Blue Backgrounds

[Chrisplosion]

I realize that they are no different than CA but some fish look better with darker bodied and some don't. It does come down to personal preference like you said, I want my Red Dragons body as light as possible but I would have the opposite for say Synspilum.

 

[RD.]

If you want to bring out the red, in a red dragon, then IMO darker tones in the background is the best way to go. Nothing worse than a red dragon that is washed out pink. This is precisely why red texas, red mammon, red arowana, etc look best with a black background. Happy Farms even recommend black background for their fish.

P.S.¡G For better fish colour expression of, it's suggested to select the black colour as background layer.

Black background isn't a problem, as long as one doesn't mix that with black substrate, which can indeed make a fish go 'muddy' looking. As an example, Thai Silk look great with a black background, but can take on an undesirable darker tone when placed in a tank that also has black gravel or sand. The same applies to many CA species, that become too dark when placed over a black substrate. Some people seem to like those dark tones, personally I don't. If I had to keep fish in tanks with bright blue backgrounds, and glow in the dark gravel, I'd stop keeping fish.