My silver goldfish is red around its a**s, it has prominent lines around its tail and its losing its colour?

Question

Keeping in mind it is new and living with three other new fish and they sometimes chase each other.

Answer 1

When you first get a goldfish they have been fed color enhancer food and their colors are very bright. The colors fade as time goes on unless you continue to feed them color enhancers. As far as the red colors go, silver goldfish are still hybrids of the old gold goldfish and as they age they sometimes get the orange colors coming out in spots.

If the other fish are nipping at him, you could be seeing blood. Watch to see if that is what is happening. You may have to take the offending fish out of the tank until the other fish get used to the new goldfish.

If your fish is acting sick, get a goldfish book and see if you can figure out what is wrong and treat him for that. Goldfish can live a really long time so good luck with him!

Answer 2

i know it pet shops they put oranges and lemons in the tanks so the fish keep there color, thats why they dull out when you bring them home.

Answer 3

Goldfish are almost never fed color enhancing food-- pet stores usually feed the cheapest food they can find.  What you're seeing is indicative of an internal parasitic infection, which I would recommend treating with medicated food.  Either soaking the fish's food in something like dissolved metronidazole (Flagyl, Hexamit, Metronidazole, etc.) kanamycin (Kanaplex), or other internal parasite medications (Clout, Paracide D, etc.).  Soak the food in a bowl of medicated tank water, then dump the food and liquid into the tank.  If the fish is not eating, treating the tank's water with any of the above medications would also work.  When medicating, remove any activated carbon from the filter.