Mandarin Question

[GavinM]

Hi,

I added a smallish Mandarin (Psychodelic not spotty) to my tank last week. She was drip acclimatised and seems very happy constantly patrolling over through and around the rock picking at pods. The question I have regards her nocturnal behaviour.

She seems to change colour every night after lights out and become much paler on her body (fins stay fully coloured) then back to normal colouration the following morning.

I worried at first it was stress linked but it happens every night without fail and then back to normal during the day.

Is this normal!!?? :confused:

Thanks

Gavin

[bearindrag]

hi i have had a manderin fish for about 2 years now and every night it it goes very still and goes very pale and the next day its fine i think this is how they are chris

[GavinM]

Thanks Chris - I thought it must be normal, I'm more stressed than the fish!!:o

[bearindrag]

i was watching the tank one night and see the manderin on the sand like you say and s**T myself ,lights came on ,hand in tank and he just swam away ,like you said you get more stressed that the fish cheers chris

[JASONC1]

it could be camo

[bio10155]

Yep - my one does exactly that @ night.

[HARKAWAL]

You will see this happening with most marine fish. Take time and have a look.

[JRfowler]

you think thats scary, try having a foxface, they go a different colour at night or even when startled.. they also find a place and freeze and dont move a tad, they look like there dead..

u wouldnt put ur hand in to save them I can tell u... stinger..!!

[jimmy911]

harkawal is right there are very few marine fish that don`t lose colour at some point it just so happens the time we see it most is when we are interfearing with there crib so imedeatly everyone puts it down to stress which is true,,,,sometimes,,, in tangs especially.
there are many differant views on why when i first got a marine tank i was sitting hear next to my tank lights went out about ten minutes later i notices my yellow tang diamond white, that was it the test kit came out lights on ro unit on,,,and he slowly perced up(colour) so i read and read and read. and there were three marine biologist with three different conclusions. i can`t remember there names but they were.

1.because of there bright coulors it made them lest visable to preditors at night when they were at there most volnruble.

2. was the stress factor

3. was that they have micro cells under/between the scales that reflect the light with the basking process i think vitiman c ect and when darkness was at state they would shut down and reserve energy///

something like that anyway

short answer perfectly normal
would have been easier lol:D

tony