Fishes

[Danielcole]

Hi, I’ve had my pond for a few months, all was going well but the last couple of days I have noticed some black markings on my fish? No idea why/what this is and I am worried they are unwell. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[WaterGardener]

Pictures would be a big help.

Black markings can be healing ammonia burns. Do you have liquid test kits? If so, please post the results here. If you don't have them, you will need tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and KH. Please don't use the testing strips, since those are not accurate.

 

[Danielcole]

Thanks, just ordered a test kit, not strips. Can’t get a clear picture. I have 10 fish and it’s only effecting one.

 

[mrsclem]

What kind of fish are they? It could be a natural color change.

 

[Danielcole]

It’s a golden orf, I have 3 of them but 2 are fine

 

[Gazzas pool]

I'm no expert, but I have always thought that black markings on young gold fish was a sign of a growth spert, could be way off beam but ya got me questioning myself, so I'll Google it lol

 

[Jhn]

Orfes can develop black markings on them, nothing to be worried about. Part of their coloring…A couple of my bigger ones have them, but we’re plain light orange when I got the.

 

[brokensword]

Orfes can develop black markings on them, nothing to be worried about. Part of their coloring…A couple of my bigger ones have them, but we’re plain light orange when I got the.

@Jhn ; got any pics of your orfes in the pond? Always wondered if I wanted some of these but I have so many goldfish already and koi have become the flavor of the moment, so...

And, do they school a lot? I bet they DO add a different element to the mix. They can get large, though, right?

 

[Jhn]

@Jhn ; got any pics of your orfes in the pond? Always wondered if I wanted some of these but I have so many goldfish already and koi have become the flavor of the moment, so...

And, do they school a lot? I bet they DO add a different element to the mix. They can get large, though, right

Here is one of the young uns from last year, probably about 6” or so long. Will get some pictures of the adults this weekend. Yeah they tend to stay somewhat in a school, but they seem to feel comfortable with the koi and goldfish around them too. Rarely see them off alone, they get around 2’ or so long. They zip around the pond eating food and will occasionally leap out of the water to get a bug that gets close to the water. I currently have 5 large adults (7-8 year olds) about 18” and 7-8.(1-2 year olds)