As an aquarist, you must want to know the reasons behind your goldfish changing its color. So why is your goldfish changing its color? Let us find out.
Aging is the primary reason behind goldfish changing its color. However, other factors like poor water conditions or illness can also change your fish color. Provide adequate light, a healthy diet, and a stress-free environment to your fish as it helps in their color enhancement and proper growth.
The below article will discuss the reasons for your goldfish changing its color.
Contents
Why is my goldfish changing color?
There can be several reasons behind your goldfish changing its color.
Aging can be a primary reason for your goldfish changing its color.
However, other factors like lack of light, poor water conditions, illness, genetics, and diet can also change your goldfish color.
Most baby goldfish have a brown or a black color due to their possessing melanophores within the dermal layer of their scales.
With time, as they mature, they start developing their natural colors: vibrant orange or yellow.
It usually takes a year for your goldfish to develop its natural colors.
Therefore, you should provide good tank conditions and a proper diet to your goldfish to enhance their color.
Is it normal for your goldfish to change its color?
Your goldfish changing its color due to aging is normal, and there is nothing to worry about as it does not affect the health of your goldfish.
However, if your goldfish is changing its color due to some factors like illness, it is a matter of concern that requires immediate attention for your fish’s well-being.
Goldfish in captivity exhibit three scale types: nacreous, matt, and metallic.
The presence or absence of these scale types, along with the density of the pigment cells, states how a goldfish scales will change its color throughout life.
Metallic scales
It is composed of a crystalline pigment known as guanine that mirrors light and holds many xanthophores and erythrophores, the cells that help in the bright coloration like orange, red and yellow.
It is unlikely for a metallic goldfish to change its color during its life.
Nacreous scales
Nacreous scales hold few guanine, so goldfish with these scale types may appear moderately metallic.
Nacreous goldfish are usually red, black, and yellow, and their pigment cells are located beneath the scales.
The goldfish with such scale types are dull and less bright.
Matt goldfish
Matt goldfish do not have guanine as well as pigment cells, so they are usually white, cream-colored, and light grey.
Therefore, matt goldfish do not change their color as they don’t have pigment cells.
What are the reasons behind your goldfish changing its color?
There can be many reasons behind your goldfish changing its colors.
- Poor water quality
- Illness
- Poor diet
- Lack of sunlight
- Aging
- Genetics
Poor water quality
Poor water quality in the tank can be the primary reason your goldfish changes its color.
Poor water quality can also elevate the tank’s ammonia and nitrite level, causing ammonia burns in your fish and fading its color.
In addition, contaminated water in the tank can lead to severe health issues like losing appetite and extreme stress in your fish.
Illness
Many diseases like the white spot disease can make your goldfish change its color.
Adding infected water to your goldfish tank is the root cause behind white spot disease in your goldfish.
It will be advisable to maintain good water conditions in your goldfish tank to prevent such issues in your fish.
Poor diet
Providing a poor diet to your goldfish can also make them change their color.
Goldfish are omnivores species that require meat and green veggies for healthy growth.
Lack of sunlight
Goldfish are diurnal that require both light and dark periods in their tank for adequate growth.
Lack of light in the tank can make your goldfish change its color and lead to stress in your fish.
Aging
Aging can also be a reason behind your goldfish changing its color.
However, your goldfish changing its color due to aging is entirely normal and does not affect the health of your fish.
Genetics
Genetics also plays a vital role in your fish changing its color.
However, your goldfish changing color due to genetics is a fact and cannot be prevented.
What can you do about your goldfish changing their color?
Here are the things you can do about your goldfish changing its color
- Provide nutritional food to your goldfish
- Provide good water conditions
- Add light to your goldfish tank
- Provide a stress-free environment
Provide nutritional food to your goldfish
You should provide high-nutritional food to your goldfish as it helps to enhance the color of your fish and keep them healthy.
In addition, here is some color-enhancing food you can provide to your goldfish.
| Goldfish Food | Link to buy |
|---|---|
| Fluval Bug Bites Color Enhancing Fish Food | Fluval Bug Bites |
| Aqueon Goldfish Food Color Enhancing Granules | Aqueon Goldfish Granules |
Goldfish are omnivores species, they require green veggies and red meat for adequate development.
Here are some food options for your goldfish
| Goldfish Diet | Serving Quantity | No. of times | Recommended for adequate development of your goldfish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brine Shrimp | One pinch | 1-2 times a week | HIKARI BRINE SHRIMP CUBES |
| Tubifex Worms | One pinch | 1 time a week | HIKARI FREEZE DRIED TUBIFEX WORMS |
| Veggie Pellets | One pinch | 2 times a day | HIKARI SINKING FISH FOOD |
| Blood Worms | One pinch | 1-2 times a week | HIKARI FREEZE DRIED BLOODWORMS |
| Boiled peas | Half a pea | 2-3 times a day | Feed fresh peas |
| Daphnia | One pinch | 2-3 times a week | Feed fresh daphnia |
| Mosquito Larvae | 12-15 | 2-3 times a week | Feed live larvae |
Also read: What Do Goldfish Eat?
Provide good water conditions
Ensure to provide good water conditions in your goldfish tank as contaminated water can lead to significant health issues, making your fish change their color.
You should perform a 30% water change weekly in your goldfish aquarium to maintain the tank’s water quality.
In addition, you should also add a water filter to your goldfish tank as it helps to eliminate the harmful chemicals from the water and keep the water clean.
We recommend you add a Fluval High Performance water filter to your goldfish tank as it helps maintain the tank’s water quality by eliminating harmful chemicals from the water.
You can buy it from Amazon Fluval High Performance Aquarium Filter
Also, read: Do Goldfish Need Filters?
It would be best to keep eyeing the tank’s ammonia level, as excessive ammonia in the tank can lead to ammonia burns in your goldfish, making them lose their color.
We advise using an API test kit to check the ammonia levels to get accurate results.
You can buy it from Amazon API TEST KIT.
Also, read Ammonia Poisoning In Goldfish.
Add light to your goldfish tank
Ensure to provide light for 12-13 hours in your goldfish tank as it helps to enhance your fish’s color and prevent stress in your fish.
You should provide both light and dark periods in your tank for the well-being of your fish.
We recommend you to purchase Hygger Spectrum Led Aquarium Light.
You can buy it from Amazon Hygger Spectrum Led Aquarium Light.
Also, read: Do Goldfish Need Light?
Provide a stress-free environment
You should always provide a stress-free environment in your goldfish tank to enhance your fish color and for their healthy growth.
Here are the ways to provide a stress-free environment in your goldfish tank.
- Avoid overcrowding your goldfish tank.
- Avoid overfeeding your goldfish.
- Provide good water conditions for your fish.
- Avoid pairing your fish with aggressive tankmates.
- Provide a lot of hiding spots in your fish tank.
- Maintain ideal water parameters in your fish tank.
- Provide high nutritional food to your goldfish.
The above were the ways to provide a stress-free environment in your goldfish tank.
Also, read: What To Do If My Goldfish Is Stressed?
Conclusion:
- Lack of light, poor water conditions, illness, genetics, and diet can also change your goldfish color.
- Most baby goldfish have a brown or a black color due to their possessing melanophores within the dermal layer of their scales.
- If your goldfish is changing its color due to some factors like illness, it is a matter of concern that requires immediate attention for your fish’s well-being.
- Goldfish in captivity exhibit three scale types: nacreous, matt, and metallic.
- Provide nutritional food, good water conditions, and a stress-free environment to enhance your fish color.
Reference: ResearchGate ScienceDirect