i read somewhere that when rams lose their colour they are contented. is this true? is it only when they are fighting for food or is pissed off with someone in the tank that they turn bolder in colours?
It is true that the brightest colors come out when they're in breeding condition or are defending territory, but good food and clean water will keep their colors plenty bright.
If given the right water parameters, and diet, Rams should be spectacular. I know in my area they have been interbred so much, that they are of pretty poor quality.
I agree, the ones in my lfs are very poorly coloured and its because they're kept in a washing-machine type tank, the water flow is way too strong and they're stressed. Once I got them home they coloured up straight away, one coloured up in the bag on the way home so it must have been really stressed in the shop :EEK:
I kept one on her own in a community tank after her hubby died and she was spectacular - like a fiesta Queen of the tank LOL.