# Is this a problem?



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

we inherited a 4 year old oranda in a 5 gallon tank. he is now in a 10 gal tank-- best i can do just now. Since he has moved to the bigger tank he has started to get a bit of orange color where his body joins his tail and some orange in his tail.the tail is growing huge.I have been reading that you should not be seeing red veins in the tail, but he is getting those also.

His cap is also yellowy now instead of pale pink. his body is generally pale
pink.
I have not checked ater parameters. have been doing 25 % water change every 2 weeks which is the same as I did in the 5 gallon.
his previous owner did water changes every 6 weeks or so!!
Question. is this display of red blood vessels a cause for concern?
i have been reading for the past 3 hours and all i can find says it is a bad sign.
fish eats well and is a bit of a ham.


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## dwool36 (Jan 31, 2006)

Sounds like ammonia poisoning. Did you cycle the new 10 gallon before adding your Oranda? If you have a test kit, check for ammonia. If you do not, you need go buy one and check for ammonia. First though, you need to do a large (50%) water change. Also, buy some prime or amquel to neutralize the ammonia while you cycle your tank.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

I agree with dwool it seems like your ammonia level could be rather high.


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

I agree, but if he doesn't improve quickly, it may be a secondary problem.
Like Hemorrhagic Septicemia....... 
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/fins.html 
And your city's water may have had a serious fluctuation in pH also, fading color may mean the pH is way to high for him.


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

I agree, but if he doesn't improve quickly, it may be a secondary problem.
Like Hemorrhagic Septicemia....... 
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/fins.html 
And your city's water may have had a serious fluctuation in pH also, fading color may mean the pH is way to high for him.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

The tank is four years old.
The readings have been 0,0 ,20-30 for the past few months and are the same today.ph is 8.5-9.
I have done a water change today and lowered the nitrates a bit.
He has been getting color enhancing food also and has gained a bit of orange in his tail and on his back and as I mentioned the wen is going yellow now. Tail is growing very long and he seems otherwise healthy.
A gold fish breeder that I contacted suggested that since he is in far better conditions now I have him than when I got him he is perhaps getting some color back and to cut back on the color enhancing food and see if the colors and veins recede.
i have had goldies in the past when i was a kid that suffered from poisoning and they had actual bleeding into the tail and fins. this is nothing like that.
So all in all the water parameters are fine. the breeder also suggested i am changing the water too frequently and suggestd a monthly change only BUT I don't like that idea.
I change my water in 5 tanks quite diligently-- it seems to be one of the main events in my life!!
I guess i did not explain too well that his colors are improving since i have had him. He gets daylight now and gets a big variety in food. previous owner kept him in a dark place and fed him cheap food. he came to me in a 5 gal tank that was seldom cleaned.


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## Niki2105 (Apr 12, 2005)

Your fish is probally fine, from what I could find red blood streaks in fins is sometimes early signs of Fin Rot, giving your fish good clean water should clear it up. If it gets worse Melafix sould clear it up, i got a fish at walmart a few days ago with a case of fin rot and this is day 4 on Melafix and i can really see a difference in his fins they look much better and are starting to regrow. If none of that works you might have a parasite problem. As for his color change, Goldies can and will change color. I have had 4 out of my 12 change completely(one changed twice, from Orange to a light peach to now white) And now my Black moor is starting to change. So I wouldnt be worried about him changing color. That breeder who told you, that you were changing the water too much has no clue if anything you are not changing the it enough. Goldfish create a lot of Ammonia so the more water cleanings the better. Anyway the fish is lucky that you have adopted him and has gotten into such a great home. Good luck with him.
Niki


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

You described the "streaks" as orange not red, right? Then your fish is just showing an improvement in his coloration due to the better living conditions. Both my oranda and my ryukin have those. If the streak is red (septicemia) it looks different. It's a more "angry" looking color not matching other color spots on the fish. I can see some blood vessels in the tail fins of both of my fish (and have so for a long time) and that seems ok too. Septicemia does look different and the fish would also show other signs of feeling unwell, like loss of appetite, lack of activity.
It sounds to me that your fish is doing just fine.


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## Scy64 (Apr 23, 2006)

I have a goldfish that also has visable red veins in his fins. There was a time when I noticed the reddening got worse (it went out closer to the tips of the fins then normal), and ever fin was showing this problem. Did an ammonia check and found out the ammonia levels were quiet high. After a water change, and the proper water conditioners, the fins went back to normal. I've also noticed that sometimes behavior changes along with the red fins can be due to ammonia problems. Like everyone else said, check the ammoina levels first and do a water change just to be on the safe side. If the fish is newer, it might take a while to figure out what's normal for the fish, and what might signal a problem.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

yep, i did describe the marks as orange and I can see his veins. Go to the head of the class garfieldnfish!
he looks very healthy but since I have now added a little friend for him i am monitoring water weekly and doing a few more changes "just in case"
the new baby goldy is cheeky!! he swims between Sushi's fins so he can grab the food out of his mouth.
He is not scared of Sushi at all. i tried another baby goldy previuosly and he was scared of Sushi. Apparently Sushi has been known to terrorize other goldies. - in fact his previous owner said he had bullied another goldy to death.
He seems ok with this little one. maybe they are opposite genders?
Any way they are very cute together.


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