Jun 26, 2009
Posted by Freshwater Aquariums in FAQ | 6 Comments
Is It Possible For Aquarium Bulbs 2 Cause A Fishs Color To Fade?
I put a Aqua Glo bulb (15 watt) in my aquarium of guppies, neon tetras, etc...I had it on last night & noticed that the fish didn't seem to be as bright in color as they used to. Could they be fading? The water was a little cloudy because I'd just put in some waste control & it says it can fog the water for a bit. So could that be it or maybe my eyes playing tricks on me? Thanks!
Short answer yes.
HOwever there are many factors that effect your fish’s color. Especially if the light is OUT over night. Fish tend to become very colorless which is a type of self defense. Once the light is on or the sun is up, they will return to their color. Your food can also be a factor in the color of your fish. If you have noticed this over the past few days and have changed the foods you are feeding them this could be the reason as well.
Also Please remember adding waste control chemicals are not the best thing for your tank. There is nothing that is more healthy for your tank than a water change when needed.
it was either ur eyes the stuff or the color of the light ad a different amount of red and green that it made it look like it wasnt as bright
Different light bulbs will highlight the fish in different ways. I just bought some floral light bulbs for the plants and when I put them in everything looked orange!
Also the colour of your background and the colour of your substrate will reflect on the fish.
If you don’t like the lightbulb I would switch it out for one that is supposed to show up the fishes colours more. Most pets stores have a variety of lightbulb types for the different purposes of your aquarium.
Different light bulbs have different spectrums and therefore the fish look different under each variety of light source. You can adjust you light source to match your fish though buying a good high quality full spectrum type sunlight bulb is what I prefer. I do know people and pet shops that purposely have bulbs that highlight a certain spectrum to highlight certain fish. ie. a light source heavy in the red spectrum for fish with a great deal of red in them, etc.
I’d say it’s the bulb spectrum too. Try different bulbs and you’ll see the difference.
If the problem persists, suppliment their diet with color-enhancing food.