As a goldfish keeper, you must be curious to know about the reasons behind your goldfish losing their color. So why is your goldfish losing their natural color? Let us discuss this below:
Goldfish can lose their color for various reasons, like aging and environmental changes. Goldfish have a pigment in their skin that is sensitive to light. Consider providing natural light, and a good diet can help prevent your fish from losing their natural color.
Let us dive into the article to know the reasons behind your goldfish losing their color. In addition to this, we will also discuss why your goldfish is turning black or white.
Contents
Why do goldfish lose their color?
Goldfish are sensitive to light as they have a pigment in their skin that reacts to light. Therefore, if you place your goldfish in an area where its skin does not get enough light, your goldfish will most probably lose its skin color.
Whereas placing your goldfish in a brighter area where they will get enough sunlight will make their color look brighter.
Likewise, light many other factors like sickness, environmental changes, and genetics are responsible for goldish losing its color.
Why is my goldfish turning white?
There are many reasons behind your goldfish turning white. Some of them are as follows:
- Deprived of sunlight
- Poor Diet
- Aging
- Stress
Deprived of light
The possible reason your goldfish turns white is the lack of light. If your goldfish do not get enough light, your fish will probably lose their color.
So it will be advisable to provide light to your goldfish to avoid such issues. Led lights can do the job, but it not as efficient as natural sunlight.
We want you to know that goldfish living in the pond are brighter than fish in indoor tanks. The fish get more exposure to natural sunlight in the ponds than indoor tanks.
Poor Diet
An improper diet can also make your goldfish turn white. You should provide nutritious food to your goldfish for their proper growth and development.Â
Your goldfish diet should contain small portions of green veggies and red meat to give them a healthy life.Â
Also read: What Do Goldfish Eat?
Aging
Aging is also a common reason behind your goldfish turning white. Your goldfish will start losing its color as it grows old. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to prevent this.
Stress
Stress also plays an essential role in your goldfish turning white. Stress can also make your goldfish turn white.Â
It would be advisable to provide a stress-free environment to your goldfish to provide a healthy life and avoid such issues.
Also read: What To Do If My Goldfish Is Stressed?
Why is my goldfish turning black?
The presence of ammonia in the tank can make your goldfish turn black as it burns the gills of your goldfish and can also eventually lead to the passing away of your fish.
Ammonia is a toxic chemical produced inside your goldfish tank that can lead to significant health issues to your goldfish.
Goldfish are messy species that make a lot of waste in the tank. So it will always be advisable to keep your goldfish tank clean as the waste can cause ammonia spikes in the tank.
In addition to this, uneaten food and decaying plant matter can also lead to a spike in ammonia levels. Therefore, you should ensure regular water changes to prevent ammonia spikes in your goldfish tank.
It would be advisable to add a water filter in your goldfish tank as a filter helps keep the water clean and plays an essential role in eliminating such toxic chemicals from your goldfish tank.
To know more about the benefits of water filter, you can read my article on Do goldfish need filters
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Turning Black?
7 causes behind your goldfish losing it’s color?
7 most common causes behind your goldfish losing its color are as follows:
- Growing old
- Deprived of light
- Genetics
- Environmental changes
- Illness
- Stress
- Bad diet
Growing old
One of the common reasons behind your goldfish losing its color is aging. As your goldfish grow older, they will start losing their color.
Prevention: Aging is an entirely natural process, and you cannot do anything to avoid this fact.
Deprived of light
Another reason your goldfish loses its color is less exposure to natural sunlight. If you place your goldfish in a darker area, they will lose their natural color.
We want you to know that the goldfish living in ponds are brighter than the fish placed in indoor aquariums.
Prevention: You must provide natural sunlight to your goldfish to prevent such issues. Led lights can do the job but are not effective as natural sunlight.
A few hours of natural sunlight will help your goldfish look brighter. However, avoid placing them in direct sunlight for an extended period, as it can heat your goldfish aquarium.Â
It will be advisable to use a thermometer to keep an eye on your goldfish tank’s temperature. The temperature of your goldfish tank should range between 68° to 74° F.
Genetics
Genetics also plays a vital role in losing your goldfish color. If the parents of your goldfish have lost their skin color, then your goldfish will also eventually lose its color.
Prevention: Genital issues is a fact and cannot be prevented.
Environmental changes
Environmental changes also play an essential role in losing your goldfish color. Goldfish are messy fish that produces a lot of waste in the tank, which can cause ammonia spikes in your fish tank.
Ammonia is a harmful chemical that can cause severe damage to your goldfish, and your fish can also lose its color.
Prevention:Â You should always ensure regular water changes to avoid such issues in your goldfish tank. Adding a water filter to your goldfish tank will be advisable as a filter helps to eliminate harmful chemicals from your goldfish tank.Â
Illness
Illness also plays a critical role in your goldfish losing its color. Diseases like ich can lead to white spots in your goldfish; eventually, your fish will lose its color.Â
Prevention: Always maintain adequate water temperature in your goldfish tank. A sudden drop in water temperature can cause severe health issues like ich to your goldfish.
Stress
Stress also plays an essential role in your goldfish losing its color. Stress makes your goldfish turn white and leads to severe health issues to your goldfish.
Prevention: Always provide a stress-free environment to your goldfish to provide them with a healthy life.
Bad diet
An improper diet can also make your goldfish lose its color. Excessive gel foods like pellets and flakes can cause severe damage to your goldfish.Â
Prevention: Always provide nutritious food to your goldfish for their proper growth and development. Your goldfish diet should hold all green veggies and red meat in adequate quantity for their growth.
| Goldfish Diet | Serving Quantity | No. of times | Advisable for proper growth and development |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veggie Pellets | One small pinch | 2 times a day | HIKARI SINKING FISH FOOD |
| Blood Worms | One small pinch | 1-2 times a week | HIKARI FREEZE DRIED BLOODWORMS |
| Brine Shrimp | One small pinch | 1-2 times a week | HIKARI BRINE SHRIMP CUBES |
| Tubifex Worms | One small pinch | 1 times a week | HIKARI FREEZE DRIED TUBIFEX WORMS |
| Boiled peas | Half a pea | 3-4 times a week | Feed Fresh |
| Blanched Zucchini | One small slice | 3-4 times a week | Feed Fresh |
| Mosquito Larvae | 12-15 | 2-3 times a week | Feed Live |
Conclusion:
- Goldfish are sensitive to light due to the pigment in their skin that reacts to light.
- There are many reasons, like stress behind your goldfish turning white.Â
- The presence of ammonia in the tank can burn the gills of your fish, making your goldfish turn black.
- There are many reasons behind your goldfish losing its colors, like genetics and environmental changes.Â
- You should always provide a healthy diet for your goldfish for their proper growth and development.Â
Reference: ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, NCBI