They can turn black due to chemical poisoning, natural causes, disease, mutation and trauma as well. In this article, I will discuss all the reasons why your goldfish may be turning black, as well as how to cure, prevent and remedy the problem.
Possible causes of why your goldfish is turning black are:
- Melanophore dysfunction
- A build-up of toxins in the body
- Increase in ammonia level
- Chlorine Poisoning
- Lack of oxygen in the water
- Genetic mutation
- Old age
- Black Spot Disease
- Blackhead Disease
- Excessive Light And Temperature
- Over feeding
- Physical trauma
Melanophore Dysfunction:
Melanophores are the skin pigment cells that are responsible for color change in fish and amphibians mainly. Melanosomes full dispersion in melanophores can cause black pigmentation on the skin and scales.
Melanophore dysfunction happens when cells that produce color in the fish are not functioning properly. And this is the most common reasons why goldfish turn black. This occurs when the cells that produce color in the fish are not functioning properly. As a result, the fish will lose its color and may even turn black. Melanophore dysfunction can be caused by a number of factors, including stress, poor water quality, and certain diseases.
Common Treatments For Melanophore Dysfunction Include:
Improving Water Quality– This can be done by regularly changing the water and adding a filter to the tank.
Reducing Stress– You can reduce stress by providing your goldfish with a peaceful environment. This includes avoiding loud noises and bright lights.
Treating Underlying Diseases– If your goldfish has an underlying disease, it is important to treat the condition as soon as possible. Your veterinarian will be able to prescribe the appropriate medication for your fish.
A Build-Up Of Toxins Tn The Body:
Another reason why your goldfish may be turning black is due to a build-up of toxins in the body. When the fish ingests food or water that contains toxins, these toxins can accumulate in the body and cause the fish to turn black. Toxins can come from a variety of sources, including polluted water, contaminated food, and even some medications.
Prevention:
Feeding Clean And Good Quality Food:
You can control pretty much what you feed your goldfish. Get good quality commercial pellets and some freeze or dried food for your goldfish. Keep the food in a clean and dry place, away from dust and water. Don’t leave the food for a long time on the water surface of the aquarium or pond.
Proper Filtration System And Water Change:
Make sure the water filtration is working properly and get a new one if you are not using one or it is damaged. Proper filtration of the tank ensures the ammonia and toxic chemicals are absent in the water. Test the water quality with aquarium test strips. It will show you toxic chemical levels.
If the water level shows high toxic chemical levels , then, move your goldfish to another functional aquarium immediately and clean the tank with clean water. Frequent water changes can ensure the clean and oxygen filled water.
Proper Medication:
Only give prescribed medication from a trusted and certified vet. If you assume your goldfish is turning black due to a medicine then stop the medicine immediately and consult a vet for help.
Cure:
The only common cure to this is to allow your goldfish to live in a tank with clean and clear water and allow it to heal naturally. There are many instances when a goldfish healed itself naturally and got back its natural color of gold, red , orange and yellow.
Increase In Ammonia Levels:
When someone questions “why my goldfish is turning black?” Ammonia poisoning can be the main culprit for it. Ammonia is a toxic substance that can build up in the water and cause a number of health problems for goldfish, including skin irritation, gill damage, and even death. If you notice that your fish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to ammonia poisoning, it is important to test the water for ammonia and take steps to remove it from the tank.
Ammonia Healing Symptom:
The black or brown spots appear on the body when the fish is already healing itself from ammonia burns. If the ammonia levels are constantly high, then, there will be no visible symptoms and the skin will have no way of healing.
Causes And Actions For Cure:
Fish feces and food residues cause ammonia levels to rise. Effective and powerful filtration and frequent water changes can bring the ammonia level down to a safe range for your goldfish. A healthy ammonia level for a fish is 0 ppm (parts per million). However, ammonia can rise to toxic levels very quickly, so it is important to keep an eye on the levels in your tank and take action if they start to increase. Prevention and cure are almost same for ammonia burns as discussed above for build-up toxins.
Chlorine Poisoning:
Chemical poisoning are the main culprits when it comes to color change or color damage in fishes. Chlorine poisoning is an example of chemical poisoning. Another reason why your goldfish may be turning black can be due to chlorine poisoning. Chlorine is a chemical that is used to disinfect water, but it can be harmful to fish if the levels are too high.
If you notice that your fish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to chlorine poisoning, it is important to test the water for chlorine and take steps to remove it from the tank.
Effects And Dangers Of Chlorine
Chlorine destroys the living tissues and cells of your goldfish and destroys their gills. Your fish will not be able to breathe properly and their suffocation leads to death. It also affects their skin badly turning it pale or black in few cases.
How To Detect Chlorine In Your Water
To detect chlorine content in your tank you need to get aquarium test strips. Put the test stip in your tank and also the water source to check for chlorine presence. If your tank has chlorine in it then there is a possibility that your gold fish is turning black for this reason. Check the tap water or the water source also, it is important.
Prevention:
If it has chlorine then de-chlorinate it by using chemicals that neutralize chlorine. You can try boiling the water or by aerating it with sufficient oxygen. This will neutralize the chlorine levels in the water and you can use the water for your aquarium purpose. Check the water again with the aquarium test strips after you performed the de-chlorination process.
Empty your tank if your goldfish is kept in chlorinated water and move them to a new tank with the use of a fishnet with care. You can then wash your old tank with clean water and after making sure that the new tank is clean and free from chlorine you can move your goldfish into it.
