The fish is starting to get it's adult color. They don't stay black. Since you are seeing orange that's the color it will probably turn.

I've had blackmoors before and until now this has never happened. When purchased the little guy looked like a blackmoor in every way physically until now. His form is still the same,it's just that his color is changing. I've bred comets before even though I wasn't exactly trying to and I know that they started out black in color only to change later on.

This is different. I've raised blackmoors to maturity and they've always stayed black. I still have to wonder if there wasn't some sort of accidental crossbreeding going on at the walmart supply house.

Is anyone familiar with this?

Its not unusual for Orandas and other goldfish to change colors before they hit maturity, some moors will turn into a calico like pattern before its over. I've seen lots of all orange fish turn into spotted ones too. You can do a search on the net and just type in "goldfish changing colors" and I had lots of links show up , they may have more info for you as to the hows and whys.

The links I chased down seemed not so informative where blackmoors were conserned but I did get an answer from another forum stating that it was not at all unusual for this to happen with them.
A blackmoor with orange coloration should be most amusing now that I know that it's not a freak of nature.

Thank you everyone!

Isn't it a beauty?!!

{{gwi:377746}}

I've heard of moores changing color, sometimes it is a sign of inferior stock and/or too warm water/too little sunlight. Moore's that live in ponds outside are more likely to stay black. The moores you can purchase at most pet stores are not usually show quality and may not have the exact genetic requirements to stay black through adulthood (but I wouldn't say they have comet stock, just not whatever pigmentation genes control staying black as they age).

That said, I have two moores from a pet store and one has turned orange in a 1.5 cm spot at the base of his tail that continues to increase in size. If he ends up like yours he'll be a really pretty fish! Both my moores are male and are about six inches long.

Just for the record the pic above is not my fish. I found it on a google search.

Just thought I'd use it as an example.

Moors come in many colors, I've had blues, blacks, calicos, chocolate and one that was white. Usually you pay a premium for the "odd" colored moors.17 years ago I managed a small petstore and I would get the oddballs for my own aquarium from the distributor. They brought those in for the goldfish fanciers and commanded a high price. Enjoy your oddball.Now I feel the urge to get a collection of them again!

Thank you Enid!

Last time I checked the little guy was turning even more orange still!
I'm beginning to suspect that he will be entirely orange before too long. Meanwhile his tankmates are still as they were when I bought them,if not a bit bigger. Seeing as it's my intention to let them breed I have to wonder if there's a risk of my orange guy contributing to the genepool. Interresting as that sounds I'd like to avoid it this time around. This logically means that I should remove the orange guy and put him in another tank but I just know he'll be so lonely without his friends. Perhaps I should just relax and let nature take it's course.

I noticed my Blackmoor was changing colors when I came home from my friends house this weekend. I hadn't noticed it before, but the area around his eyes is turning orange. How long does it usually take for them to turn completely orange? I am really excited!