[Cobra]

I am so jealous of the reds I see in other members galleries. Gorgeous bloody red coloration. Mine were like that wen they wer like 2-3in , now they are mostly greyish greenish with hints of red near the gills. Sometimes the redness shows a little more but its temporary ( few minutes ). Whats up with them? I keep up with my weekly or bi-weekly water changes and they are fed once a day ( shrimp or hikari gold ciclet pellts with color enhancers). Why has their color faded so much? Any help please?

 

[TheGreatHoe]

p....wut's teh decor in your tank like???? darker gravel and hidein spots or white sand or what?

i've noticed my p's change color to kinda match their suroundings...if you try a lighter colored tank you might get a more viberant red w/ the rest of the fish being lighter

jsut a thought

 

[Cobra]

Gravel is an equal mix of black and white. There are 2 big plants/bushes on each end of the tank they always hide in. I dunno about the decor though, like I said they wer redder at 2-3 in and the decor was the same.

 

[TheGreatHoe]

but at 2 or 3 " how long were tehy in the tank???

and the greenish color you speak of coudl come from them trying to take the color of the plant to camo themselves...

but then again...i'm not a p expert....jsut tryin to help

 

[rbp 4 135]

redbellys tend to loose there collor as the grow. Larger specimens show little or no red colloration.

 

[Cobra]

I know this but mine are only 4-5 in. And at 2-3 in they wer fairly new to the tank ( a month or so ). But there former tank was the same decor but the gravel was blue and white at first. Now I wish I got natural gravel, but Im not gonna waste another 40$ cdn a third time !

 

[rbp 4 135]

you can get natrual collor sand at home depot for like 12 bucks for a 100 pound bag. also try feeding them shrimp, the shell contains things benifical to collor

 

[compton ass steve]

they are fed once a day with shrimp or pellets ....he said that

 

[PYROPYGO1]

i think it depends on their mood, but i'm not a expert either. i just noticed that when i had my pygo nats all in the same 55 gal, some of them looked a little pale to me. so when i got the 75g, i transfered two of them in there. the ones still in the 55 started changing to a darker color and a deeper red on their bellys after a few days. i really believe it is stress related, it was like they were relaxed more since the other two were removed from the tank. also, i'm still feeding the same thing; shrimp and feeders, that's it. hope this helps

 

[squirelfish]

They just loose there redness with age ... mine are the same !

 

[Powder]

its definatly mood related mine get redder during feeding times and lighter in the morn
its just how it goes like humans we tan in summer and get less tan in winter
peace

 

[mypiranhas]

i also believe that different red bellies from different regions have different coloration. Interesting comment above about the fish taking color of surroundings...I've never heard of red bellies being camilians but I can say that my red bellies are very similar in color to the red clay pots I use to keep plants in their tank

 

[Powder]

I think that its not that they change color but more of the light being reflected off the colors of the decor makes them look different
for instance i use welding curtain ( plastic colored material ) to change the color of my lights and depending on that they look more ofr less red but in natural light you will see what they really look like for instance during the day in the sunlight but i may be wrong just my opinion
take it as you will
peace

 

[Cobra]

I always keep my tank light on all night to watch my P's as i sleep. After some observation I've noticed that they are at their reddest when I wake up in the morning. Maybe they gain color after absorbing the light? But even then their color is still faint when compared to other members reds.