Nature vs. Nurture

DN328

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2014
2,416
1,097
164
Fish Tank
Recently I started mixing in tilapia to my Leichardti's diet. As with many hobbyists, I did this for greater diversity in its diet (nutrition) in hopes for a healthy fish (besides, it's just fun feeding with different foods). Another potential read benefit is various types of food also can enhance a fishes form and/or coloration. Although I don't know if tilapia necessarily does this.

This got me thinking on how much of this color and form benefits are due to diet vs. what the fish would have naturally turned out given its inherited genes? For those long timer Aro keepers (or any fish for that matter), what has been your experience with diet directly contributing to coloration and form? What are your thoughts?

I'd also appreciate any pointers to some credible documentation on this topic as well.
 

flukekiller

Piranha
MFK Member
Aug 2, 2014
698
375
77
45
gloucester, va 23061
I have never owned and aro, but some animals get a part if not all of their color from their diet.. I have owned discus in the past (and currently do also), and when fed color enhancing foods I can say that their colors definitely are affected by food. Just like nature though there is no black and white line but a big grey area where multiple things will affect this..

Think of this.. ever see a white/off white flamingo? Wanna know why? Cause it's not eating the right diet... they get their pigment from eating some type of pink shrimp/ crustacean
 
  • Like
Reactions: DN328

DN328

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2014
2,416
1,097
164
Fish Tank
Shrimp bring red out in your aro. That's about all the color it'll get from its diet, the rest of the body and fins will be darker or lighter depending on the surroundings.
That's also a good point in terms of the environment. I often heard of shrimp and color, albeit, more noticeable I'm sure and an Asian Aro.

I would think this practice started with breeders and/or those raising a lot of arowana where they actually saw varying results based on diet like shrimp or how surroundings influenced how colors evolved. I guess the point here is there had to have been a lot of experimenting and control to have concluded the effects of external factors.
 

Hendre

Bawitius
Staff member
Moderator
MFK Member
Jan 14, 2016
9,848
10,928
438
South Africa
My knives lightened up after being put in a lighter tank and went dark again when it was full of tannins.

Food does affect pigmentation, such as arapaima having intense red scale edges on a diet of crabs in the wild
 
  • Like
Reactions: DN328

moe214

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Oct 13, 2014
5,332
2,772
178
That's also a good point in terms of the environment. I often heard of shrimp and color, albeit, more noticeable I'm sure and an Asian Aro.

I would think this practice started with breeders and/or those raising a lot of arowana where they actually saw varying results based on diet like shrimp or how surroundings influenced how colors evolved. I guess the point here is there had to have been a lot of experimenting and control to have concluded the effects of external factors.
I forget what it's called, shrimp have something in their shell like carotine I think that causes the red coloration. It's proven.
 

Hendre

Bawitius
Staff member
Moderator
MFK Member
Jan 14, 2016
9,848
10,928
438
South Africa
I forget what it's called, shrimp have something in their shell like carotine I think that causes the red coloration. It's proven.
cerotines i believe, it does bring out red as it has been proven
 

DN328

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Aug 14, 2014
2,416
1,097
164
Fish Tank
Anecdotally, I've also heard crickets to bring out colors (in Aro anyway). I don't doubt it, just skeptical of what was done to determine this?

I do like the thought of knowing there are things we can do as hobbyists to experiment with our wet pets, and, in most cases no harm done. It would be ideal to have some supporting evidence in the process ;-) - would like some references.

Where are all the science guys...LOL.
 

Hendre

Bawitius
Staff member
Moderator
MFK Member
Jan 14, 2016
9,848
10,928
438
South Africa
@RD

This guy knows
 

Deadliestviper7

The Necromancer
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2016
7,421
4,175
178
30
The color enhancement noticed by people feeding crickets to arowana is caused by what the crickets themselves have been eating( such as carrots or color enhancing flake fish foods).
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store