Any chances for better color?

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Malte81

Malte81

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jul 15, 2014
375
255
61
Germany
Hey guys,

about one month ago i bought a pair of Vieja Synspilum labled as wild caught.
I am very happy with the color of her but he seems to be a little washed out.
They are in 1400 liters with arowanas Cichlasoma Ornatum some plecos and others.
Temperature is about 27 degrees and they eat quallity pellets and other stuff.
I change every week 50% water.
I dont know their age, they are about 10 inches i would guess.
He is the boss of the tank.
Do they need time to settle in or will he stay like this?
Also he is shifting sand like a champ but i think this is breeding behavior.
I really like his body form but the colors are not very nice.

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I doubt their color will change that much given their age. However, I've found especially with my fronts that gravel played a large part in color. Light gravel like pool filter sand would cause them to sport a more washed out appearance. Basically if you have great water conditions and good food the only other way to darken them up is less intense lighting and darker substrate. Ultimately all those things will play a part in color, but to a lesser degree than genetics.
 
They look pretty awesome already.
 
Wild is what the seller told me.
Most sellers say this to get a higher price.
I also thought that she doesnt look like a normal vieja, maybe melanura.
I was just curious if viejas need a longer time to settle in.
 
Different populations of wild veija synspilum/melanura will look quite different depending on catch location. They will not all be the same.
Some from Belize like the shiny blue spot melanura are very colourful with blue/silver spotting.
The stann Creek melanura are also very colourful showing intense red and yellow.
The fish in question may or may not be of wild origin.Some are just more colourful than others.
 
Here's a picture of different variations of melanura.
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Thank you, i like them too.
My only wish was a little more read on the males head.
You know, some viejas have colors where everybody says wow.
At one of the pictures there are some spots around the head with a darker red.
So i thought its just temporary washed out because of stress or something like that.
 
If the washed out color is due to poor diet or poor water conditions with the previous owner's tank, it'll take longer than a month for better conditions to restore his color, I think. Give it some more time.

I have some Bifa's that do the same thing. The bigger one had a deep red head 3 months, now he looks all washed out. The smaller one has deeper color now than he had 3 months ago. so there's a lot that plays into it.

And I notice that older fish take MUCH longer to settle into a tank than younger fish--6 inches and smaller. Even when I move them quickly between tanks in my house, same water/food/routine, older fish take months to get settled in sometimes after a move at my house.
 
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