Datnoid's stability mystery
- Thread starter Arowana718
- Start date
That is true as most keepers observe the same thing most of the time. Feeding, presence of a threat; could be other tankmates, dim lighting, being handled out of the water etc.
If anyone have kept Datnoid long enough, one would care less about the Dat being stable.
I mean.. a true Dat keeper would have understood this long ago that having a Dat swimming and interacting with its surrounding is far more rewarding than having one that tow itself away in a corner of the tank MOST of the time.
Then again, to have a "stable" one is just an awesome sight to enjoy.
My ~5" NTT has never been anything but stable coloration-wise in the 5 months I've had him, he's never blackened up at all, not even partially. I'm not sure why, but my best guess is that he's in a 375 with just a 8" Flagtail (they're buddies) and really has no stress caused by having bigger or many other fish around. That said he still mostly likes to hang out in his 2 lairs and doesn't swim around the whole tank all day, that's pretty natural for a young Dat I think.
As far as showing 'stable' colours, the species that generally has an issue and always in the spotlight is the Indonesian Dat (Microlepis) coming from Borneo.
Even locals agree that majority of what they caught are mostly 'dirty' dats.
Clean and 'stable' ones are packed differently knowing that they fetch higher prices. Only a few..
They further segregate their catch based on the type of bars each fish possess.
We already know too well why the Asians are doing this.
The desired fish that everyone wants to have is the one with thick black lines against its lighter coloured base.
I wouldn't mind the 'stability' of a datnoid. In a way it is not important for me but sadly in this hobby, a "stable" dat is a more desired one to have and is easier to sell.
Raising one that is active and bold is THE thing that got overlooked in Dat keeping. It is very rewarding!
It would help if we look past the 'stability' of a dat.
Even locals agree that majority of what they caught are mostly 'dirty' dats.
Clean and 'stable' ones are packed differently knowing that they fetch higher prices. Only a few..
They further segregate their catch based on the type of bars each fish possess.
We already know too well why the Asians are doing this.
The desired fish that everyone wants to have is the one with thick black lines against its lighter coloured base.
I wouldn't mind the 'stability' of a datnoid. In a way it is not important for me but sadly in this hobby, a "stable" dat is a more desired one to have and is easier to sell.
Raising one that is active and bold is THE thing that got overlooked in Dat keeping. It is very rewarding!
It would help if we look past the 'stability' of a dat.
If I could trade a bit of stability for some more activity/less shyness I would do so. But I'm hoping as he gets bigger and older he'll also become bolder.
I suspect that it will.....that has been the case with most of the dats that I've raised.
