Rummy Nose Tetra's

[saera]

I've been turning the light of in my aquarium for about six - eight hours a night... I noticed the past two mornings when I wake up that my rummy nose tetras have lost their red color and stay towards the bottom of the tank, and I was wondering if this is because of the fact that there is no light on in the tank? The other fishies seem fine... And I've been doing my water changes, and also bought the test kit to test the balance of the water... Anyone know?*SLEEPING*

 

[fishnewbie]

saera,
Have you tested your water? What were the readings? When was the last time you did a water change? What is your tank setup? Having the light off for that amount of time shouldn't have an impact. I keep mine on for 12 hours and off for 12. I know I have read when fish are stressed they will show color fades.

Justin

 

[FroggyFox]

Chances are good that your fish are fine and your tank water is fine. They commonly lose their color and sleep in different ways...so when you turn the lights on in the morning you are basically waking them up.

 

[saera]

I've had the rummy nose tetra's in the tank for approx. a week and a half now, maybe two weeks - I'm bad at time... But, my point is, they normally keep their color even when the light is turned off. A friend told me they also lose their color when they are stressed... Is this true?
Thanks!

 

[JWright]

Most tetras lose color when they "sleep"

What do mean by "normally"? If they kept their color overnight, it probably means they aren't resting, which would be normal for the first week or so in a new aquarium. The fact that they're fading overnight means they're settled in.

~JW

 

[Helena21]

Im sure they are fine. Most fish lose their colours at night so that they are not as easily seen by predators. Most of my fish are also at the bottom of the tank when i turn the light on, its where they sleep. If your rummynoses get their colours back in about 10mins after the lights have been on, their fine

 

[MemnochsKat]

I have a school of Rummy's in my 29g. My lights are on timers. When I get up in the morning before tank lights come on, the Rummy's are all hovering *sleeping* near the bottom of the tank and have lost most of their red nose coloring. However once they wake up and form their school for the day the red coloring comes back fast! This is normal behavior for this tetra.


You did have a good question about stress. Yes Rummy's will lose their color if they are stressed, but you will notice it during the day when they would normally be very vibrant. Poor water conditions, improper nutrition, over crowding are things that would cause this.

The older your Rummy's get the more Red their noses will be and the further down their body the red will reach. If you're interested in enhancing your Rummy's color, try feeding a color enhancing food. I recommend Omega One brand, it's all natural and my fish love it. It's mostly protein so it would probably be a bad idea to only feed that food. It could be mixed in with your regular flake food, or fed 1-2 times a week as a treat

p.s. Rummy's like to be in groups of 6 or more