Goldfish Turn White

[strttndrrn]

any ideas a friend of mine has a gold fish that has turned white it doesnt look sick and is swimming around just fine

 

[kelly528]

any ideas a friend of mine has a gold fish that has turned white it doesnt look sick and is swimming around just fine

Color loss is an attribute of stress, which may be the case of the goldfish is not housed in a large enough tank (ie pretty much anything under 80L).


The loss of pigment is also a perfectly natural process in goldies, ie jet-black goldfish turning orange or orange and white goldfish turning white. Here is a good article on the process of 'cellular suicide' in which the pigment cells in goldfish die with age, making the fish lighter.