Ph balance, color fading in orandas

Question
QUESTION: tank size is 20 gallons, i have 4 orandas in there.  Tank was initially set up in the hallway with little light because the temperature was cooler there.  the ph balance of the water was 6.6 and had high levels of ammonia.  I noticed my baby blue oranda began fading.  I immediately changed the water, moved the tank to the window, and raised the ph level to 7.2, and the water will get cloudy within a couple of days. The fish continue to fade in color, and sometimes float near the top, on their side. I can't seem to prevent the water from clouding up, either.

Please help!

Thank you,
Jan

ANSWER: First of all, for 4 goldfish, you need at LEAST 50 gallons, and monster filtration. They are amoung the most dirty fish in the aquarium trade.

Second of all, did you cycle the tank?


Why are you changing the pH? Drastic pH swings can kill fish very easily.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:   Yes, I did cycle it, and changed out the filters.  I have a 20 gallon Marineland Biowheel filter.  I also have an under gravel system set up too.   
 As for the ph change, I read that goldfish live best at a level of 7.4, so I gradually raised it.  The fish appeared to be a lot happier, especially since I moved the tank over to the window.  
My panda oranda, however started having constipation symptoms, and stays at the top very still, and his color keeps changing, or fading.  All his black and orange spots are turning to white and yellow.
 My baby blue oranda had finally started to grow, but changed to gold, and now looks like the panda.  
 My black and orange one is fading to brown and gold.  
 The fourth oranda is a calico.  No color fading noticeable, but it too, keeps still at the top.
 I decreased the amount of food and feed them twice a day.  That slightly helped things, but I'm still very concerned about the fading.  I feed them Hikari baby pellets and the tetra gold crisps, and they get plenty of light.  Still the fading increases even with them getting light.

Does the ph level affect fish by fading color?
 What would you recommend I do for the water, the fish that hang out on the top, and color fading?  
 
         Thank you.  

Answer
To cure bloat, feed boiled peas. Its like draino, and it clears them out.


I never change my filter pads, and this could be your problem. The VAST majority of your nitrifying bacteria live in the filter media. To me, it seems as you are experiancing a min cycle. Keep doing regular water changes.


BTW, what are your ammonia, nitrAte, and nitrIte levels?