Goldfish are famous for their vibrant orange color. But, your goldfish can lose their color and turn white for numerous reasons. So, why is my goldfish turning white? Is it normal? Let us find out.
Illness is the root cause behind your goldfish turning white. However, stress, genetics, and inadequate water parameters can also make your goldfish turn white. Consider providing adequate water conditions and high-quality nutritional food to your goldfish to prevent such issues.
The below article will discuss all the reasons and prevention for your goldfish turning white.
Contents
My goldfish is turning white
Lack of sunlight, poor diet, illness, and stress are some common causes behind your goldfish turning white.
However, genetics and old age can also make your goldfish turn white.
Your goldfish turning white due to inadequate tank conditions is a matter of concern as it can lead to many other health issues in your fish.
But, if your goldfish is changing its color due to other factors like old age and genetics, it is natural and does not affect the health of your fish.
Therefore, one of the most common color changes for goldfish is to turn white.
Is it normal for your goldfish to turn white?
Your goldfish turning white due to inadequate tank conditions like improper water parameters, overcrowded tank, and poor water conditions are not normal.
Poor water conditions in the tank can lead to a spike in the tank’s ammonia level, eventually leading to ammonia poisoning in your goldfish.
Overcrowded tanks can make your tank’s water contaminated quickly and lead to stress in your goldfish.
However, if your goldfish is changing its color due to genetics and old age, it is normal and does not affect the health of your fish.
What are the reasons behind your goldfish turning white?
Here are the reasons behind your goldfish turning white
- Diseases and parasites can make your goldfish turn white.
- Stress due to environmental factors can cause your goldfish to turn white.
- Poor water quality conditions in the tank can make your goldfish turn white.
- Overcrowded tanks can make your goldfish turn white.
- Providing low-grade food can make your goldfish turn white.
- A lack of light in the tank can make your goldfish turn white.
- Genetics can also make your goldfish turn white.
1. Diseases and parasites
Some diseases and parasites like ich, dropsy, fin rot, and mold development can make your goldfish turn white.
Ich
Ich, also known as white spot disease, is an external parasite that causes white spots all over your goldfish’s body.
Ich leads to itching in your goldfish, making them rub against the tank’s gravel and other aquarium decors in the tank.
You can provide two types of treatment to cure your goldfish ich.
- Salt Water Treatment
- Chemical Treatment
To treat your goldfish, you can read my article: How To Cure Goldfish Ich?
Dropsy
Dropsy is a state in which your goldfish cannot eliminate the excess fluid from its body tissues.
Poor water quality and stress are the leading reasons for dropsy in your goldfish.
Your goldfish can turn white as dropsy can lead to discoloration.
We advise to place your goldfish in a separate tank and treat them with Epsom salt.
Ensure to maintain adequate water parameters and provide good quality food to your goldfish while treating dropsy.
Also read: Dropsy In Goldfish
Fin rot
Fin rot is common in freshwater fishes like goldfish.
The leading cause of fin rot in your goldfish is poor water conditions and stress.
Fin rot can be a reason behind bacteria and fungus.
Your goldfish developing a yellowish and whitish edge is a symptom of fin rot.
If not treated in the early stage, your goldfish can lose their whole fin as they will fall off.
It will be advisable to run a proper medication and consult a marine vet to treat fin rot in your goldfish.
Mold development
The development of white fungi in your goldfish aquarium is mold development.
Poor water conditions are the leading reason for the white fungi in your goldfish tank, eventually making your goldfish turn white.
The other reason behind white fungi can be the open wound of your goldfish, as white fungi thrive on your goldfish’s open wounds and floating body parts.
Maintaining proper water conditions in the tank, adding a sound filtration system, and performing regular water changes can help prevent such issues in your goldfish.
2. StressÂ
Stress can make your goldfish turn white. In addition, stress in your goldfish can make your fish sick and prone to several diseases and parasites.
Excessive stress can also lead to the passing away of your goldfish.
Several reasons can lead to stress in your goldfish. Some of them are as follows:
- Poor water conditions
- Inadequate Water Parameters
- Aggressive Tankmates
- Illness
- Overcrowded tank
3. Poor water qualityÂ
Contaminated water in the tank can make your goldfish turn white.
Contaminated water in the tank can also elevate the tank’s ammonia level, eventually burning the skin of your goldfish, making them lose their color.
