I have 3 discus that are about 31/2". I think they're red turquoise. The two have dark stripes but the other doesn't. Then at times they all do. Is it a sign of anger or stress? Right now he's pecking the other one.
What does is mean when the fish lose their stripes?
- Thread starter Diann62
- Start date
Fish will change color when stressed. They often become "pale" or have other reactions according to the situation.
Simply by watching them and paying attention to their :mood: and coloration during that mood will let you know whether they are stressed or happy.
Simply by watching them and paying attention to their :mood: and coloration during that mood will let you know whether they are stressed or happy.
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Bars will darken when stressed and fade when content. Sometimes people refer to the bars as stress bars
This does not hold true for all fish, such as the zebra angelfish. There stripes will fade when they are stressed.
You're absolutely correct Blueiz. Another example is plecos getting blotchy looking like they have a skin disease. I'm speaking here in this post only of Diann62's discus.
yeah, just wanted to clarify that specifically in case someone that was less experienced read it and assumed that it was angelfish and discus because its in this forum..
I find that my angels (wilds) will show their bars early in the morning and later in the evening as well as display the brown tint of their skin. I suspect it is camouflage. mid day you only see partial bars and their skin is white/silver. with blue crests. the ventral also turn blue
I also agree that the bars on Discus are nick named stress bars as they do tend to darken with stress.
I also agree that the bars on Discus are nick named stress bars as they do tend to darken with stress.
Makes sense. I guess that's why the guy without the bars are pecking at the 2 with the bars. That's too bad because I like the look of the bars....although not good for the fish. Thanks for the info.