color fading goldfish

[triniyute]

i recently(1 1/2 months) ago bought about a dozen goldfish an d 6 koi. when i upgraded to a 400 gallon tank i again purchased 2 dozen goldfish and 1 dozen koi after doing this i realized that my first set were of a much lighter colour. this could simply be that they are two different colour fish however after about 1 week i noticed that they had all definitely faded. this worries me alot.

extra info:
i live in the tropics so i have no heater
the fish are in a black 400 gal water tank (outside)
i know i may be a bit overstocked but ill get rid of some otherwise they'd just get lost in the tank
it is not "new tank syndrome"
i am a fairly experienced fishkeeper in the hobby for about 3 years
i don't think it is any "stupid" mistake
all the fish seem healthy eating very well active etc.
i feed them a "generic" no name brand fish food i bought in bulk at a fish farm
i plan to mix the food with a colour enhancing tetra food
please help me !

my tanks: another 400 gal with 4 albino oscars 7-9 inch, one black oscar aprox. 9 inch, one 12 inch RB pacu, one 4 inch tiger oscar, 4 baby pleco, one cascadura, 2 spotty catfish (3,6 inch), 3 SA cichlids(3-5 inch) and one 5 inch leporandus.

i recently bought some mollies that i am attempting to breed for feeders i have some babie (14) in a 5 gal tank newborns i am gonna feed them crushed pellets tomorrow should they be fine with just aeration until they're big enough to live with the other mollies. in two 25 gal tanks ( half of a barrel)



any insight would be greatly appreciated

 

[Lupin]

The color fading is natural. Trouble is if your fish has never been exposed to sunlight for even brief periods and fed with more nutritious foods particularly green floating algae, then the color does fade a lot. You'll find fish kept in outdoor ponds tend to have more vivid colors as they are able to consume limitless supply of algae that flourish as well as are exposed to sunlight thus establishing a fuller color than usual.

I wouldn't worry about it. Goldfish change their colors a lot and the resulting change is because of genetics, light condition, water conditions and foods. Genetics is the major influence of color changes.

 

[liljag]

thats wrecked

 

[triniyute]

ok thanks but where they were kept previously was an "indoor" place but it was still open (no a/c lots of windows and doors) so they should of gotten at least some sunlight. and i am not sure but i believe that they were fed the same food i am currently feeding them. But thanks i won't worry to much.

 

[triniyute]

is it a bad thing to keep my tank(black water tank) covered down constantly bc wen it s uncovered the water gets green with algae is the algae more harmful or or more harmful for them to be in the dark 24/7 just curious

btw the tank is really my stubborn fathers own and and skeptical as to how to weigh the pros and cons

 

[kdrun76]

The algae is a good sign that your water quality isn't very good. What are your nitrates?

How often does the water get changed?

 

[triniyute]

unfortunately where i live nitrate its are very expensive so i don't check however as of now the water is clear what i meant was is it more beneficial to have algae and sunlight or is it more beneficial to have no algae and no sunlight

btw in another tank i have some "moss" that grows from the wall of the tank at 4-5 inches in length horizontally from the wall it look very "stringy" ill post pics if need be but the question is would anyone be able to identify it and tell me if it produces or uses up oxygen (good or bad) and how to take it off it is ver hard to scrub off (the tank is outdoors 400 gal water tank ) the moss only grows where it receives sunlight

 

[Lupin]

unfortunately where i live nitrate its are very expensive so i don't check however as of now the water is clear what i meant was is it more beneficial to have algae and sunlight or is it more beneficial to have no algae and no sunlight

btw in another tank i have some "moss" that grows from the wall of the tank at 4-5 inches in length horizontally from the wall it look very "stringy" ill post pics if need be but the question is would anyone be able to identify it and tell me if it produces or uses up oxygen (good or bad) and how to take it off it is ver hard to scrub off (the tank is outdoors 400 gal water tank ) the moss only grows where it receives sunlight

Algae is quite beneficial. A lot of goldfish tend to grow properly when they are able to consume algae, one of the most nutritious foods. You will need to ensure there is adequate aeration however during the dark as the algae undergoes respiration period, thus, it could compete with fish for oxygen. Make sure you have bubblers up at night. Goldfish are heavy oxygen consumers so they can easily gasp once they are deprived of oxygen supply.

I think the hairy algae could be green filamentous algae. Leave it alone IMO. Algae is quite nutritious for goldfish in general.

 

[triniyute]

Algae is quite beneficial. A lot of goldfish tend to grow properly when they are able to consume algae, one of the most nutritious foods. You will need to ensure there is adequate aeration however during the dark as the algae undergoes respiration period, thus, it could compete with fish for oxygen. Make sure you have bubblers up at night. Goldfish are heavy oxygen consumers so they can easily gasp once they are deprived of oxygen supply.

I think the hairy algae could be green filamentous algae. Leave it alone IMO. Algae is quite nutritious for goldfish in general.

however the algae in the goldfish tank is microscopic in the water making the water appear green. the "hairy" (stringy) algae is in a tank with O's a pacu and some cichlids etc.

 

[Lupin]

That's what I meant though. Green floating algae is really beneficial.