This may be a silly question.....

Ballyhoo

Ballyhoo

AC Members
Jun 27, 2010
2,608
1
38
36
Fairfield, CA
Why do Cichlids change color?
The past few days my Severums have been a light tan color. Today I added a pair of convicts to my tank. Ever since adding them the Severums have developed vertical black stripes, almost seem to mimic the convicts. Just wondering why they did this.

Thanks
 
It could be stress... Are the convicts bothering them? Any kind of commotion can cause them to discolor themselves.
 
They are much much larger than the convicts. the largest convict is 2/3 inches and the Severums are about 5 inches and 10 inches. They gave the convicts some grief then left them alone and changed colors. I dunno. They are back to tan with a base stripe
 
No question is a silly question if it's something you're curious about.

OK, "can I keep these six goldfish in this 1-gallon bowl?" is kinda silly, but then again I would rather have somebody ask it rather than just leave them there because that's what the picture on the box showed. :)

oh, as to the actual question....I vote for the "stress" answer above. Anything new and different is stressful, as I think we can all probably attest from events in our own lives. And usually it turns out to be nothing to worry about after all, as the fish appear to have found out. :)
 
Cichlids are often moody and their coloring can depend on their mood. One of my mbuna changes color so many times a day I loose count. It could be stress, I would think it's something else. Since the convicts were just added I would guess he's feeling territorial. Most cichlids don't like new fish. Some react more violently than others. I'd give him a couple days to get over it. If needed you can move around decore to make disrupt the territorial boundaries.
 
It could be stress or it could be to show how dominant they may be severums are fairly docile though
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom