Red Rainbows lost their color after bringing them home?

I had 3 red rainbows, and recently purchased 3 more to complete the shoal. The 3 recently purchased looked red and beautiful in the store, but they look completely white in the tank. They also had a serious case of Ich when entering my tank, which was not visible in the store. Currently treating the water for Ich (API super ick cure + 82 degrees for 4 days). Will their color return once the Ich is cleared out and water returns to a cooler temp (73)? Thanks for any advice..

Many fish loose their color due to stress. Turn the tank lights down or off for a couple hours and see if that helps. When I introduce new fish I leave the tank light off for a couple of hours to help them get use to the new surroundings. Also do you have plenty of places for them to hide, that helps also. Increase the temp to 86 degrees at least for the ich.

Retired Viking said:

Many fish loose their color due to stress. Turn the tank lights down or off for a couple hours and see if that helps. When I introduce new fish I leave the tank light off for a couple of hours to help them get use to the new surroundings. Also do you have plenty of places for them to hide, that helps also. Increase the temp to 86 degrees at least.

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Hmm, okay. They’ve been in there for 36 hours and are schooling with the original rainbows already. They still have not gained much color, and look completely white in comparison with the 3 other rainbows who are a deep, vibrant red. Why do I need to turn up the heat to 86? Thanks

Agree. Many do not realize the incredible stress that netting and transporting fish causes to the fish. It evokes the predator flight response which is the severest stress a fish can experience. This is why ich is so common with new fish. Give them quiet and they may deal with the ich on their own.

On the ich, if it is necessary to treat (I go by the spots and fish behaviours) I would only do heat, never any of the so-called ich remedies which likely add more stress. A temp of 86F for two weeks.

Are you sure the fish have white spot?
If fish are stressed they produce excess mucous that can cause white bits to appear on their body and fins. If rainbowfish are stressed they fade in colour. Poor water quality or sudden changes in water chemistry (pH and GH) will stress them.

Light coloured gravel will cause them to lose colour.

Post pictures of all the rainbows and the tank.

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Do you have Glossolepis incisus or Glossolepis pseudoincisus?
These 2 species should not be kept together because G. incisus is bigger and much more aggressive, and will bully the smaller G. pseudoincisus.

Byron said:

Agree. Many do not realize the incredible stress that netting and transporting fish causes to the fish. It evokes the predator flight response which is the severest stress a fish can experience. This is why ich is so common with new fish. Give them quiet and they may deal with the ich on their own.

On the ich, if it is necessary to treat (I go by the spots and fish behaviours) I would only do heat, never any of the so-called ich remedies which likely add more stress. A temp of 86F for two weeks.

Click to expand...

Colin_T said:

Are you sure the fish have white spot?
If fish are stressed they produce excess mucous that can cause white bits to appear on their body and fins. If rainbowfish are stressed they fade in colour. Poor water quality or sudden changes in water chemistry (pH and GH) will stress them.

Light coloured gravel will cause them to lose colour.

Post pictures of all the rainbows and the tank.

----------------
Do you have Glossolepis incisus or Glossolepis pseudoincisus?
These 2 species should not be kept together because G. incisus is bigger and much more aggressive, and will bully the smaller G. pseudoincisus.

Click to expand...

I believe my fish are the Millenium Rainbows (G. pseudoncisuis), but here is the story. Two months ago, I purchased 3 of them from Petco under the label "New Guinea" Rainbows (this is a name for G incisius, aka Red Irian Rainbows, Red Rainbows, etc.) After a month, I realized they didn't seem quite as large as the Red Irians online, but that they much more resembled the Millenium Rainbows (G. pseudoncisius, aka Tami River Rainbows). After upgrading the tank, I went to the LFS to pick up 3 more. In their rainbow tank, they listed both Milleniums and Red Irians! There were a handful of younger, smaller fish who looked exactly like mine. I assumed those to be the Milleniums, but the LFS insisted that those were actually the Red Irians. When I asked which were the Milleniums, he pointed towards a huge rainbow that was blue, orange and gold..... surely that was not the millenium... I think all the stores around here are confused. I will post some pictures here shortly and you can be the judge.

Colin_T said:

Are you sure the fish have white spot?
If fish are stressed they produce excess mucous that can cause white bits to appear on their body and fins. If rainbowfish are stressed they fade in colour. Poor water quality or sudden changes in water chemistry (pH and GH) will stress them.

Light coloured gravel will cause them to lose colour.

Post pictures of all the rainbows and the tank.

----------------
Do you have Glossolepis incisus or Glossolepis pseudoincisus?
These 2 species should not be kept together because G. incisus is bigger and much more aggressive, and will bully the smaller G. pseudoincisus.

Click to expand...

Here is a picture of the 3 original rainbows in their old 20 gallon. Do you think they look like G. Incisius or Psuedoincisius?

Colin_T said:

Are you sure the fish have white spot?
If fish are stressed they produce excess mucous that can cause white bits to appear on their body and fins. If rainbowfish are stressed they fade in colour. Poor water quality or sudden changes in water chemistry (pH and GH) will stress them.

Light coloured gravel will cause them to lose colour.

Post pictures of all the rainbows and the tank.

----------------
Do you have Glossolepis incisus or Glossolepis pseudoincisus?
These 2 species should not be kept together because G. incisus is bigger and much more aggressive, and will bully the smaller G. pseudoincisus.

Click to expand...

Here is a pic of 2 of the new rainbows above a couple of the old rainbows. As you can see, they don’t have nearly the same amount of red. In the store, they seemed to have a lot of red, but maybe it was their lighting. They really don’t look too great In the new tank so far.

TacomaToker said:

Here is a picture of the 3 original rainbows in their old 20 gallon. Do you think they look like G. Incisius or Psuedoincisius?

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no idea, they could be either. just wait 12 months and see how big they get.

the bottom fish has clamped fins and white stuff on its tail. salt should fix it.

Colin_T said:

the bottom fish has clamped fins and white stuff on its tail. salt should fix it.

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I always wondered exactly what was meant by "clamped fins"... Now that I have a picture showing it, I totally understand now!!! I am guessing it means holding their dorsal and caudal and/or anal fins close to their body when they are normally spread out from the body?

dmpfishlover said:

I always wondered exactly what was meant by "clamped fins"... Now that I have a picture showing it, I totally understand now!!! I am guessing it means holding their dorsal and caudal and/or anal fins close to their body when they are normally spread out from the body?

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Yes