My once very vibrant yellow Auratus has now changed to a dark purple/brown/green. First i thought that maybe it was just a color change based on his mood, but he has yet to change back to his former brite yellow and white and it has been two weeks. I tried to take a pic but he is so shy. Its a total body color change. His white is gone except for his tummy between his fins. He dosn't act sick, he is very shy though. I have had him since he was less than half and inch and now he is like 3 inches. Any one got any ideas?
Auratus drastic color change
- Thread starter Casey Norris
- Start date
Pictures will help.
Sounds like your auratus is approaching adult stage. Just a guess though as I'm puzzled by the 'violet' color you mentioned.
Sounds like your auratus is approaching adult stage. Just a guess though as I'm puzzled by the 'violet' color you mentioned.I just read online that they can change their sex if the opposite sex is absent from the environment. That is so wierd that it would happen in MY tank. I have a tranny fish
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile52.html
http://tropicalfishgallery.com/species-gallery/cichlids/auratus.html
the pic labeled female to male change looks exactly like my fish. This blows me away. I guess i have my answere. But now im sad because my beautiful little yellow fish is gone for good.
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile52.html
http://tropicalfishgallery.com/species-gallery/cichlids/auratus.html
the pic labeled female to male change looks exactly like my fish. This blows me away. I guess i have my answere. But now im sad because my beautiful little yellow fish is gone for good.
What on earth would make you think it changed its sex? Its an always-male auratus changing to his adult male colouring.
Look at the links that i posted. I found several sites talking about them changing sex. The fish has been adult for much to long for Him/Her to just now change colors.
That's not true at all. How long a fish takes to change colours depends on MANY factors, including dominance, feeding, water conditions, tankmates, and most of all, the individual fish. So saying a fish has been an adult for way too long to be changing colours now, isn't accurate at all.
Once again, you have a male fish who is changing colour, not a female who has changed to a male.
Once again, you have a male fish who is changing colour, not a female who has changed to a male.
For the record, I had a look at those links, and they look completely bogus to me. I have never heard from a reputable, knowledgable fishkeeper that auratus changing sex is common as that site makes it seem, and on the photo page the pic labeled 'female to male stage' is bull****. Just because a fish starts off with 'female' colouring, doesn't mean that it IS a female that later changes sex. If that were the case, then are all Kenyi born female, and later change sex and change colour? Absolutely not. Its called juvenile colouration. Show me a reputable site that claims the same as the site you listed, and maybe we can talk.
Not to mention, there pics on that page of 'auratus photos' that aren't even auratus.
Not to mention, there pics on that page of 'auratus photos' that aren't even auratus.
If this is a young fish, you've got a male auratus that's now showing male coloration.
BTW, it's usual for an older female auratus to develop male coloration. This doesn't mean that it's changed sex. When your Aunt Martha starts showing facial hair it doesn't mean she's grown a "package." I've had adult females sporting male colors spit 50+ babies. Dan
BTW, it's usual for an older female auratus to develop male coloration. This doesn't mean that it's changed sex. When your Aunt Martha starts showing facial hair it doesn't mean she's grown a "package." I've had adult females sporting male colors spit 50+ babies. Dan