Has Anyone Tried This

[Daemonus]

I've read that fish color is based off of their surroundings, to a certain extent at least, e.g. that's why wild type livebearers are so drab.

So anyone tried altering their fishes' surroundings, e.g. putting a certain colored cardboard or similar over walls, floor, to see if it does affect color

 

[helterskelter]

No it's in the genetic's.

this is why u can line breed guppies to breed true

 

[OldMan47]

Although I do not believe the tall tale about background affecting a fish's color, I do find that some colors certainly make it easier to see the nice colors of my fish, especially my wild type goodeids that need a little help because they are a bit plain colored.

 

[Daemonus]

So in short, you haven't tired it?

As for genetics, yes to an extent color would be inherited in an altered environment.

For example wild type fishes of any variety aren't bright green or blue or red.
as you can see in this picture of a wild type male guppy http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/Poeci...eticulata_2.jpg

It's based on predation and survival. So in essence I'm thinking the bright fry aren't going to necessarily survive as are the darker fry.

Is this possible?

 

[OldMan47]

Actually there is good evidence of color changes based on the degree of predation in an environment, not based on the colors in the environment. Guppies were the things monitored and results showed that the wild guppies in a high predator part of a stream were rather bland while a part of the same guppy population that was isolated by a waterfall to a low predator segment of the same stream had much brighter colors. The conclusion was that although the bright colors attracted females and improved breeding opportunities, when there were a lot of predators that eat guppies, the guppy males with the vivid colors that the females preferred, did not survive long enough to breed. It does not have anything to do with the colors in the fish's surroundings, the original question, but has to do with the effects of heavy predation on breeding success of males. It have not tried to get my livebearers to change colors based on their tank backgrounds because I see no value to it. I do know that being able to hide better based on colors is a survival trait only when the predation level is high and I am not going to make my guppies live with lots of predators just to try to get a color shift that I can get just as well by personally selecting the breeders that I want to use.

Does this make any sense Daemonus?

 

[helterskelter]

Actually there is good evidence of color changes based on the degree of predation in an environment, not based on the colors in the environment. Guppies were the things monitored and results showed that the wild guppies in a high predator part of a stream were rather bland while a part of the same guppy population that was isolated by a waterfall to a low predator segment of the same stream had much brighter colors. The conclusion was that although the bright colors attracted females and improved breeding opportunities, when there were a lot of predators that eat guppies, the guppy males with the vivid colors that the females preferred, did not survive long enough to breed. It does not have anything to do with the colors in the fish's surroundings, the original question, but has to do with the effects of heavy predation on breeding success of males. It have not tried to get my livebearers to change colors based on their tank backgrounds because I see no value to it. I do know that being able to hide better based on colors is a survival trait only when the predation level is high and I am not going to make my guppies live with lots of predators just to try to get a color shift that I can get just as well by personally selecting the breeders that I want to use.

Does this make any sense Daemonus?

Totally agreed with oldman.

Example id if you get line breed red guppies and put them in a blue pond, you will not resualt in blue guppies, only feeder fish for the birds!!!

 

[dthoffsett]

Some fish can however alter the brightness/darkness of the coloration depending on mood, breeding, and the darkness/lightness of their environment. Cichlids are notorious for this. In fact, Pseudotropheus crabro can go from a dark stripe on light background coloration to a solid dark color in seconds! [URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/m_crabro.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/m_crabro.php[/URL]