Stacy Z Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 I’m retired ex Military so I’m home alot more so I watch the fish often. Is it my imagination or is Neon Tetra colored stripe kinda tied to their emotions. Like for instance they were schooling, one got lost and his blue looked lighter, found the group back to normal? I know they talk of NTD and color issues and that’s not what I mean at all? First time with this nano fish in a big enough school. I know totally noob…it’s just a Tetra. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 i have about 30 neons and i notice these traits aswell. Whats really neat is seeing them sleep and how dull their colors get. I put my money on living mood rings lol. I am also retired military so i also watch my tank a lot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 It's fairly common for fish to change colors, or at least the intensity of colors, depending on its stress level, health, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 On 8/9/2021 at 11:20 AM, Dakota said: i have about 30 neons and i notice these traits aswell. Whats really neat is seeing them sleep and how dull their colors get. I put my money on living mood rings lol. I am also retired military so i also watch my tank a lot. The first time I saw my cardinal tetras sleep I thought they were dead, they were so pale🤣. I said "I'll remove the boddies in the morning", I wake up, and see all the cardinals swimming like usual. haha. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy Z Posted August 9, 2021 Author Share Posted August 9, 2021 On 8/9/2021 at 1:51 PM, James Black said: The first time I saw my cardinal tetras sleep I thought they were dead, they were so pale🤣. I said "I'll remove the boddies in the morning", I wake up, and see all the cardinals swimming like usual. haha. On 8/9/2021 at 12:20 PM, Dakota said: i have about 30 neons and i notice these traits aswell. Whats really neat is seeing them sleep and how dull their colors get. I put my money on living mood rings lol. I am also retired military so i also watch my tank a lot. Ha Mood Rings. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Generally speaking neon and cardinal tetra will get paler as they get stressed/scared. So yes if it was sep. from the group it might begin to pale. Frequently when i buy new cardinals they are completely pale (both red and blue); but as soon as they find the group i already own they immediately brighten in joy and become quite colourful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 At least in marine fish, many species can see in ultraviolet. Science has demonstrated that the neon tetra control crystalline structures in their skin to reflect these ultraviolet wavelengths back in visible light. They can change these crystalline structures to reflect different light however it does rely on an ultraviolet light source thus why they appear pale at night. I haven't found any scientific articles on neon tetra specifically but ultraviolet communication amongst fish is a new and quickly picking up speed topic. Not only communication but each fish can have an ultraviolet fingerprint if you will to allow other fish to know who they are communicating with. Since there is no scientific evidence my next projection is baseless and just an opinion, but I'd bet dollars to donuts neon tetra can communicate in the UV spectrum and the red-blue stripe likely has a major role in it. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 most fish have color shifts during the day, due to mood, lighting, mating etc. the neons being so brightly colored really show the changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy Z Posted August 9, 2021 Author Share Posted August 9, 2021 On 8/9/2021 at 2:36 PM, Biotope Biologist said: At least in marine fish, many species can see in ultraviolet. Science has demonstrated that the neon tetra control crystalline structures in their skin to reflect these ultraviolet wavelengths back in visible light. They can change these crystalline structures to reflect different light however it does rely on an ultraviolet light source thus why they appear pale at night. I haven't found any scientific articles on neon tetra specifically but ultraviolet communication amongst fish is a new and quickly picking up speed topic. Not only communication but each fish can have an ultraviolet fingerprint if you will to allow other fish to know who they are communicating with. Since there is no scientific evidence my next projection is baseless and just an opinion, but I'd bet dollars to donuts neon tetra can communicate in the UV spectrum and the red-blue stripe likely has a major role in it. Interesting TY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameCzar Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Our green neons are pale when we first turn on the light for them, but they color up pretty quick. I just assumed it was based on the light or lack thereof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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