# Goldfish **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goldfish/123341 "2002-08-11T01:08:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JeannineK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@JeannineK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeannineK)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goldfish/123341/1 "2002-08-11T01:08:17Z")
From what I understand, if you keep a goldfish in a dark place it will turn white. If you move him into the light again will he get his color back? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goldfish/123341/2 "2002-08-11T02:21:49Z")
From [My goldfish is changing colour - why?](http://www.tetra-fish.co.uk/nonflash/goldfish/colour.html): > [@](#): > > All fish will alter their colouration slightly in order to merge with their background. They do this for camouflage and this ability is probably best known in fish such as the plaice and stonefish, but is found to a lesser extent in the goldfish. > So if a goldfish is placed in an aquarium or pond containing light coloured gravel, or a pale background, it will become less intensively coloured. Conversely in dark surroundings the fish will become more darkly coloured. Such ‘tricks’ as varying background colour are often used by aquarists who show their fish, in order to obtain the best colouration from their fish. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goldfish/123341/3 "2002-08-11T04:44:58Z")
Hi JeannineK! Welcome to the SDMBs. Funny you should mention this because just today I noticed that the golfish I bought several weeks ago no longer has black tips on its fins. The only thing I have in the aquarium is a clam shell and a piece of coral which are both white. (under the algae anyway.) I’ll try putting in some darker decoration and see what happens. The black fins were a beautiful contrast to the bright gold body. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goldfish/123341/4 "2002-08-11T06:17:30Z")
**Peanuthead** , you may never see dark coloring on your goldfish again, as they all tend to be a bronzey-black/brown as juveniles, and take on their brighter colours bit by bit as they mature. If you just bought the fish a few weeks ago, I suspect they’re juveniles, and they’ve just grown out of their baby camoflauge colors. There are goldfish… perhaps make that koi, that do keep black coloring into adulthood, but it’s part of an obvious pattern that shows up when they’re a bit older. Last year I got a small (1") brown feeder goldfish and put it in my pond. Within a few months it was 6", and coloured white and orange - it’s just what goldfish do. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goldfish/123341/5 "2002-08-11T06:34:45Z")
Whoa… I misread the post as talking about the Goldfish snacks… Freaky.