Color in fish just bought from LFS, allso feeding.

I just purchased two percula clowns from my LFS and one is brighter and darker in all the right places while the other seems a little light. I think one had been at the store for a little longer and I think the store only feeds three times a week.

Now when I start feeding them daily or every other day will their colors return and start looking better? Is there anything else I should do to make my fish look better?

These are my first two fish so I want to make sure I make their diet very healthy and have them look very nice. Right now I plan to feed them a mix of frozen Brine and Mysis. My tank is covered in pods so that should be good for them also. What do you suggest?

Thanks.

 

Usually when the fish are stressed out their colors fade. They should be back to normal in a couple days at the most.

A mix of brine and mysis is good. Mysis is healthier, but brine is a nice treat that adds variety to their diet. I feed my fish daily, though lots of people don't. It's really just personal preference and what your tank and fish can handle.

How exciting, your first fish! Congratulations!! Enjoy them...and post some pictures when you can!!

Oh yeah, I forgot to add in that I also feed a pellet, which is a mix of vegetable matter and meat.

 

I suggest mixing in a good quality pellet or flake food as well. If you feed them just Brine and Mysis they mostly getting meat with very little veggies (what is in the mysis/brine's stomach). Clowns are omnivores and will benefit from some more veggie matter.

I use pellets as my primary food, with the frozen being a special treat.

 

I thought at first they were bashing their heads against the glass but then realized they were eating all the pods that I had on the glass. They are still at it! Must have been hungry.

 

Haha that's funny! But they are clowns, they act ridiculous...so they may really just be bashing their heads!

 

Feeding may do nothing. My thinking is that either one is tank bred and the other isn't, or the more colorful one was born like that. Generally, tank bred clowns aren't as colorful as wild caught clowns. I have two clowns, one is very colorful, a bright, deep orange with very sharp black and white marking. My other clown is an ORA Picasso. I know the Picasso was tank bred b/c it's an ORA livestock and it is much light in coloring. He's more of a yellow color. I'm not sure if the more colorful clown is tank bred or not, but basically what I'm saying is that some clowns are very colorful, while others just aren't. No amount of feeding will help if that's the case.

 

Hmm, well I hope that the other one darkens just a little more. They have been around each other ever since I dropped them into my tank so I guess that means they like each other?

 

Well, I've been feeding my Picasso clown the same stuff the other one eats, and he hasn't colored up yet, and I'm not expecting him to. Fish may change shades a little bit depending on the environment and mood, but that doesn't sound like what is happening here.

 

Here's a pic of them,it's a good compare/contrast pic.

 

Here are what mine look like.