In addition, contaminated water can make your goldfish lose their appetite and cause other health issues in your fish.
Also read: Why Is My Goldfish Lethargic?
4. Overcrowded tanks
Placing your goldfish in an overcrowded tank can also make your fish turn white.
Here are some issues of keeping your goldfish in an overcrowded tank.
- Goldfish are messy fishes, and keeping them in an overcrowded tank can make your tank pollute faster than usual.
- An overcrowded tank can lead to oxygen deficiency, making your goldfish gasp for air at the top of the tank’s water surface. Your goldfish tank should have an 8.3ppm of dissolved oxygen for the well-being of your fish.
- There will be a high risk of ammonia spikes in an overcrowded tank.
- All the fish in the tank will not get able to eat the food.
5. Providing low-grade food
Providing low-grade food to your goldfish can also make your fish lose their natural color and turn white.
Goldfish are omnivore species that require meat and plant matter food for proper growth and development.
Goldfish require high-quality food to enhance their color and for their proper development.
6. Lack of light
Pond goldfish have a more vibrant color than the goldfish in captivity. The pond goldfish gets adequate light from the sun, which helps them enhance their color.
In the case of the goldfish in captivity, you keep your fish under artificial lights.
But, even full spectrum led lighting does not have the same effects. It may be due to the absence of UV light in these artificial lights.
So, it will be advisable to provide both artificial and occasional sunbathing to your goldfish for their color enhancement.
However, you must take that your tank’s water temperature does not rise too much while providing direct sunlight to your goldfish.
The ideal water temperature of your goldfish tank should be between 68-74°F.
Also read: Can Goldfish See In The Dark?
7. Genetics
Due to their genetics, some goldfish naturally start turning white as they get older.
Your goldfish might not look the same as they used to when you first placed them in your home aquarium.
However, your goldfish turning white due to genetics cannot get its natural color back, but this is not a matter of concern as it does not point toward any health issues in your fish.
Can your goldfish regain its natural color?
Your goldfish losing color and turning white due to lack of light or poor diet can regain its natural color if you provide adequate tank conditions and high-quality food.
However, your fish getting white due to genetics and old age cannot regain its natural color, but this does not indicate any health issues in your goldfish.
Also read: Can Goldfish Lose Their Color?
How can you prevent such issues in your goldfish?
Here are the ways to prevent such issues in your goldfish
- Provide Good Water Conditions
- Provide high-quality food
- Avoid Overstocking your goldfish.
- Provide Adequate Water Parameters
- Provide a stress-free environment for your fish
1. Good Water Conditions
You should provide good water conditions to your goldfish to prevent such issues and their proper growth and development.
Contaminated water in the tank can lead to a spike in the ammonia level leading to ammonia poisoning and affecting the health of your goldfish.
| Particular | Goldfish |
|---|---|
| Ammonia Levels | 0-0.25ppm |
| Nitrite Levels | 0ppm |
| Nitrate Levels | Below 40ppm |
We advise you to check the tank’s ammonia level with the help of the API test kit as it provides accurate results.
You can buy it from Amazon API TEST KIT.
Ensure to perform a 30% weekly water change to maintain the tank’s water quality.
It would be best to treat your freshwater before adding it to your tank for the well-being of your goldfish.
We advise you to purchase an API Tap water conditioner for your goldfish water as it helps to eliminate all the harmful toxins from the water, making it safe for your goldfish.
You can buy it from Amazon API TAP WATER CONDITIONER.
Also read: Do Goldfish Need Water Conditioners?
We suggest you add a water filter to your goldfish tank as it helps eliminate the toxic chemicals from the water and keep your tank water clean.
We advise you to purchase Fluval High Performance Aquarium Filter as it helps to maintain the tank’s water quality.
You can buy it from Amazon Fluval High Performance Aquarium Filter.
Therefore, always provide adequate water conditions to your goldfish for their healthy growth and development.
Also read: Can Goldfish Live In Dirty Water?
2. Provide high-quality food
You should provide high-quality food to your goldfish to prevent such issues in your fish.
Goldfish are omnivore species that require meat and plant matter food for healthy growth and development.
