goldfish turning white

Goldfish turning white

Goldfish turning white could be natural color change, however, it could be something much more serious. Whitish marks on the fish’s body could indicate ammonia burns. Ammonia is the first toxin to form in the nitrogen cycle, and is created from the waste our fish produce. Beneficial bacteria form to feed on the toxin when it’s present, converting it into nitrites, or friendly bug pooh. When nitrites are present, another type of friendly bug forms to feed on the second toxin, changing it into nitrates. Nitrates are the final toxin to be created in the cycle

The presence of ammonia occurs when the cycle is just starting to form, or breaks for some reason. Novice fish keepers may be unaware of the cycle, but even so, the cycle will do its thing with or without their assistance at the expense of the fish. Healthy fish will survive the cycling process, unless it’s broken repeatedly, causing the cycle to spike

Ammonia burns later turn blackish while healing. Burns are painful, and cause a great deal of stress on the fish. The toxin causes inflammation of the internal parts of the gills, sometimes suffocating the fish