My fish look drab

[Moe]

Hi I have 2 fish tanks in my house one 20G and a 10G. The 20g is planted, has black and gray gravel and a rock background, and a double linear strip light total 30W it is very natural looking. My daughter's 10G tank has purple gravel, a bright royal blue background and a castle in the center it has the standard 10W bulb that came with the tank, it was decorated by a 7 year old and looks it. OK here is the thing. Today I moved some fish from my tank to my daughter's and the fish look so much better. I put in 2 lemon tetras, a red swordtail and some long finned zebra danios. There colors looked all washed out in my tank but they look fantastic in the 10g. Why is that

 

[guppymonkey]

It could be the drab coloring of your tank. Your daughter's tank is very bright and colorful (which any young child would do to a tank) while your tank is natural. The colors of the fish will change slightly with their environment. Also the brighter colors will make the fish look more colorful even if they really aren't changing. Its a trick of the eye, just an optical illusion sometimes.

 

[MAM]

its the gravel, i have black, it drowns out the color.
by the way, was looking at your list of fish, whats a red glass barb?

 

[Moe]

Do you think changing the background to a brighter color would help make my fish look better? I always thought that bright colors in the tank washed out the fish and that fish look best with a dark gravel. Did I get this wrong?

Many a Molly - a red glass barb is a small yellow community fish. You can see is's insides. Mine are totally yellow but i've read that they can become orange or red.
I really love them so far - I just got them today. Here is a picture, I couldn't find a better one.
http/www.jackspets.com/freshwaterabb.htm

 

[MAM]

i always thought the same. since the first fish i was getting were platies and guppies i though a black gravel would make their colors pop, but not really. but then again, it could be your lighting too, or even a combo of light and decor. try a brighter background. that helped my tank out a bit

 

[Kossy]

Like said its because your daughters tank is all colourful and unnatural so to speak. So the fish will look more colorful in that tank because it simply is more colorful. You can change the background and the gravel...however this may only help a bit. Does your tank have a light? if not then the fish will look a lot darker...than with one.

 

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

it's the darker subtrate IMO. I have 5 tanks w/ white sand, and one w/ black, and it just depends on what color the fish are wheter they look better on a dark or light subtrate. and by your descriptions i take it your's look better on a light subtrate try pool filter sand. it's cheap, and it's white! peace....

 

[Moe]

I'll try changing the background to a brighter one. It is too much of a pain to change the gravel.

 

[guppymonkey]

Changing the gravel is a major pain (reason why I still have the red, white and blue gravel that my girlfriend's little brother gave me). It can also mess up your biofilter. A lot of bacteria lives in the gravel and changing it can make your tank have to cycle again. So I guess its safer to have fish that are a little more dull but healthier. A brighter light might help. When I changed my light I realized how much of a difference it makes.