Worried About Fish Color

[coolfishfan]

I just don't like to keep gravel or decorations in my aquarium.
I just keep fishes in my aquarium.
 
I am puzzled with the background and bottom color of my aquarium.
I have tried three colors : black, white and normal blue one after another.
 
There was a huge effect of these colors on the fishes, hence fishes losing their original color.
 
Now, I wonder what should be the color of the aquarium's background and bottom so that fishes retain their original colors.
 
Thanks.

 

[fluttermoth]

Fish feel better over darker colours, so a dark blue, green or black would be the best. Pale colours make the fish go pale, trying to blend in.

However, what would be much, much, much better for your fish is to put some proper decorations in your tank. Fish didn't evolve to live in bare glass boxes; there are always caves or branches or plants for them to hide in.

Your fish will be stressed, all the time if they have no where nearby to hide in. They will not hide all the time, but they like to know there are safe places nearby.

Even a sprinkle of dark coloured sand or gravel and some plastic plants would be better than nothing at all.

What kinds of fish have you got?

 

[coolfishfan]

I have flowerhorns, parrots, discus, guppies, and many more...........
 
I think I should explain my query in a better way..........
 
when I kept a red dragon flowerhorn in a black background......it started turning dark
similarly, after keeping it in a white background it became too light.
In case of blue bottom, blue reflection could be clearly seen on flowerhorns body.
 
I don't want this to happen.

 

[fluttermoth]

Okay....

If you keep your fish in bare tanks, with nowhere for them to hide, or call 'home', they will be stressed. You and I know there are no predators in your tank, but your fish don't.

Fish like to know there are places nearby where they can hide. If there are no hiding places, the fish will try and blend into the background, so they can't be seen. That's why your fish go dark with a black background and pale with a white one.

No fish has evolved to live in a bare glass box. If you want to see your fish's natural colours, you need to give them a more natural environment to live in.

It really is as simple as that.

 

[coolfishfan]

Thanks fluttermoth for the info.
 
But how about fishes in groups ??
I have about 20 parrot fishes staying well with each other.
Even they are losing their color as per the background.
I guess fishes are comfortable when they are in groups.
 
So why lose color when in comfort.....

 

[fluttermoth]

Most fish are more comfortable in a group then on their own, but that's still not enough to counteract the effects of no plants or substrate.
 
Why don't you have anything in your tanks, apart from the fish?

 

[Byron]

Fluttermoth is absolutely correct.  Your fish are obviously stressed, and seriously so it would seem, and most likely because they are in a bare tank.  I won't even put a sick fish into a hospital tank that is bare; it is highly stressful.
 
Second issue is that a substrate of sand or fine gravel is a very important part of a healthy aquarium.  Many types of bacteria live in the substrate, performing many functions aside from nitrification.  While it is true that one can offset this with very good specialized filtration, it is much easier and in my view safer to let nature do this important work, but it needs a suitable substrate.  A bare tank floor means the fish are seeing reflections of fish below them, and this is anything but natural.  A dark-toned sand or fine gravel (not white) is best.
 
Black is the best background, provided it is flat as opposed to shiny.  A shiny background creates reflections and this can be detrimental too.  I use flat black construction paper as a background on my smaller tanks.
 
Byron.

 

[BiggTexx]

I would almost equate this to a human living in a box made of mirrors.  Would be unnerving and stressful for me.
 
You have received good advice already, so I will just back them up.  You need some type of substrate and decorations (plants, rocks, etc) to keep the fish happy and healthy.

 

[jag51186]

I agree with everything else stated, especially in regards to the discus. They look truly stunning in a natural planted tank with some driftwood!