Tiger barbs turning white over night

[Mwoods]

So I adopted 4 tiger barbs and when I got them they where very stressed and dark but they soon got their color and became happy. But yesterday I I got the brine shrimp and I don't know if that has anything to do with this but when I got up this morning and turned their light on 3 of them where very pale like a silver/whitish color and they just stayed in a little group together not moving around just swimming in place. But after I fed the other fish and got ready they where up and moving around and had color to them. Is something going on or do they just do that?

 

[fluttermoth]

Many fish lose or change colour at night or in the dark, as well as to communicate with other fish during the day, so it's nothing to worry about

It's a good idea to make sure you've opened the curtains, or put the room lights on for a few minutes, before you switch the tank lights on, so the fish can wake up more gradually.

 

[Mwoods]

Many fish lose or change colour at night or in the dark, as well as to communicate with other fish during the day, so it's nothing to worry about

It's a good idea to make sure you've opened the curtains, or put the room lights on for a few minutes, before you switch the tank lights on, so the fish can wake up more gradually.

Oh thank goddess! Thank you so much!

 

[fluttermoth]

You're very welcome; I remember, years ago, thinking all my neon tetras were terribly sick, because I'd switched on the light and they'd all lost all their blue, so it's something that many of us have worried about, until we knew what was happening

 

[IHaveADogToo]

It's scary the first time you see your fish go pasty white, isn't it?

It's stress related. I know if I'm dead asleep, and someone comes in and turns on a bright light in my eyes, and starts making noise, that's a stressful way for me to wake up.

If you use a timer, make sure the curtains are open for a bit before the timer kicks over and turns the lights on. I have my timer set to turn the lights on about 15 minutes before I get up in the morning, because I like to observe my fish while I'm getting ready for work. So before I go to bed at night, I open my curtains, so they're already open in the morning and the fish are seeing light and waking up well before the lamp comes on.