Red Dwarf Gouramis Silver 'fading'?

[Deleted member 55926]

I want to run this by you guys, just in case...

I have 2 red dwarf gouramis but after a few days - I'm not 100% sure - but they seem to have lost the silvery shimmer around their faces. It looks more like a darker grey now, not reflective. I don't know if this is just the lights, but wanted to check this isn't a known problem or something.

Thanks.

 

[Defiance]

Hiya,
Never kept them but here goes

I've read and stress only ever read that if certain sand is used as u substrate that any light can reflect off this back up at the fish, this in one way or another helps to lesson the colouring

Not really sure but an educated guess would be the fish feels less than 100% comfortable so colours lesson somewhat as it slowly gets stressed

Also loss of colour, again from reading, can be signs of the onslaught of illness

Now another thing that's worth noting, food additives, have you tried another food that he/she/they like but maybe hasn't got a colour booster (for want of better wording) ? Some foods pried themselves on suggesting how additives (natural of course) can enhance the fish colours (several koi foodstuffs boast this)

Just throwing ideas at you as i've never had these fish (yet)

No doubt someone knowledgable will come to your aid

Hope All Goes Well

Tony

 

[Deleted member 55926]

Thanks Tony.

On the point about stress, wouldn't the fish have been more stressed when sitting in a tiny tank at the LFS, with 20 other males?

 

[Defiance]

Hiya,
Bit late getting in today so a late reply

The stress you'd think so being crammed in at a lfs, but it really amazes me how stressful some fish can get with a short car ride to an nice new large tank where they will be duely treated like family lol

Then again i try to look at things logically ......

Fish bred, fish shipped to lfs, fish shoved in with many others, this has to cause some stress but generally if time permits and he isn't bought then he/she settles into life in a small crowded tank, then fish gets taken again maybe after getting used to living with plenty of fish at lfs to yet another strange tank where more often than not there are more fish but maybe not the exact same species

Looking at it like this it seems pretty certain some fish may get stressed after going to a #40## good home

Food for thought !

If i get chance later i'll try and do some searching n generally nosing about lol

Have Fun

Tony