Reddish Zebra Danios

[roberto]

Hi,

I have a 58L tank which I have had set up for a week without fish. I tested my water today and it indicated to have a pH of about 7.5 (all other tests were nil). This seemed ok, so being pay day I went and got two Zebra Danios (yes, I'm doing a fishy cycle - I didn't find any good information on fishless cycling until tonight). The Zebra Danios have been in the tank about 7 hours now and appear to have taken on a reddish tinge. Could this be due to the high pH (I have read Zebra Danio's like pH upto 7, so 7.5 is a little high I guess)? What would be the best thing to do in this case? I have read that lowering the pH using chemicals isn't a good idea. I am using an Aquaclear Mini power filter on this tank.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[OrionGirl]

What was the pH of the water the fish were in at the store? The fish can adapt to your pH, but a gradual acclimation to your water would have been better for them. A sudden change can cause shock, but this the usualy symptom of this is lethargy, color loss, and lack of appetite. At this point, don't do anything for the water's pH, but do test and do water changes as needed to prevent ammonia/nitrite poisoning--the fish will be more susceptible to these toxins if they are shocked.

There are some danios which are redder than usualy--they've been genetically modified to include a coral gene that causes them to fluoresce under black lights. They would have been pricier than regular danios--somewhere between $5-10, while regular ones are usually less than $2.

 

[roberto]

Good idea, I didn't even think about what the LFS aquarium's pH was, I will ask them tomorrow. They seem to be darting around ok and don't seem to be stressed or anything, I just noticed a slight reddish colour to them late this afternoon, and was a little worried incase I had done something wrong (and not realised it).

Thanks for your help.

Rob

 

[dwayne]

Ditto -- dont' mess w/ your water's ph because that's something that you will always have to adjust (unless you move to a different area). Get fish that like the ph of your water.

And ditto on not worrying about their coloring! As long as they are darting around, chasing each other etc, they are fine!

Good luck!

~Tara