Amphilophus Lyonsi suddenly with dark stripes

[Andri Pogo]

My Lyonsi now has very dark stripes, this is how it normally looks:

but now those vertical stripes are so dark that the black spots hardly stand out... why is that? Stress? Breeding colors??

there is one cichlid giving him a hard time in the tank, a tilapia buttikoferi. The Tilapia has been chasing him around for the past few days, dont know of its because of the stripes (the look pretty much alike now with those black stripes ) or if the black stripes came because of the harrasment.

 

[Modest_Man]

It's sub-dominat markings.

 

[Camphilophus]

stress, my lyonsi is about 6"+ now and he never shows stripes but he's the king of his tank, for now..

 

[Jakob]

I agree with Modest Man, its just his sub dominant colours, hes getting chased, he gets a little stressed. As he grows he will be showing the Butti a hard time.