Black markings gone?

[Willow]

I have 6 fancy goldies (between 1inch-2inches each) in a 20 gallon tank.....I know it's too small, and I'll be getting a larger tank soon. Until I do, I'm doing 25% partial water changes twice a week. My question is: when I bought them, the orange oranda and the orange ryukin both had lovely black edges on their tails and dorsal fins. Also, the calico? (not calico if she loses her black) ryukin had an orange spot on her head with a smaller black spot inside that orange spot, and black edging on her tail. All of them have lost the black markings, though the calico ryukin still has a little black edging on her tail, but it's almost gone. Is this normal? I know there can be a lot of variation in coloring, but it's weird (for me) that they lost all their black markings. Water quality is good; ammonia and nitrites are so low they don't even register in the tests, PH is fairly acidic, nitrates are slightly high, but not too bad. I have a Penguin filter with a Bio-Wheel, and an undergravel filter with a reverse-flow powerhead with a biological sponge pre-filter, so biological filtration is pretty good. The black moor has also changed color--for the better--when I bought them, he was almost completely bronze, now he's a nice velvety black all over, so something's going right for him.

[Huugs]

As far as I understand it the black markings on goldfish can dissappear as they mature. I have a few goldfish and some of them started out very black and lost it all whereas others only had a bit on and they still have it. i think its normal for the black to go and I wouldnt worry.

Alsoif the fish has been ill (ie. had finrot or something) the new tissue that re grows grows back black and will dissappear.

[Willow]

Dang. I liked the black edging on their fins. Oh, well.

[ijedic]

Huugs is right, the orange can also dissapear with age, leaving larger white patches or completely white fish. I've never really found out why the color loss (orange or black) occurs, only that it happened to mine, and it's happened to a lot of others. Take care, Shannon

[mr.dark-saint]

Small goldfish will lose the black marking (most often seen in feeders that are spared) also water temp will effect the coloration, too. Warmer months will brighten the fish and reverse for cooler. I had a red and white feeder with a bit of black in the red which the black spread nicely in the black but never in to the white (kind a like a Budo Goromo). Then the Raccoon came a calling and that was that.