Koi changing color

[Caretaker]

Last fall I had a really long beautiful solid black koi abot 6 inches in body lenght not counting fin length. I haven't seen it all spring. I had and still do have a silver and black one. I didn't have two of them and now I do. Could it have changed that drastically.

 

[mrsclem]

Yes! I have had them change color completely in one week! I was sure someone had switched fish on me. Usually after 5 years the color changes stop but I have 2 koi that are 10 years old and are still getting some orange spots developing.

 

[Gemma]

I had a koi that was born solid black and the next year it was spotted black and orange, and a few months after that it was clear that it was losing most if not all of the black

 

[Mmathis]

I don’t have koi (goldfish only) but have noticed that they will sometimes change colors. The black ones, especially will “turn” usually by the 2nd or 3rd year.

 

[Lisak1]

Completely possible. Many fish are black in the beginning - a protection from predators no doubt - and then gain color as they grow.

 

[carolinaguy]

All koi change color over time. There are no exceptions. There are good color changes we hope for like rich sumi that develops in a Showa over time. Yamabuki ogons will develop orange dots that ruin the look. One of our club members has two expensive fish, a Showa that won at a recent koi show and a kohaku that looks polka dotted. Both had magnificent white in their coloration. Both turned yellowish in a month. Not sure why. Other fish turn pinkish with too much color enhanced food (shrimp). Fire engine reds are notorious for degrading quickly. Asagi and shusui blues turn black after maybe 10 to 15 years. I had a beautiful hi matsuba that became a black and white fish over a winter. Then there is the famous kumynrhu that change color seasonally.