Changing colour

[Jbaileybob]

Why is my picture catfish changing colour, there acting as they should ( i think) eating fine and both seem happy. One is coloured just fine. Water parameters are spot on.? What should I'd do. Thankyou

 

[Jbaileybob]

I mean pictus

 

[Colin_T]

The white substrate and bright light are causing the fish to fade to blend into their surroundings. You need floating plants to reduce the light, or if you don't have any live plants in the tank, turn the light off or reduce the brightness.

 

[Jbaileybob]

The white substrate and bright light are causing the fish to fade to blend into their surroundings. You need floating plants to reduce the light, or if you don't have any live plants in the tank, turn the light off or reduce the brightness.

 

[Jbaileybob]

Thankyou for your reply. I'll try this

 

[Jbaileybob]

I don't really use real plants, only artificial but I can use more floating plant to reduce the light volume. You reckon this will help?

 

[Ichthys]

Reduced brightness will help some, but they’ll always be pale on a pale substrate. It’s camouflage.
They’re also stressed by not being in a group. To get them unstressed, dim the lighting, change to a darker, more natural substrate, and add four or five more.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I agree with what has been said. I've never kept pictus, so I'm not sure about this, but for for many fish coloration is a way of communicating. Everything from rainbows to angels fades and darkens as they interact with each other. For angelfish, faded color seems to be a signal of submission, sort of the "I'm not a threat; don't hurt me" color. I suspect that is a part of this too, since the bigger fish is darker.