Changing water parameters and effect on COLOR

[jcardona1]

So i've noticed something with my cichla, mainly my orinos. This goes along with the idea that big changes in water parameters can trigger breeding activity, as it simulates thier natural environments when heavy rains come in. i think it was Scat that mentioned this. often times youll have some fish that will not breed for the current owner but as soon as they go to somebody elses tank with different parameters it triggers them into breeding mode.

i think the same applies for color. many times when i pick up a new orino a few hours after dropping it in my tank the colors are very brilliant and vibrant. it looks way better than all of my other fish and it even looks better than it did in the previous owners tank. but a few days later the color tones down and it begins to blend in with my others. the black is not as sharp, and the blue fins sort of fade out. even the red in the eyes goes away a little.

so im thinking, does the big change in water parameters cause thier true vibrant colors to come out in all its glory? why would the colors gradually fade away? even when the fish gets pissed, its colors are still not what they were in the first few days.

and if these colors are due to the change in parameters, how do we keep it happening???? its obvious something makes them happy, as their colors show it! here's a few examples of two orinos i recently picked up. check out the before and after pics. the first pics were taken within the first two days. the recent pics are about 3 weeks later. see the difference???

so what do you guys think??
BEFORE (two different orinos)









AFTER

 

[Chaitika]

My experience with cichlids would suggest that they only show their most vibrant colours when breeding and when not breeding, their colours are more subdued. It could be that when introducing new bass to an established group, the new bass puts on his brightest colours to stand out and to strut a bit.

I do notice that with my occels, when they come out of the back of the tank which also happens to be less lit, they have more subdued colouration, and it even appears as though their flanks are almost mottled or camouflaged.

Good topic for discussion, that's for sure.

 

[pnoydlyte]

maybe it could be a show to establish a position in the "pack's" hierarchy(sp)
like saying "here i am and this is wat i got"
idk but possibly maybe??

 

[jcardona1]

yeah it could be "showing off" initially as both of you guys said. its interesting. i guess we'll never understand how they work. it makes sense though, because when these guys get pissed they flare up and their colors become more intense.

any other ideas/theories?

 

[Pharaoh]

You should do a mini study on some by varying the water conditions and see if you see different results. Honestly, when moving fish from one location (house) to another, there are so many differences that come into play, it would be hard to nail it down to one parameter without ensuring that the other parameters were held consistent.

 

[bOOsteN aUdI]

maybe it could be a show to establish a position in the "pack's" hierarchy(sp)
like saying "here i am and this is wat i got"
idk but possibly maybe??

My experience with cichlids would suggest that they only show their most vibrant colours when breeding and when not breeding, their colours are more subdued. It could be that when introducing new bass to an established group, the new bass puts on his brightest colours to stand out and to strut a bit.

I do notice that with my occels, when they come out of the back of the tank which also happens to be less lit, they have more subdued colouration, and it even appears as though their flanks are almost mottled or camouflaged.

Good topic for discussion, that's for sure.

I have to agree with both of you above. But I have to include that most of my cichla continuously get more and more intense with color and even sometimes the runts are the most colorful out of the group, just not lately.. The orino that I recently picked up turned radius when I added him to my tank but as time has gone on the blues in his fins/tail and the greens and yellows in his body have just morphed to the next level. Don't get me wrong there are days when one is brighter then the others but their colors usually come right back. I do run a 24 hour drip system and do a large (50%+) water change once or twice a week. I have had cichla that were extremely bright when small but faded out on me and was never able to gain their amazing colors back.

 

[ikanyubodoh]

I think it is the agressive mode that light them like Xmas tree. Try feeding them live feeders and all look like a champion going for the KO 'punch'.

 

[bOOsteN aUdI]

I think it is the agressive mode that light them like Xmas tree. Try feeding them live feeders and all look like a champion going for the KO 'punch'.

this is true as well!

 

[CichlaRyan]

those who boosten quoted i also conquer. but i have something to add onto it, i also belive that when cichla are first accilmated to and aquaria envoirnment the "introduction stress" so to say, is what kicks in the vibrant colors to help prove to the others of its capability's and its dominanance. like said above. but i also belive that if you allready contain a pack with an alpha male, and you put in another "nice looking same size cichla" the dominant leader may consider it as a threat there for going agressive against the new comer even though there may be another smaller cichla it could easly go after, this is why i belive when i put in my 4in mono with my 8in or so hybrid he never truely attacked it, the 4in mono was not able to be eaten, but an attack could have killed it for sure but since the hybrid did not indicate a threat from the smaller cichla it left it be and to this day i have not issues with the size diffrence, but this is just my belifes so lets have more people chime in on this good thread.

 

[jcardona1]

so has anybody else experienced crazy colors from a fish that was recently introduced, and then have the colors fade out?

also, what if a pbass were added into a tank full of non-cichla fish? or an empty tank? would the effect be different??