Fish changing color

[Neo]

Is it normal for a goldfish to change color quickly? I have 5 goldfish from my pond last year that I brought in over the winter in an aquarium and just put them outside in the pond about 3 weeks ago and 4 of them stayed orange like always but only 1 fish turned white.

I've heard of young fish doing this but these are 6 inch adult goldfish also.

 

[Waterbug]

They can do it at any age. 6" goldfish, raised in a good environment, could be less than a year old. When they do change colors it does go fast.

The white color may change to red at some point. And if you have a good eye the orange fish can change to red. The colors are very close and most people don't notice. Once red I've never seen a Common or Comet change from there.

 

[buckry]

My favorite black goldfish is getting all ugly. He was 90% black, all on top and sides, with a fiery red belly. Now the black is stretching and the redi showing through the black, only it's not red anymore, it's fading, almost pink. Really horrible, I hope he keeps changing and morphs past this into something nice. I'll have to rename him, he just doesn't look like a General Tso any more.

 

[fishin4cars]

It is quite possibly for a goldfish or koi to change colors pretty quickly, some change fast, some change slow. that's the first i have heard of a solid orange changing to white but it doesn't surprise me. I've had Koi change to complete different color fish in less than a few days. just had a Ki Kikokuryu change to a solid white with faint black scaling down the back. although i really liked its original colors I think I like the new coloration even better. however one of my prized Kohaku Koi started changing and has lost all his red on it's head. looks like the red is fading on the back as well. oh and these are two and three year old 15-20" fish and they are still drstically changing.

 

[Neo]

Thanks for the replies, I was just a little concerned. I'm actually glad it did it since it's the only all white one I have and stands out in the crowd now.

 

[Waterbug]

I had read Koi changed color, but I thought it was small changes, like red becoming more red. I didn't realize they went though such a large change.

For my next pond one option I was thinking was a single Koi type, like Kohaku, Taisho or Showa. If I started out with Kohaku would it at least stay in the ball park? Like if the underlying color is white, like Kohaku and Taisho, can that underlying color change to black? Can a Taisho turn into a Showa?

 

[buckry]

My black goldfish that was black all summer, then started to get redder this week, is now 99% red, he has a very few tiny black dots around his pectoral fin. So you guys were talking about fast, that's light speed, I hope he doesn't have whiplash.

 

[fishrich]

I wish my black goldfish would change colour, The dam things know im trying to get rid of them and will not let me catch them.
Some of the larger gold fish have turned partly white, at first i thought they had a problem, but they have been like it now for about a year.

 

[Rivermist]

some of mine changed color as well... one went from white and red to white and another from grey to grey/orange probably gonna become grey and red...

 

[fishin4cars]

I had read Koi changed color, but I thought it was small changes, like red becoming more red. I didn't realize they went though such a large change.

For my next pond one option I was thinking was a single Koi type, like Kohaku, Taisho or Showa. If I started out with Kohaku would it at least stay in the ball park? Like if the underlying color is white, like Kohaku and Taisho, can that underlying color change to black? Can a Taisho turn into a Showa?

It really depends on the breeder and the bloodline, Or at least that's my understanding. If You get a fish that was raised in a flock spawn and it starts out Kohaku it's possible that it could turn all white, or could get some grey tones. A Sanke or Showa can change even more due to they have the genes for three distinct colors. But in most cases those would change to either the sumi (Black) Rising to the surface or the Sumi and or Hi (Red) fading. Always keep in mind that the white is the base color. It's always the most stable color. Fish that are raised in Japan, and even High Quality breeders here may only raise one type of fish. Say Kohaku, If that's the case then the chances are greatly reduced that the fish would take on drastic changes.
You ask can a underlying color change? It doesn't really change, It surfaces. For example you may have a fish that has a red patch with black mark. The black mark could fade back leaving the red only, but a few years later the Black could resuface and completely cover all the red. Will a black and white Koi turn into a red and white. I seriously doubt it. Can a Black and white koi turn solid black or solid white, absolutley they can. Can a Showa turn into a Kohaku, NO, It still remains a Showa but has Kohaku coloration, This is because there is always that chance that the black can resurface.