Here are the best food options for your goldfish.
| Goldfish Diet | Serving Quantity | No. of times | Advisable for proper growth and development |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brine Shrimp | One small pinch | 1-2 times a week | HIKARI BRINE SHRIMP CUBES |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Leafy Greens | A piece of leaf | 3-4 times a week | Provide Leaf Lettuce |
| Blanched Zucchini | One small slice | 3-4 times a week | Feed Fresh |
| Mosquito Larvae | 12-15 | 2-3 times a week | Feed Live |
To avoid overfeeding, you should always provide the quantity your goldfish can consume in under 2 minutes.
Therefore, always provide high-quality food to your goldfish for healthy growth and development.
Also read: What Do Goldfish Eat?
3. Avoid Overstocking
Placing your goldfish in an overcrowded tank can make your goldfish come under stress and start losing their color.
As goldfish are messy fish, overcrowding their tanks will contaminate the water quickly.
Contaminated water can further elevate the tank’s ammonia level leading to ammonia poisoning in your goldfish.
So, you should always provide ample space in the tank to avoid overcrowding.
For example, if you have a 10-Gallon tank in your home, here are the number of goldfish you can keep in your 10-Gallon tank.
| Types of Goldfish | In A 10-Gallon Tank |
|---|---|
| Comet Goldfish (2 inches-12 inches) | 1-2 baby Goldfish |
| Shubunkin Goldfish (9 inches-18 inches) | 1 baby Goldfish |
| Common Goldfish (4 inches-14 inches) | 1-2 baby Goldfish |
| Fantail Goldfish (6 inches-8 inches) | 1-2 baby Goldfish |
| Sarasa Goldfish (4 inches -14 inches) | 1-2 baby Goldfish |
For example, if you have a 10-Gallon tank in your home, here are the number of goldfish you can keep in your 10-Gallon tank.
We advise you to follow the one-inch-one-gallon rule to avoid overcrowding your goldfish tank.
One-inch-one-gallon means you should have one gallon of water for every inch of fish.
Also read: What Happens When You Overstock Goldfish Tank?
4. Provide adequate water parameters
You should provide adequate water parameters in your goldfish tank to prevent such issues in your fish.
Inadequate water parameters can shock your goldfish leading to stress in your fish.
Excessive stress further can lead to the passing away of your fish.
| Particulars | Goldfish |
|---|---|
| Water Temperature | 68-74°F |
| Ph Level | 7.5 |
| TDS Level | 170-250ppm |
You can use a thermometer to eye upon the tank’s water temperature.
We advise you to use LCR Hallcrest Vertical Aquarium Thermometer as it is easy to read and provide accurate results.
You can buy it from Amazon LCR Hallcrest Vertical Aquarium Thermometer.
You can check your tank’s pH level with the help of AQUALUNA Test strips to check the pH, nitrite and nitrate levels of your goldfish tank.
You can buy it from Amazon AQUALUNA Aquarium Test Strips.
Also read: What Is The Ideal Water Temperature For Goldfish?
5. Provide Stress-Free Environment
You should provide a stress-free environment to your goldfish to prevent such issues and for your fish’s healthy growth and development.
Here are the ways to provide a stress-free environment for your goldfish.
- Maintain adequate water temperature (68-74°F) in the tank.
- Your tank’s ideal pH level should be 7.5 to provide a stress-free environment for your goldfish.
- Avoid Overcrowding your goldfish tank.
- Provide good water conditions to your goldfish.
- Always provide a high-quality diet to your goldfish.
- Avoid placing your goldfish with aggressive tankmates.
- You should isolate the new fish, aquarium decors, and plants before adding them to your goldfish tank.
- Always treat the freshwater with the proper water conditioner before adding it to your tank.
- Provide a lot of hiding spots in the tank.
- Ensure to provide the amount your goldfish can consume in under two minutes to avoid overfeeding.
- Perform 30% weekly water change to maintain the tank’s water quality.
- Keep eyeing the tank’s ammonia level with the help of the API Ammonia test kit.
Also read: What To Do If My Goldfish Is Stressed?
Conclusion:
- Lack of sunlight, poor diet, illness, and stress are common reasons your goldfish turns white.
- Your goldfish turning white and losing color due to lack of light and poor diet can regain its natural color with good tank conditions and proper diet.
- However, if your goldfish turning white due to genetics cannot regain its natural color.
- You can prevent such issues by providing good water conditions, a proper diet, and adequate water parameters.
- You should always provide a stress-free environment to your goldfish to ensure their healthy growth and development.
- Always provide adequate water parameters in the tank for the well-being of your goldfish.
Reference: ResearchGate