copper oranda

Question
I bought a copper oranda about 6 months ago.  It is in a 30 gallon tank with 6 common goldfish ranging in size from 1.5 to 3 inches.  The oranda is about 3 inches, and is growing fine and seems healthy.  My question is this...When I bought the fish, he (she?) was a very pretty coppery color.  Now, it is brown, and its head is almost completely orange.  It also is starting to get orange around its dorsal and tail fins.  Is this normal for orandas to do this when they are in a tank with other gold fish?  The other fish or bright orange, pale orange, and white.  They are not changing color.  Is it the food I'm using?  I feed them Wardley Essentials gold fish flakes, twice a day, what they can eat in 5-7  minutes.  Any help or knowledge would be great.  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Michelle;

It is quite normal for goldfish to change color all their lives until they reach their full size. They don't all change though and don't all change as drastically as some seem to.

Your fish would benefit from some veggies added to their diet to keep their colors bright and digestion healthy. Goldfish are mostly vegetarian and most dried foods have too much protein. I feed mine romaine lettuce, cooked peeled peas, cooked green beans, cucumber slices, cooked shredded carrots, etc. Give one or two of these foods in place of a regular feeding 3 times a week or more. The veggies can be left in for several hours to nibble on.

They are actually going to be pretty crowded in there pretty soon too. Eventually they will need at least a 60 gallon tank because of their eventual adult size of 8 inches or larger. Keep up with weekly water changes of 25% and a gravel vac at the same time. It will definately help them stay healthier until you are able to get them into a larger tank in a few months.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins