As strange as it may sound, goldfish turning from gold or orange to white is quite a common occurrence and it is also nothing really to worry about.
Goldfish can change colour at any point in their life span without any warning. You may just simply wake up one morning and your fish will be an entirely different colour to the one it was the night before. This is all down to genetics. A fish’s genes specify what colour it is going to be and when it will become this colour. So if you find that it does turn white, then there is simply nothing you can do about it and it is certainly not something to fret about.
Exposing your fish to sunlight, obviously in an outdoor pond, can sometimes help to retain the original colour but if you don’t have one of these then you can try purchasing some colour enhancing food from your local pet shop to see it this helps. However, as mentioned before, nothing will stop genetics from occurring.
There is a chemistry rumour (or theory) that if your goldfish spends too much time in the dark then it will start to turn white. However, this is probably not true although over time you may start to notice that the fish’s original colour has become paler. Fish who are exposed to UVA and UVB rays are often more brightly coloured than those who are kept indoors without full spectrum lighting.
This is because the chromatophores in your fish’s fins will not produce any pigmentation without any sunlight so your fish’s appearance will appear paler. However, it is unlikely that your fish will turn white if you leave it in the dark because they regain some of their natural fin colouring when they eat foods such as shrimps, spirulina and fish meal as these all naturally contain a pigment called carotenoids.
If you have say, a Common Goldfish, (the kind you can buy for a few cents) and they lose their color and turn into a white fish you have nothing to worry about. This is normal. It varies but it's possible to have a fish that used to have gold and black markings become somewhat "albino" looking. The reason for this can be based upon the fish's genes as well as the amount of sun exposure they're receiving. I find the aquarium goldfish lose their color more verses those kept in ponds.
From what I can find on the Internet, it is fairly common for goldfish to change color throughout their life span. There are references to the fact that the fish needs some light/sun, and the lack of this can cause them to lose their color. Also you can feed colored food which is supposed to help them stay colorful. There is lots of good goldfish info on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish
I had a goldfish that did this too. It may be lack of sunlight or the kind of food. Make sure the fish is eating goldfish flakes that say "enhances color" and gets plenty of natural light during the day.
Mine are in a pond. No new ones noticed the two smaller ones were turning white. Just checked them and the older ones and they all have healthy looking scales. No scrapes and not ick. I suspected ick but that is not the case. They have great appetites. There is 5 in about 50 gallons of water. I feed them gold fish pellets. None of them have ever been inside. The bigger ones are about 3 years old. Smaller ones going on two. They don't appear to be growing much. They were born in the pond. Water is clear, by the way, I use a UV light to clear up my water. It has a water fall so I assume that the water is oxygenated sufficiently. Should I get a bubbler stone? Gets 8 good hours of sunlight now that the sun stays out longer.
Okay I had 3 goldfishes that did that well , they all past away what caused that was your goldfishes got in a fight or if you have a pleco your pleco sucked it or if you have plants in your tank or aquarium he/she scraped him or her self.
I have found the opposite! I have a small white (goldfish) and I swear its turning gold? But it makes sense...because I have never seen a big goldfish that is white...so should it be turning gold?
My golf fish turned white. I won two at a fun fair over a year a ago but they are still very much alive! They both have VERY long tails,,, my teacher says maybe because it is old. :S
My goldfish is turning white. Some people say that white goldfish die sooner. I got him from a carnival, so I no he wont last long anyway, but I've only had him about 20 minutes! I don't want him to die! NO!