If that is the same silver you got from me john, its age and origine is unknow. I got from a small fish store with the drop eye and over a foot about two years ago or more. And the guy at the shop said he was a little old. My smaller aro outgrew him in a year. The color did not show very much as long as i owned him. The color came out more when i kept more fish and aggression grew. At one point i had up to 13 fish in the tank and 4 when i gave him away. Died was mostly shrimp, talipia, catfish, mealworms, crickets. I think there could have been to much nitrate a good period of time before he left my tank. And i had him on pellets but not at that time period as much. The color grew in both my aros mostly when the water wasn't at prime and when they fighting the most. With eachother and the alligator gar. Played a big part, becasue now my water is crystal clear(due to new setup, filtration and uv sterilizer) and my same silver doesn't have any red at all on scales. Hopefully the fish is well. I just added this long reply because if its the same fish this is as brief a summary will get for its life.