Colour changing Angel Fish

[jimbooo]

Hi Everyone, I have noticed my angel fish (common silver with black stripes variety) changing colour. the black stripes fade from light grey to jet black and back again. it happens constantly going from black to grey and back again in a minute of two. it never stops... i thought it was my eyes at first but it's definatly changing colour.

Someone please tell me i'm not going mad.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Hello,

It's quite normal for fish to change colour. Is the fish ok in all other respects?

 

[Rudy2860]

It could be a sign of stress in the fish or perhaps an odd sign of breeding or courting behaviour ??
what are the tank parameters?

 

[jumpman]

My silver does the exact same thing. During breeding his stripes were jet black, during feeding they go the same. The rest of the time they can fade to almost nothing and back again, and they also fade when he sleeps....

When I do anything major in the tank he fades too.....

Completely normal

hth

jump

 

[kitties1]

I don't know if my reply will help, since it does nat apply directly to angels, but it does apply to my experience with fish. I have some neon tetras, and african butterfly fish, and two rainbow sharks (in various tanks). Whenever I turn on my lights in the morning these fish appear "faded" as you described. Within a few minutes they return to their normal color though. I have always attributed it to the lack of light and their biological reaction to it, but I have no scientific data to back it up.

I also expereinced this with those fish when I would do water changes BEFORE I got an RO Unit. It was not until long after the fact that I thought perhaps the cause was stress due to water changes and toxins in the water. I have really crappy water hence the need for an RO Unit. Anyway, i hope this helps.

 

[jimbooo]

Thanks everyone, he's perfectly healthy. Jumpman seems to have exactly the same thing. i'm not going mad then.