Your fish can lose their color for several reasons, and knowing the particular reason is essential to ensure their well-being. So, why is your fish losing color? Let us find out.
Stress and illness is the root cause behind your fish losing their color. However, other factors like aging, genetics, poor quality diet and lack of light can also make them lose their color. Consider providing ideal water conditions and a stress-free environment in the tank to prevent such issues.
The below article discusses the reasons and prevention behind your fish losing their color.

Contents
Why do fish lose their color?
Stress and illness is the leading cause behind your fish losing its color. However, many other factors like lack of light, aging, and low-quality diet also play a significant role in your fish losing its color.
Your fish losing its color due to age is a natural and entirely normal process.
But, if there are other reasons behind your fish losing its color, it is a matter of concern as it indicates health issues in your fish.
We advise you to take immediate action, as ignoring such a situation can affect the well-being of your aquarium fish.
Why is my fish turning white?
Here are the reasons behind your fish turning white
- A lack of light in the tank can make your aquarium fish turn white. In their natural habitat, they get a balance of light and dark periods. So, when you place them in an artificial environment, you must provide a balance of light and dark periods to your fish to ensure their well-being.
- Feeding a low-quality diet can to your fish can make them turn white. Therefore, you should provide high-quality food in a moderate quantity to prevent such issues in your fish.
- Extreme stress in your aquarium fish can also make them turn white. We advise providing a stress-free environment for your aquarium fish to ensure their healthy growth and development.
- Aging also plays an essential role in your fish turning white. As your fish grows old, it will start losing its color. It is a natural and entirely normal process, and there is nothing to worry about.

Why is my fish turning black?
Ammonia poisoning can make your fish turn black. The presence of ammonia in the tank can burn the gills of your fish, eventually making them turn black.
Poor water conditions in the tank can lead to a spike in the ammonia and nitrite level, exposing your fish to ammonia poisoning and several other health issues.
The ammonia level of your fish tank should be at 0ppm. You can maintain your tank’s ammonia level by performing weekly water changes and regular maintenance of your fish tank.
In addition, we recommend you add a water filter to your fish tank, as it helps maintain the tank’s water quality and eliminates the harmful toxins from the water.
Therefore, keep eyeing the tank’s ammonia level to ensure the well-being of your fish.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Turning Black?
What are the reasons behind my fish losing color?
Here are the reasons behind your fish losing color
Aging
Aging can make your fish lose their color. As your fish grows old, they will start losing their color.
It is a natural process that cannot be prevented.
Therefore, your fish losing color due to aging does not indicate any health issues, so there is nothing you should worry about.
Stress in your fish
Stress can also make your fish lose their natural color. Many reasons, like inadequate water parameters, poor water conditions, aggressive tankmates, and low-quality diet, can make your fish suffer from stress.
In addition, stress can also lead to several health issues like loss of appetite in your fish, eventually making them weak and prone to various diseases.
Prevention: You can prevent this issue by providing a stress-free environment for your fish. Maintain suitable water parameters, ideal water conditions and avoid overcrowding to offer a stress-free environment to your fish.
Poor quality diet
Providing bad quality diet to your fish can make them lose their color. In addition, a low-quality diet can lead to several health issues like loss of appetite and constipation in your fish, eventually making them vulnerable and prone to several diseases.
Prevention: You should always provide a high-quality diet to your fish to prevent such issues and to ensure their well-being.
If you have a herbivore fish, provide them with high-quality veggie pellets and blanched green veggies for their adequate growth and development.
If you have a carnivore fish species in the tank, provide them with red meat like mosquito larvae, bloodworms, and tubifex for their development.
If you have an omnivore fish species in your fish tank, provide them with a mix of red meat and green veggies to ensure their proper growth and development.
Genetics
Genetics also plays a vital role in your fish losing its color. Your fish losing their color due to genetics is a fact, and you cannot prevent it.
Therefore, it does not indicate any health issues in your fish, so there is nothing you should worry about.
Illness
Several illnesses, like fin rot and white spot disease, can make your fish lose their natural color.
Prevention: You should immediately isolate your fish in a separate tank and provide treatment for such issues.
Maintain adequate water parameters and good water conditions in the tank to prevent such health issues in your fish.

Lack of light
Lack of light in your fish tank can make your fish lose color. Placing your fish in a darker environment, 24/7, can fade their natural color.
Prevention: You should provide a balance of light and dark periods in the tank to prevent such issues and ensure your fish’s well-being.
You can add led lights to your tank and provide a few hours of indirect sunlight in a day to enhance your fish’s color.
Conclusion:
- Stress is the leading reason behind your fish losing its color. Other factors like lack of light, illness, aging, and low-quality diet also play a significant role in your fish losing color.
- Your fish losing its color due to age is a natural and entirely normal process.
- Lack of light, aging, stress, and illness make your fish turn white.
- Ammonia poisoning in your fish can burn their gills and turn them black.
- You can prevent such issues by providing good water conditions, ideal water parameters, and a stress-free environment for your fish.
Reference: ScienceDirect ResearchGate