Can you identify this fish?

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Does anyone know what kind of fish this orange and black guy is (top of photo)? He is the same breed as the black one on the left. They periodically change from orange/black to solid black. Guy at the pet store called him a "Happy Goldfish", whatever that meant. Kinda sorry I got them because they are not very pretty, but oh well. Thanks in advance!
 

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Mmathis

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Either common or comet goldfish, looks like. Their colors can be unstable, and black is the least stable color in a GF.

I have some that change like that -- some that never change and some that change only once. They may not be very attractive at the moment, but give them a chance as you never know what you'll end up with.

I had one that stayed black for over a year, then when it started changing I didn't know it was the same fish -- thought that "Mystery" had died or been eaten. That was last year, when he went to some ugly white, light orange/mid-orange mottled color. This year he's still changing, and is a mix of a creamy white and some oranges -- for some reason, his color reminds me of a mixed ice cream cone -- and he's actually a pretty fish! No sign at all of the black.

I have a couple of babies (spawned this spring) that are starting to color -- they look just like yours.
 

HARO

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Common goldfish! They are born a dark green colour, often called 'black', and start to change anywhere from a few months to about a year of age, depending on their lineage. A very small percentage keep their dark colour for life, and make interesting additions to a pond. They seem to materialize out of nowhere at feeding time, then disappear back into the depths. I always try to have one or two in my pond.
John
 

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