Datnoids_How to stabilise colours??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Ade

Ade

Piranha
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2008
3,534
28
81
London
Hello T1,
I am new to this forum and am amazed at the number of posts regarding datnoids, a personnal favourite of mine. For those who have the most esperience re: the datnoid, so what's your best advice re: stabilising IT's colours. I have a 100G tank, with 3 IT's: a 10", 7" and 6". Also 2 Cambeli: both 4". Other oddballs in tank a BJdempsey 6" and a BlackGKnife 12", and Mono 8" tall.
The 10" IT has been dark brown for 2 years now. SUddenly he lost his beautifiul colours. The 7" not as unstable but still dark, but the 6" has amaxing stipes and is always stable. If I could get my 10" IT to colour up like ny smaller one, I would be incredibably happy!!!
Water quality is not bad at all i.e nitrates 30- 40. and temp 26C. No real bullying in tank. I have tried black background, no back ground and only yesterday, I put Blue background in tank. This is my last effort at trying to stimulate the IT's colours. I am out of ideas.
I commend your Dats shown in your photoes, truely amazing. What advice can you give me? Is the colour just down to luck and genetics?


Note: the dats are all healthy, eating and swimming freely. All signs of good health. The cambellis have always been stable!

I am from Hong Kong and have lived in UK all my life, however, every year when I go back to HK and look at the fish in Gold Fish Sreet, all the datnoids there are simply stunning! Why do many people here have troubles with Datnoid colours?

Hope you can advise. Thanks.
 
when it comes to indo tigers, there's just no proven method of improving color.

however, the dominant fish usually displays the most vibrant coloration. that's the best advice I can give you, since indo tigers are notorious for unstable color.
 
M|L;1864921; said:
when it comes to indo tigers, there's just no proven method of improving color.

however, the dominant fish usually displays the most vibrant coloration. that's the best advice I can give you, since indo tigers are notorious for unstable color.
Click to expand...
This seems true for my dats.
i have two indos, one is black, the other is starting to color up.
I need to get at least one more dat in there so I am getting an NTT
 
they stabilize when they are confident in their own environment .. if you have a new fish in an existing tank, they will take some time to get used to... and if you have an aggressive tank mate, it will take even longer ... my suggestion is to provide hiding spots and low lighting until they are comfortable
 
I had lights on for one day, but i keep them off now.
Lots of hiding spots so, I'll just wait.
I am thinking of trying to introdude a 3'' arowana.
Do you think the 4'' dats would bother him?
 
If you have another tank for the baby arowana I'd keep him in there for a while till he grows. I recently got a baby aro and keep him in a 55g planted tank with smaller fish, just to get him comfortable and confident. He's up to about 4" now but still a little too small for me to be confident moving him into the big tank. It's actually not the dats I worry about, mostly just that the presence of a large lusosso will stress him out.

That said, if he has to go right in, it would probably be OK. My dats don't seem to pay much mind to any other fish and if anything are submissive to the lusosso and a catfish that follows them around. Still, since I have the other tank, I'm waiting till the aro is about 6" before I move him over.
 
I decided to not get the baby aro.
I've looked at getting some polypterus though.
Since the dats are 4'', would 2x 7-8'' Senegals do alright with them?
Or would they be to big and try to eat the dats? I was told to get big polypterus so that that dats wouldnt eat them.

I'm also trying to find a Nandus Nandus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom