Colors and "Dominance"

S

SnD

AC Members
Mar 15, 2006
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Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Still being a newbie I have a question about coloration and dominance.

Judging by photos of various species the coloration of cichlids can be very different based on whether or not it is the 'dominant' fish. A few questions in this area:

1. Is the coloration based on the being the dominant fish in:
a) the entire tank
b) the species in the tank?

2. How quickly is 'dominance' determined/achieved?
E.g. How long would it take for a fish to become 'dominant' after being introduced to a tank? Again is the period different for the 'species dominant' versus the 'tank dominant'?

3. Does a fish that becomes sub-dominant revert to his 'old colors'?

4. Does coloration fluctuate significantly during the day/times of stress. (I know my rainbow shark can fluctuate within minutes from grey/pink to jet black/flaming red.)

Thanks for you input!
Scott

P.S. The reason I am asking is that I am planning/fantasizing about a 75 gal Malawi mbuna tank and would like to know what colors to expect from mixing different species.
 
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Interesting questions, there are probably many different opinions out there based on different tank set ups and species.

From what I've seen in my mbuna tanks I'd say that usually the dominant fish in the tank stays fully colored most of the time, as do the dominant representative of each species (with latter being apt to shift to less dominant coloration if challenged by a more dominant fish).

Coloration is also affected by the presence of females (brilliant coloration is used to attract) and competition with rivals (coloration used as a sign of dominance and an aggression signal), as well as mood & confidence (fear and a submissive mood can motivate a fish to abandon bright coloration).

Dominance can be achieved fairly quickly or over a period of time (depends on the species, fish, setup, etc). It doesn't take long for dominance to manifest itself among batches of fry as well, over time one will show signs that it is the top fish (usually being the largest and most colorful of the youngsters).
 
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