discus changing colors?

[Mondo]

so i bought 3 baby blue turqs about a week ago, when i got them they were a dark color, almost a brown, i have been feeding them and making sure they temperature has been good, and tonight i went to the movies and when i came back all 3 of them are now a silver greyish color, since i got them they have been almost a brown color,

is that a good or bad thing?

i hope they are not sick

[aquafrogstuff]

I had the same thing happen so some blue turksd I brought home. It's related to stress. When they settle in their colour returns. I believe it's 'normal' and provided to kepp them fed, tank clean etc etc their colour should be the same as it was when you saw them in the fish shop.

[Nathan]

yea its stress, my snakeskin turns really really dark when hes spawning also when sometimes for no reason.

yeah give them a bit of time an theyl settle in, they may take a few weeks to settle in though, its very common for discus to take a while to eat aswel.

[Marinemom]

Usually discus change colors when they are stressed. They also will change colors to bled into thier enviroment. When I first got my discus the blue discus turned almost black because of the background that I had that was black.I changed it out in favor of a lighter blue background and in a week to ten days his normal blue color returned. Just something to think about.

Marinemom

[*Chris*]

if they go ghostly white though id be checking the water parameters for ammo and nitrites just as a precaution
chris

[sonflowerjoela]

I have 4 snakeskins in a 72 gallon tank and one of them is quite a bit bigger than the rest and this fish will sometimes roll like nose up and tail down and turn almost black. Why does it do that? I can go to the tank and when it sees me it right itself and goes back to a beautiful color? :roll: Do I need to do something different?

[sonflowerjoela]

Hello? Does anyone know why a discus would turn dark for no apparent reason? just seeking the wisdom of all you discus gurus? :wink:

[Jadels]

Because it feels like worrying you...



Dont take my advise seriously i'm talking crap but these are the type of fish that would.

[sonflowerjoela]

Good answer. I thought that was what it was. LOL

[uh oh discus]

i think your PH is too low. it happend to my discus before. try to change your water more often and make sure the PH is not too low. thats what my local breeder told me. :D

[freshyyf]

I found that my discus change colour EVERYDAY. Sometimes, they are dark but sometimes with sharp colour, so do the strip in their body! Any master here to explain?

[the german]

hey sunflower.
heads up tail down and black is not a goos sign...
what are your water parameters like?

[sammigold]

Freshyyf, Discus colours may change for many reasons.

Their "strip" or "Bars" may become very noticeable if they are stressed, but it can also become noticeable just swimming from one side of the tank to the other and maybe seeing a shadow or something, it is a method of blending into the surroundings...

If they are being bullied they may darken and the stress bars may show.

If they are spawning they may darken...

The best way to know if it is a problem is to observe the discus behaviour overall, if it is dark and its fins are clamped and it is hiding and not eating there is a pretty good chance that it is sick or bullied.

If it is dark, but it is eating well, swimming happily and looking otherwise healthy and happy, it may just be camouflaging itself or be feeling moody :-)

Mondo, from what I have seen, a silver body on a baby blue turk is quite common until they start to "colour" up into their blue shades... I would not be worried unless they show other symptoms of illness, in fact I think that it means they are quite happy with their new surrounds.

correct me if I am wrong anyone.

cheers