Datnoid Colors

[Cichlids+Oddballs]

Hi all,

Was just wondering: when a Datnoid changes color/becomes “unstable”, do the changes in color mean anything specifically? For example, is a Datnoid that turned completely black under a different stressor than say, a Datnoid that turned pale and lost its bars? Or are there no specific meanings and each Datnoid simply responds to all stressors with random “dirty” patterns? Appreciate all the inputs and insights!

 

[Midwater]

I do not go with this stable/unstable business. Fading out or going black does not necessarily mean under stress, it can merely mean blending in.

Dats are predators. Why would a dat want to stand out with bright stripes?

 

[robroy]

Having kept them since 2005 I'm of the opinion that they show their best colours when they're under a degree of stress (look at their colours when in a net or how 'stable' they are when you first put them in a new tank only to come down the following morning and see them dark) or there's fish in the tank that pose some threat.
My large Indo is very stable now and has been dark the past 2 years and I think its down to the other fish in the tank having grown and become more active now

Only my thoughts though

 

[Cichlids+Oddballs]

Having kept them since 2005 I'm of the opinion that they show their best colours when they're under a degree of stress (look at their colours when in a net or how 'stable' they are when you first put them in a new tank only to come down the following morning and see them dark) or there's fish in the tank that pose some threat.
My large Indo is very stable now and has been dark the past 2 years and I think its down to the other fish in the tank having grown and become more active now

Only my thoughts though

I haven’t kept my dat very long, but my observation is very similar. My dat will show off its stripe when its cichlid tank mate gets into its space or when it notices me looking at it. It would darken up when in a space by itself. I speculate that it darkens when it is attempting to camouflage and ambush. When it shows its stripes, it seems to be attempting to assert dominance and “warn trespassers”.

 

[Midwater]

When it shows its stripes, it seems to be attempting to assert dominance and “warn trespassers”.

Not sure. Often I see that smaller dat in any one tank has the most visual stripes.

I do not think that clear stripes is a simple thing, but it certainly should not be considered stability.