I'd rather help inform people new to datnoids so they can get the proper information from people rather than have to search around for a little bit here and a little bit there and possibly be misinformed or find old information. To start I'll say I disagree with those who think an unstable datnoid is a stressed or unhappy one, my first datnoid is close to a year old now and from day one has been 100% stable and very rarely goes unstable at all, I got him/her at about 1.5" and he/she is now a little over 4.5". I think instability is most often used as a means of camouflage. When my other dats get startled and hide around their driftwood and rocks they turn a shade of brownish yellow and blend in very well to their surroundings. When I have a lot of face time with my dats or when it's time to feed they tend to shine bright gold/yellow colors. This leads me to believe that when they feel fully comfortable and secure they really brighten up and become "stable" and when they're startled, cautious, or unsure they become "unstable". This is all in my experience, I've kept around 15 ITs, 2 NTTs, 1 AT, and 1 NGT. I am by no means right because I've heard of dats that always stay stable no matter what and I myself even bought an IT who inhales pellets and is usually pretty active in my tank and used to me and he/she is always unstable (the brown unstable). Occasionally he/she stables up for a few moments when eating but it never lasts long. I myself like stable dats over unstable dats but I have them both and the mystery of why they change appearance so quickly and sometimes often is part of what makes me love these fish so much. I hope that helps you in some way.
