How to bring the color back?

[YzF]

Hi all. I am running a fish only 4 feet tank for about 7 mths now.

Have a Blue, Purple, Yellow tang. 1 Maroon clown and 2 clown and some damsels. Basic parameter under control. Never test for phosphate though.

Notice colour of fishes fades. The maroon changes slightly blackish. Been adding marine trace (seachem) into the system. Feed them with Tetra flakes and sometimes mysis and brine shrimps.

Is there anyway to bring the colour back? Hear that Vit C is needed also for the Marine Trace to be effective. Is there any acticle on it?

Searched the forum but cannot find anything abt fish losing colour.

Thanks for all your help!

[YzF]

Help..

[Eric]

Hi all. I am running a fish only 4 feet tank for about 7 mths now.

Have a Blue, Purple, Yellow tang. 1 Maroon clown and 2 clown and some damsels. Basic parameter under control. Never test for phosphate though.

Notice colour of fishes fades. The maroon changes slightly blackish. Been adding marine trace (seachem) into the system. Feed them with Tetra flakes and sometimes mysis and brine shrimps.

Is there anyway to bring the colour back? Hear that Vit C is needed also for the Marine Trace to be effective. Is there any acticle on it?

Searched the forum but cannot find anything abt fish losing colour.

Thanks for all your help!

Lights specs?

[YzF]

2 X 36W FL (One Actinic and 10 000K)

[Eric]

2 X 36W FL (One Actinic and 10 000K)

You might wan to upgrade ur lights........

[Weapon_Master]

I kind of doubt lighting has anything to do with fishes changing colour.

[ryz]

dun think fishs' colour is affected by light... their coloration is not due to algal growth... it's due to some vitamin or mineral... forgot the name... check it out and feed them food rich in that substance...usually for tangs is seaweed... rich in beta carotene or something like that...

[FuEl]

Heard from one of the older LFS..rather unknown LFS to most ppl...in the bedok area...that fish fading color is due to high phosphate levels. Not sure how through this is but I guess there is no harm in checking your phosphate levels?

[ozy]

My true percs were losing their black suit for a while. Then I started dosing kalk into the tank, and now they seem to recovered. I am not sure if there are any relation between the 2 events, but I cannot think of any other changes I did...

[ryz]

calcium, carbonate, phosphate? dun seem to have any relation to fishes leh... dunno... anyway I'm no scientist.. may have some subtle relation.

[ikan buntal]

Bro,why not trying to feed your fish with foods than contain color enhancing elements maybe like spectrum products.hop this help..cheers

[trader_best]

its probably due to lack of trace elements in the tank?

remember se* ch*m has a product call trace elements for marine fish?

notsure tho, gurus please confirm n advise

[FuEl]

My true percs were losing their black suit for a while. Then I started dosing kalk into the tank, and now they seem to recovered. I am not sure if there are any relation between the 2 events, but I cannot think of any other changes I did...

Kalk precipitates phosphates?

[YzF]

Kalk? Normally ppl use it in the Calcium reactor?

How much is one packet or box (dun know how it look like)

It is true that Calcium react with phosphate.

Phospate test kit like quite ex.

I already been adding trace element into the tank

[Kalib]

Kalk precipitates phosphates?

Yeah kalk does. Think it reacts with phosphates to form calcium phosphates which can be skimmed out of the system.

I dunno what is wrong, but could it be an overdose of trace elements? However, i ever read an article saying that Tangs colour can fade due to a meaty diet, so should try to include more vege.

YzF: Kalkwasser is a powder that is added to top-up water and dripped into the tank slowly. But you should get a calcium and kH testkit before doing so, you can end up with very high calcium and kH if you keep dripping blindly w/o knowing the tank's consumption.

[roidan]

i never dosed trace elements before in this hobby...i think that's not the root of the colour loss

[aStRoBo|]

i dose trace elements by seach@m.. just read on the bottle tat say it trace back lost minerals or something..so juz dose it.. dunnoe whether it will bring back color or lose their color though..my fishes color..seems ok..

[ReDDeviLs]

my bicolour wrasse also have fade of some color..dont know why..

[YzF]

i never dosed trace elements before in this hobby...i think that's not the root of the colour loss

Never add before? You changes water often?

Heard that rowaphos is good for removing phospahte in the water? Going to try. Anyone know where to get and at what price? Pm me if not convient to mention names here..

Thanks.

[ReDDeviLs]

read somewhere that reborn have it at a reasonable price..

[YzF]

trying to get rowaphos now.. will update if is improving the condition..

[YzF]

Well saw my thread. Forgot all about it. Now read my own thread sound a bit stupid. Now to update it.

Well the color loss is still going on with the addition of rowa. I suspect its due to some stresses somewhere. (definitely what!) But dun know if any stuffs i can add to improve the color of the fishes.

Now my yellow tang is not so yellow anymore. The most obvious one is the clown fishes. Maroon and false clown. They turn blackish.

I feed formula 1 & 2, mysis, brine.. I sometimes put in trace element for fishes, Vit C, Selcon(just buy, no effect yet).

Anyone has the same prob?? i wanted to add in a flame angel but afraid the same thing happen to the flame.

[ryz]

I dun feed my tangs any vege also leh... used to feed them lettuce cabbage leafy vege and nori... now too lazy just feed them ocean nutrition formula1 marine pellets.. I realise that when the fishes are stressed or sick, their coilour will fade a little.. so you might wanna make sure that there are nothing stressign the fishes... My YT, BT and PT stay in my tank for almost 4 months without water change and still retain the colour leh... nv dose trace elements. so dun think it has to do with the trace elements... I would think it has more to do with their diet than water chemistry. but your feeding regime sounds rather appropriate.. Think still boils down to how comfortable or stressed they are living in the tank.. some fishes reportedly changes colour in captivity or when they age, but dun think YT's colouration is affected leh... CLownfish's colour turning duller is quite a common phenomenon in the hobby. Their colouration might have some intrinsic relation with the host anemone.. dunno... so far the reefers who have documented the darkening of their clownfish's colour have not noted any effects on it's health.

[Clownfish]

if it's onli the color change in ur maroon clown, i tink u shldn't worry so much... could be a sign of adulthood... during maturity, clownfishes have the tendency to develop a darker color esp. notable in maroon clown... from juvenile bright red to maroon color... btw, being the onli maroon clown in ur tank, it develops into a domineering female, n female clown r usually larger in size n darker in shades than their male partners

Fishes dun need trace elements dosing lah... they get their trace elements from their food... nutritious food can play a part in their coloring too...

Somehow, i do note that some fishes when u buy them, r brightly colored, but after some time in an aquarium would not be as vibrant already... i suspect it could be due to a diff diet that they eat from the wild or it could be due to they do not see anymore need to maintain their vibrant colors to attract their mates already... some natural evolution in them, perhaps

YzF: tink u shld start with gd food

[YzF]

Clownfish what you feed to your fishes? its seems its ok for marron to change color. But how abt False clown? same thing?

like what ryz says, the color brcame duller after some time. Any one able to retain color?