Color Enhancement

[fantailfan 0]

all, or most of the commercial foods say they will enhance the colors of a goldfish, but where can one read about the actual processes that affect color? what are the specific reasons that colors are either vibrant, or pale? the only thing i have been able to find during web searches, are advertisements for different foods, all saying they increase color and growth more than all the rest. i know that a healthy fish will have better color than one that is stressed, sick, or diseased, but in comparing two healthy fish, how would one have an edge over the other? does anyone know of a nutrient, vitamin, or a mineral, that helps the fish develop brighter than a fish with less of that same item?

[Fu_Jin_Yu 0]

Vitamin C enhances orange colors.And carotene (vitamin A) enhances reds/ oranges as far as I know.

[fantailfan 0]

thanks. i knew, if i couldnt find it on my own, someone here would know, and help me.

[the goldfish man 0]

vitamin a all so protecs the retaner in the fishes eyes that is the light sensitiv thing

[Mr. TD 383]

Also the light in the tank (if it is the proper spectrum) will keep the colors from getting pale, similar to humans and sunlight...if i understand properly.

We had a black and orange oranda completely loose all his black color. We think it was because the lighting wasn't in the proper spectrum, but on the other hand i have to wonder if he was artificially colored.

[the goldfish man 0]

mmmmmmmm i might by a light new

[fantailfan 0]

i found a site, maintained by dole fruit company, and it tells the vitamin and mineral content of many fruits. turns out cantelope, apricots, and honey dew all are high in vitamin c, and vitamin A. so, we tried a few fruits today. turns out my fish love melon. we will see if thier colors get sharper. the thing about the lights bothers me. i got standard florescent lighting, made by all-glass. i dont know about spectrums and what-not. i assumed the visible spectrum was the only one.

[Lachfa 0]

Just talking from experience but after I put my fish out in the pond the colors seem to go wild. I think real sunlight affects the color more than artificial light. There might be different kinds of lighthing that are better for fish if the sun is not an option. Remember to be careful about the water temperature if you put them in a window.

[opusfish 0]

the light i have in my aquarium is an energy saver color max. it says on the package that it contains color enhancing phosphors, but i don't know if that means that the colors are actually being made brighter like sunlight would do, or if it's just picking up more color like a bluish light would do with saltwater fish. the one i have i got at vvvv for like, $9 i think.

[Fu_Jin_Yu 0]

Nothing can really replicate real sunlight.Many things can partially but the sun is far brighter and provides far more watts than any indoor light fixture.Which is precisely one of the reasons Im setting up outdoors ponds next year.One thing that really catches my attention is a high quality jet black moor.

[Lachfa 0]

And they grow right before your eyes in a pond. One of my Koi has more than doubled in size in just a few months! My moors have were maybe an inch when I got them a few months ago - I would say they have more than doubled too. I just added my new fish this morning to the pond and they are so tiny. I have one Koi that is about an inch long - when I got him he was a pale yellow/gold and in one week of being outside he has turned orange and white. The outdoors can't be duplicated!

[Fu_Jin_Yu 0]

Through my methods and feeding schedule and the fish's diet I have been able to get fish to double in size in one month.Then again they were small,about an inch.But I do see them grow weekly.I have all indoor things currently though.It can be replicated to an extent but not fully or completely and sunlight can never be fully replicated or even acceptably substituted.

[fantailfan 0]

another question i have regarding color, i have chosen three fish, each due to its pure orange color. each, after getting home, have grown steadily, then developed black and in one case, also white, colors. is this normal? i get the smallest fish, so i can watch them grow and mature. i wonder if its due to conditions, or genetics. is it possible to determine if a fish is going to develop new colors, with out knowing the breeder?

Edited August 30, 2003 by fantailfan

[Fu_Jin_Yu 0]

A wide variety of things affect a fishes color including temperature,water quality,the composition of the water ( such as ph,kh,etc),diet,lighting, and many factors can affect a goldfish's color.Especially true for fry and very small fish.

Its not possible to tell if/when the goldfish will change color.A goldfish generally can change color 2 or 3 times in its life on average.Calico fish tend to change patterns often as it grows.