Stable black is really hard to get in goldfish -- even when you mate black to black. Black spots are typical and stable in shubunkins. You need a shubunkin or matte parent to get shubunkins.

Here is a link that might be useful: shubunkins

Hi
Changing color seems to be a very common event with GF.
Makes me wonder if the solid blacks are actually a different kind of carp?? I got my pool repaired soon as I get it planted I'm expecting a pop .explosion.lol
WOW those are expensive GF in that link . I gave 8.5 cents for the originals Think I'll stick with the LFS lol
Black fish are such a poor choice for a pond anyway Thanks gary

Gary, when my goldfish had babies there were black ones in the mix. It was a while before I realized it because first they are very, very hard to see and second because they seem to hide more than the ones that have more color.

I found Shubunkin babies are colored but the orange goldfish are black until they get about 2" long when most start to change color. Some don't change until they are 4-5" long. If you take the black goldfish out you will see they are a dirty bronze color from the side.

Orange/red goldfish all start out black/olive.
Having them stay black and not turn orange/red is considered a fault, not an attribute because they are so hard to see in ponds. Breeders cull those that do not turn.

((((covering eyes)))) CULL THEM? OMG!!! LOL The black fish are my favorites, though I do agree that it is hard to see them. Here's a Picture of Molly with Ito (orange comet)

{{gwi:181512}}

Anne

Anne
That certainly is black lol Don't notice the bulging eyes you usually see on these types.
I'm relatively new at keeping GF as I usually kept tropical fish but thanks to a record cold winter and failed heater they were wiped out.
Tropical fish are a real washout when viewed from above except maybe for swords platies or sailfin mollies
I happened to run accross a website that displayed an above ground hexshaped pool with 4 viewable sides.. Wouldn't that be wonderful even for GF?? The size of an outdoor pool with the viewing of an aquarium.. Unfortunely they gave no details but appeared to be cast acrylic with central overflow filtration can't imagine how you'd keep the algae off the sides?? Oh well I'd bet that setup cost more than all my pools aquariums combined lol Thanks gary

This one is cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: tank with window

Sharon
I once got a glass door from an office they were remdeling and I got the idea of putting it into my 5x10 above ground . Was a disaster First you got a wonderful view of the plants roots ,fish were always somewhere else. Second since it had to be at ground level always worried about breaking it as well as you had to get on the ground to look into it anyway. Third since it faced west it was constantly covered with algae required cleaning at least 3 times a week. no small task since it was 24 x 72 inches
Fourth it had a small leak that could never be stopped .
Even though i got the glass for free it still ran over 200 dollars for framing and silicone.
I removed it where it now serves as a door for the Greenhouse almost maintenence free lol
I think it could be a great idea but not the way I did it.
Thanks for the link Not too bad a price considering the size would be wonderful for built into a wall setups where you use only one side anyway. You'd still need scuba gear to clean the glass?? lol thanks gary

Some sites say that temperature may play a role in fish changing colors. One even went so far as to suggest lowering the temperature to keep blacks from changing. I just read this stuff and it may or may not relevant.

Wife's black moors stay black up to Nevada summer temperatures. I think we have the cooler come on at 78oF.

Sorry to say, they change colors throughout their lives. I have some chocolate fancytails that procreate the same color. Some have been burned by the sun and loose all their color. There are allot of factors, so I just let them breed and then take pics of all the cute babies.

Here is a link that might be useful: my fb wall