faintail goldfish

Question
when i bought the fish it was orange now it is turning black, it has more and more black spots when i come home from work. what is wrong with it?

Answer
Hi Markeba;

Goldfish can and often do change color over most of their lives until they mature, but yours seems to be getting black marks pretty quickly. I would suspect that maybe there is something going on in the tank water. Ammonia, a waste toxin, causes burns that leave black marks like that. Make a 25% water change and be sure your goldfish has what just one goldfish basically needs; at least a 10 gallon tank, a good filter, and weekly 25% water changes. Have the water tested for ammonia too. If it is elevated, make a daily 25% water change until it gets better. Once the problem is corrected the burns should heal over several weeks as long as the tank is kept clean and the fish doesn't develop an infection. Here is a web page about goldfish care in case you need more info;

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1922&articleid=2650

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins