substrate
- Thread starter Tambo
- Start date
In theory that coul be possible, because in the wild black and and them would make then stand out for any bird or predator, however have not had loaches with black sand, I always use light brown sand in all of my tanks. cheers jk :thumbup:
Not that I know of...I have come across clowns that never look as black as others and they tend to stay with the faded look, and others look really good and colourful...In my opinion its nothing to do with being amongst other fish or water quality as I have had 1 batch that comes in faded and the next batch comes in high coloured and they are both placed in the same tank with similar fish...On looking at them you can tell which is which and they tend to stay like this for the duration that I have them.
Only time have seen faded fish is when they are sick or stressed or first thing when I turn the lights on.
Maybe their surroundings affect their mood which causes them to fade. I suppose feeling vulnerable due to standing out would cause stress. Is a fish even clever enough to know it stands out in the first place and does it even care about its surroundings apart from the obvious lack of cover.
Black sand is usually used by aquascapers to make their tanks stand out and maybe they were keeping their tank minimalistic and so the fish felt vulnerable so faded due to stress.
Not sure how much is a built in response.
Maybe their surroundings affect their mood which causes them to fade. I suppose feeling vulnerable due to standing out would cause stress. Is a fish even clever enough to know it stands out in the first place and does it even care about its surroundings apart from the obvious lack of cover.
Black sand is usually used by aquascapers to make their tanks stand out and maybe they were keeping their tank minimalistic and so the fish felt vulnerable so faded due to stress.
Not sure how much is a built in response.
I don't always find this to be the case as stated in my post...Out of the 2 batches placed in the same tank 1 lot stayed faded and Lot 2 were much better coloured and brighter...The faded ones didn't really change much over the weeks that I had them no matter what I tried...They were eating and had good body shape but were faded.
Was just talking about fish in general not that clued up on clown loaches except seen them in shops and know they eat snails and possibly shrimp.
I know neon tetras respond exactly how I described but not sure how much it is related to species or fish in general, if you know what I mean?
Each species probably has its own unique responses to certain things and have learned how to adapt and react to different surroundings over years and years so even taken from the wild will still show the same reactions in a tank.
Finding it difficult to explain what I'm thinking. So will leave it at that
I know neon tetras respond exactly how I described but not sure how much it is related to species or fish in general, if you know what I mean?
Each species probably has its own unique responses to certain things and have learned how to adapt and react to different surroundings over years and years so even taken from the wild will still show the same reactions in a tank.
Finding it difficult to explain what I'm thinking. So will leave it at that
Hi all,
I think black sand is fine, I usually use silica sand which is very pale, but I try to have some tannins and lots of plants and structure to create shaded areas.
I think most plecs are happier in dark conditions.
cheers Darrel
I think black sand is fine, I usually use silica sand which is very pale, but I try to have some tannins and lots of plants and structure to create shaded areas.
I think most plecs are happier in dark conditions.
cheers Darrel
I just got rid of my black substrate (eco complete) and replaced it with play sand for my corys. I felt as though my entire tank brightened up when I put the sand in. Everything stands out nicer now (it could just be a figment of my imagination though) but even my corydoras sterbai's look darker. I had the black substrate in for 3 years, so I was kind of sick of it. My husband even commented the other day that he likes my tank better now because it looks brighter. But I would guess it comes down to your personal choice. In the end, it is your tank!