Did you bring home a fish of a different color?
Goldfish come in a variety of colors. These colors include brown, gray, blue, black, white, orange, red, yellow and gold. Some goldfish may be multi-colored or calico. Goldfish are infamous for changing colors as they age. Newly hatched fry are brownish gray, but will develop color within a few months. The color will peak by the end of its first year, but will change or lose coloration as it grows older. Red goldfish may end up white, or black goldfish may end up brown. A red goldfish with black fins may end up with white fins, or vice versa
Goldfish changing colors
Breeders have been working on enhancing the coloration of goldfish for centuries, but have yet to discover how to keep goldfish from losing or changing colors. You may see special goldfish food that promises to enhance color, but this food which contains dye typically ends up tinting the water instead. To date there is no known method of keeping the color of a goldfish constant
A fish of a different color
Goldfish are descendants of the Gibel carp of China; which were mostly silver and gold, however once in a while an orange or red carp would be spotted, which inspired the breeding of the first Gibel carp, known as the common goldfish
If you look closely at the fish in the photo below, you’ll see a whitish cloud covering the body. This once solid and brilliantly colored orange Moor has been burned by ammonia
This is same fish (below) The blackened areas are healing burns
This is the same fish a few months later, the blackened areas gradually fading
Don’t be surprised if the fish you bring home becomes a fish of a different color, but let’s hope it changes color for the right reason
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Author: Brenda Rand