i have a friend who has the same thing going on with her two golds. one of them went from grey/silver to white to pale orange, and now back to white. unfortunetly she keeps them(both atleast 4-5 inches long) in a 10 gallon with a decent sized cae. iv told her several times to get rid of both of the cae she has, and to either get her two golds a bigger tank or give them away or they would be stunted. she said that she didnt care, and that they would stay where they are.... all with a staight face looking me directly in the eye the entire time i was trying to explain it to her. some people just dont get it or even care about what thier fish need unfortunetly. i hope your friend listens to you sooner rather than later.