Will my marble return to his old form?

j-lor · Nov 20, 2016

I recently acquired a 1.5 years old 9" male marble ray. The previous owner told me he had him on bare bottom tank for awhile and said that's why he got so dark but light substrate, time and pellets will bring him back to normal. I'm thinking he was kept in hard water too. Had him for two weeks now and he has lighten up a bit but wondering if he will ever look like his old self again? Also does hard water permanently take away color and patterns? I already asked a few people already but just wondering what everyone else thinks especially those who has had experiences with marble rays in hard water. Thx for any infos.

KNH · Nov 20, 2016

Marbles can go through different periods of light and dark throughout their lifetime but I've experienced them to generally darken over time. My water isn't considered hard but is high in tds. Maybe try lighter sand? 2 weeks is a very short amount of time.

j-lor · Nov 21, 2016

KNH said:
Marbles can go through different periods of light and dark throughout their lifetime but I've experienced them to generally darken over time. My water isn't considered hard but is high in tds. Maybe try lighter sand? 2 weeks is a very short amount of time.

Thanks.

j-lor · Nov 21, 2016

Came home today and he looks like a totally different fish. He just needed time. Lol.

scott s · Nov 21, 2016

Pics!

j-lor · Nov 21, 2016

Pictures are two weeks apart and his color is really coming out. I think he' only going to get better. Also i took this with a cheap camera phone. He looks way better in person.