Has Anyone Kept Concolor Paradise Fish?

[fishnovice]

Got 2 pairs of these a couple of weeks ago. they were very stressed as not only did they endure the journey home by train for 1.5 hours but were chased by an aggressive gourami so I had to move them to another tank. Yhey have recovered from their ordeal and are active and feeding.

However, the colour of them all, males and females, is just a boring light grey, not the beautiful black with irredescent markings I've seen in photos.
What can I do to make them turn black? They were dark grey when I got them, as were all their siblings but now the are a lighter shade of grey.

 

[OohFeeshy]

The 'pretty colours' are likely breeding colours. Best thing you can do is give them lots of plants and hiding places for added security, feed a good diet and make sure they're not being stressed by anything.

 

[fishnovice]

The 'pretty colours' are likely breeding colours. Best thing you can do is give them lots of plants and hiding places for added security, feed a good diet and make sure they're not being stressed by anything.

OK thanks, I'll add more plants

 

[Jayhawk]

I just picked up one of these (I'm not sure if they're M. concolor anymore or M. spechti...can anyone clear that up?).

Here is a pic of mine...might be a female, but it's still young and it's tail fin was pretty nipped up at the dealer (and is growing out):

I love paradisefish...all of them. This guy/gal is in with a single Day's paradisefish:

Anyway...enough pictures. My M. concolor/spechti has nice black on the edge of the scales and gets lighter/darker with mood (when feeding it's darker). I knew they had red on their fins, but was surprised by the blue on the tail.

Good luck with your pairs...are they all getting along well?

Eric

 

[fishnovice]

I just picked up one of these (I'm not sure if they're M. concolor anymore or M. spechti...can anyone clear that up?).

Here is a pic of mine...might be a female, but it's still young and it's tail fin was pretty nipped up at the dealer (and is growing out):

I love paradisefish...all of them. This guy/gal is in with a single Day's paradisefish:

Anyway...enough pictures. My M. concolor/spechti has nice black on the edge of the scales and gets lighter/darker with mood (when feeding it's darker). I knew they had red on their fins, but was surprised by the blue on the tail.

Good luck with your pairs...are they all getting along well?

Eric

Hi Eric
That fish in photo doesn't look like a concolor, though I'm no expert on them.The ones in the breeder's tanks were darker and did not have a spotted appearance, Could it be a cross of different paradise fish?
Mine have settled down now, sharing a peaceful
tank with corries and 2 pregnant platy.They are really peaceful fish, nowhere near as aggressive as betta. The breeder had loads in each tank, males and females with no signs of fighting. My 2 pairs get along well together and with the 2 pregnant platy .

 

[Jayhawk]

In the pics you put in the quote, the bottom fish is P. dayi the spike tailed paradisefish.

The two upper photos are of what is sold locally as a black paradisefish in my area (and also a city 45 miles away). He/she seems to match pictures in Horst and Linke's Labyrinth Fish...maybe my bright flash add colors that aren't there?

Maybe M. concolor and M. spechti really are different species? It's possible I have one, and you have the other. I know the current name in my 2 books on Labyrinth fishes isn't always up to date.

Eric