Why is my goldfish losing color? Is it normal for aging fish?

Question

My goldfish is losing its colour, it gets lots of sunlight (but not too much) and have regular clean outs of the tank. The other goldfish is sticking to its colour

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Goldfish naturally change color as they age. Though most do so during their first year or two of life, others change throughout their lifetime. There are two different types of color changes in fish: physiological and morphological. Physiological changes occur when the pigments in the cells either spread out, which makes the colors more pronounced, or when the pigment clusters in the center, which makes the colors more muted. Morphological changes occur when the actual number of pigments in the cells increase or decrease. An example of a morphological change is when a black goldfish starts to turn orange or a young goldfish loses its black markings as it ages. In this case, as the fish matures, it’s losing its black pigment cells. How and when their colors change really depends upon their individual genetic makeup. I would not be overly worried if he is acting otherwise normally.

Why is my goldfish losing color? Is it normal for aging fish?

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