Red and Gold aro background and their impact...science?

[henward]

Ok
Red aro i am told needs Dark to black bottom, sides and back.
Gold i am told, small size to 40cm, put in a tank with white back, sides and bottom...then move into a black background tank.

I have also heard that reducing waterchange to your aro tank will enhance and intensify its colours.

Ok, below is what I KNOW.

The human eye can be tricked to seeing mroe colour through contrasts.
Say a red arowana will show 'more' red against a black backdrop as thats just contracts....similar to Black adn yellow street signs are designed to catch attention.

Is this the case here? Or does the arowana actually say - "Wow, black everywhere, im gonna become redder" or is uit more of an illusion.
And Gold too...... any science or sound logical reasoning behind this.

Also, lack of wc will mean nitrate build up....... how can nitrate possibly enhanced and better a fish?

Also, i am told if i put my RTG in a tank with White background - i may have gotten an extra row of scales being gold as opposed to stopping at the 4th level. My gold in the RTG is very intense in my opinion, but stops short of the 5th level above.... from there to the top is light brownish tan colour....is this true?

i guess im asking for some science and not some guy trying stuff out wtih no controled subjects or just heresay..... whcih in this hobby is common i guess.

Vids of my aro is available in media lounge under my name..... if you can check that out, and tell me.... is my rtg not really a good rtg? lol... i mean i love the big monster!! but i guess im sayin....... does the background add an extra row of scales to be gold? superceding genetics?

 

[Stephaan]

This is really interesting, looking forward to the answers on this. My RTG has developed gold on his 5th level of scales as well (although not fully) and he lives in a cement tank. I read up somewhere that most RTG's get this due to HB genes passed onto them in farms.
Moving onto the background, Although i'm no expert, I do think the colour of the background does affect the fish in a major way. My jardini used to live in a blue background tank and was quite dark, but as soon as he was moved to a white tiled pond he entirely changed colour and is now completely white (It isn't too pleasent to look at, although at times it looks like a platinum jar lol). He will be moved to a cement tank soon..

 

[monster_lover01]

i would also want to know other people's opinion on this. btw, does the black background affect the feng shui in any way? i want to turn my tank's background into black but my father told me that the feng shui might be altered.

 

[bcarlos]

The purpose for the white background on XB golds (sometimes referred to as white tank treatment, or WTT) is to lighten the juvenile aro's pigments. If you pull a XB out of WTT, you will notice a significant difference in the lightness and intensity of the aro's gold.

For SR, a dark background does work best, and I'm of the opinion that this is a difference of contrast. Many SR keepers also believe in tanning - exposing the fish to long periods of intense light. If you've ever kept an arowana- or any fish for that matter- in an outdoor pond, you can attest to the difference that exposure to intense, natural light makes to a fish's colour.

Your RTG will likely never develop 5th row unless it has XB blood in it's genetic make-up (entirely likely, as many farms are doing this to produce superior RTG's. Panda Gold's are probably the best example).

As for the water change piece, I've never heard nor practiced the idea. Arowana are large carnivorous fish, and as such they emit a lot of waste. Regular water changes are a necessity.

Probably the most important factor in Asian aro colour IMO (along with genetics) is diet. Especially for reds, a diet high in carotenoids is essential for maximum red/orange pigment development. If you're feeding live food, gut loading the food beforehand with a quality fish flake and veggies like yams, carrots, red peppers, etc. will bring out the best colour in your fish. I've also used frogs with great success for colour development in both red and gold aros.