Lack of oxygen in the water:
In some cases, goldfish turn black due to a lack of oxygen in the water. This can be caused by a number of factors, including overcrowding in the tank, insufficient aeration, and low water temperature. If you notice that your fish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to a lack of oxygen, it is important to increase the aeration in the tank and check the water temperature.
You need to use an air pump for your tank or pond for fixing this problem. If you are already using an air pump ensure it is working properly.
Genetic Mutation:
In some rare cases, goldfish turn black due to a genetic mutation. This is more common in captive-bred fish, as they are more likely to have genetic defects. If you notice that your goldfish has turned black and you suspect that it may be due to a genetic mutation, it is important to take it to the vet for an accurate diagnosis.
Old Age:
Goldfish can turn black due to old age. As the fish gets older, its color may start to fade and it may even turn black. If you notice that your goldfish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to old age, there is no need to worry, as this is a natural process.
Black Spot Disease:
Black spot disease is a common condition that can cause goldfish to turn black. The disease is caused by a parasite that attaches itself to the fish and feeds on its blood. Black spot disease is most commonly found in wild goldfish, but it can also affect captive-bred fish. If you notice that your fish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to black spot disease, it is important to take it to the vet for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
Cure and Treatment For Black Spot Disease:
Treatment for this disease typically involves the use of a topical medication that is applied to the fish’s skin. In some cases, the fish may also need to be placed in a quarantine tank in order to prevent the disease from spreading to other fish.
There are a number of different treatments for black spot disease, including medication, quarantine, and improved water quality. In most cases, the condition can be resolved with proper treatment. However, if the disease is left untreated, it can lead to serious health problems and even death.
Blackhead Disease:
There is a pathology called “blackhead disease”. This disease is rare for aquariums but occurs quite often in fish that live in ponds. Blackhead disease is transmitted by birds to goldfish by their feces. The feces contains a parasite which is harmful to fish skin.
Sometimes the disease can be transmitted to goldfish by snails. In order to get rid of the disease it is necessary to eliminate all the snails in the pond, taking away the parasite as well.
Detecting Blackhead Disease Through Microscopy:
If you are noticing a color change in your goldfish and it is patchy and distributed in an irregular pattern then, consult a certified aquatic veterinarian. Microscopy tests can show if a goldfish has external parasites like fish flukes ( or skin flukes), trichodina and white spot disease. If your goldfish has black spots in irregular patterns and it is not going away, consult a veterinarian for microscopy tests.
Excessive Light And Temperature:
Environment and surrounding plays an important role in the coloration of your goldfish. Natural sunlight is good for your goldfish. It enhances the color of your favorite pet. But, if the sunlight is too hot and the temperature rises to 32 oC (90 oF) or more it can cause behavioral and physiological changes. Some of the bad effects are increased swimming activity, decreased reproductive index and increased hepatosomatic index according to an article.
Effects In A Pond:
These behavioral and physiological changes can be stressful to your fish. Due to stress and trauma the fish might develop black irregular dark spots on its skin.
Goldfish naturally swim in cool rivers, ponds and lakes in their natural habitat in South-East Asia. The climate is cooler than tropical countries, where the temperature ranges between (104-114)oF for 9 months in a year. You don’t have to worry about your fish when it is kept in a cooler environment.
If your goldfish is kept in an outdoor pond and there is a direct exposure of light then there are chances that your fish might get sunburned. In such cases, you can use a pond cover to provide shade for your fish.
Overfeeding:
A common cause of blackening skin in goldfish is overfeeding. When fish are overfed, they can excrete a large amount of waste, which can lead to poor water quality and an increase in ammonia levels. If you notice that your fish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to overfeeding, it is important to stop feeding the fish and take steps to improve the water quality in the tank.
Improving water quality can be done by performing a water change, using a filter, and/or adding an air stone. Once the water quality has improved, you can start feeding the fish again, but be sure to only give them as much food as they can eat in one sitting.
Physical Trauma:
Goldfish can also turn black due to physical trauma. This can happen if the fish is dropped, hit, or bitten by another fish. Sometimes cat attacks or bruises can be a reason to cause a physical trauma. An over-stressed goldfish can turn black.
Pointy and rough objects for decoration in the tank can cut and bruise your goldfish. If you notice that your fish is turning black and you suspect that it may be due to physical trauma, it is important to remove the object from the tank.
The black pigmentation is unevenly distributed, patchy and irregular when the fish gets bruised by a cat or a bird. Some irritant can also damage the skin of the goldfish and black spots might develop. If the black coloration is towards the extreme ends like dorsal fin, pectoral fins and caudal fin you can assume that the fish is naturally having black coloration. This is nothing to worry about, but if the black spots are irregular in pattern and patchy and the skin appears lumpy (little bit of lump) it might be due to a trauma.
How To Enhance The Color OF Goldfish:
Natural Sunlight:
Under the natural sunlight goldfish are known to exhibit their best color potential. Keeping a goldfish in a pond rather than in a tank can have a positive impact on its color. When it is kept in its natural habitat the skin lustre can achieve its full potential.
If your fish is kept indoor and real sunlight is impossible you can use fluorescent light that have the same temperature and kelvin rating similar to sunlight. Since, goldfish are pond fish they are well when they are kept outdoors.
If your goldfish lives in hot climatic conditions like in India, and other tropical countries where the temperature reaches 104oF pretty easily, then use a pond shade.
Diet:
Feeding quality food is very helpful when it comes to color enhancement. Feeding food or pellets that have astaxanthin or carotenoids enhances the red or orange coloration of your goldfish.
