Dalmation Molly Changing Colors

[Madam Macaw]

My big boy dalmation sailfin molly was white with black spots. I have been noticing him getting darker and darker, he is now more like my female who is black with white spots. Is this normal? Is he just trying to conform or something?

Here is a picture of him before:

Here is what she looks like, his markings are now almost identical:

 

[kewskills]

I have seen mollies change colour quite radically as they grow, i have a dalmation sort of he is brown and white and the brown got a lot stronger and larger compared to the white as it got older, so im assuming this is normal.

 

[Madam Macaw]

I have seen mollies change colour quite radically as they grow, i have a dalmation sort of he is brown and white and the brown got a lot stronger and larger compared to the white as it got older, so im assuming this is normal.

Thanks for responding so quickly. I figured it was normal, but I swear it almost happened overnight. One day he was white and the next he is black.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Yes-i've been breeding dalmation mollies for a long time and the vast majority of fry will start white and darken to 50%. The few that dont tend to stay very white-every now and then i do get grey fry too-its a shame as i prefer my mollies on the lighter side-but saying that i had a customer some weeks back who bought mainly almost black ones from me-beauty is in the eye of the beholder i spose!!!!

 

[Madam Macaw]

Yes-i've been breeding dalmation mollies for a long time and the vast majority of fry will start white and darken to 50%. The few that dont tend to stay very white-every now and then i do get grey fry too-its a shame as i prefer my mollies on the lighter side-but saying that i had a customer some weeks back who bought mainly almost black ones from me-beauty is in the eye of the beholder i spose!!!!

This isn't the fry, this is the dad. He is the big white one that now almost looks like the black dalmation mom.

That being said, all of the fry came out greyish and are now silver with black spots - so pretty.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

What i'm trying to say is that most of my mollies darken with age -i have 2 males in a community tank and they are totally black-even though they werent when young.

 

[Madam Macaw]

What i'm trying to say is that most of my mollies darken with age -i have 2 males in a community tank and they are totally black-even though they werent when young.

Ahh, thanks. But do they change that dramatically? It was literally overnight.