Fish are indeed colourful. Especially Tropical Fish but how do they get those colours?.
Can Fish change their colours? If So How?.
Why Fish Are So Colourful?
The colour of a fish is produced by three colour pigments primarily contained within cells called Chromatophores. These pigments are Erythrin (Red), Melanin (Black), and Xanthin (Yellow) each of which occurs in different chromatophores. The colour pigments are complemented by Irridocytes, best described as tiny reflective spheres within the skin.
How Do The Pigments Work?
Fish have pigments inside their cells. These cells carry a number of different colours red black and yellow. When two or more of these colours are mixed they provide yet another colour.
For instance, red and yellow pigments mixed produce orange. The cells are all across the dermis or skin of the fish. They can bleed into one another causing different colours.
If no pigment is present the fish will be white. Also if only one of the primary colours is found in an area the fish will show this colour red black or yellow.
How Iridocytes Produce Colour Changes
Skin cells of fish called iridocytes that are made up of Guanine are also inside the pigment cells. These as mentioned above are like tiny spheres that reflect much like a mirror.
They use plates of Guanine and can replicate light inside the cell to produce silver and blue colours. Seems these particular cells help shape strips on fish.
Also, the production of light and the mirror effect brightens all colours. When a fish is in darker waters those iridocytes will reflect this and the fish will seem less bright in colour.
Visversa when in brighter more vibrant waters and background the fish will seem more colourful. This is because the Iridocytes mimmick the environment the fish is in.
Does Eating Have An Effect On A Fishes Colour?
Yes, Diet plays an enormous role in the colour and health of a fish. Fish are unable to make or indeed replenish their own pigment cells.
Fish need good foods to replenish and create more pigments as well as guanine. Primarily fish see the best results by eating algae shrimps and snails.
The best foods are carotenoids these are foods that have naturally occurring pigments that will give fish those bright vibrant red yellows and oranges!.
There are also plenty of supplements on the market that you can feed fish to enhance the process and replenish pigment cells allowing your fish to be at their most colourful.
Do Hormones Change A Fishes Colour?
Again yes hormones are known to cause colour changes in fish. This presents itself in a number of ways. First, if a fish is scared or nervous maybe because of a predator etc.
Second aggression if a fish is angry irritated and of cause, while courting mating these are all hormonal and all can affect the pigmentation and by doing affect the colour of a fish.
The hormone is produced via the posterior lobe of the pituitary around the nervous system. There seem to be two main things happening here.
Two different hormones the melanin dispensing hormone and the melanin aggregating hormone both will cause colour changes.
In addition to the two main melanin hormones, there’s also adrenalin and thyroxine these hormones are also able to access chromatophores.
Makes sense as we know adrenalin will cause a fish to fight or flight. The fight or flight defence or attack approaches both have control over the fish’s production of melanin and so colour changes are bound to occur.
Does Water Condition Affect The Colouring Of Fish?
Water condition plays a massive role in the colour of our fish. If the water gets grimy the fish feel it. Fish get stressed easily and this makes for pale and or dull colours.
Water is too hot or cold can have an effect on fish again stress-producing colour changes. On the flip side keeping the tank in good condition will see happy healthy fish and again brighter colouring.
To see fish at their best. Keep the water conditions spot on filtration and water changes all at optimum and see your fish thrive with vibrant colour.
Does Aging Affect The Colour Of A Fish?
Unfortunately, we all get old and yep fish will lose some colour as they get old. As fish get older they produce fewer and less production of chromatophores.
They have fewer pigments and as we know fish cant make or replenish pigment cells on their own. They need to eat the right diet but as they get older it can take more food to do this.
Alas although the fish need to eat more as they get older they, in fact, eat less making it almost impossible to keep up any production.
Also as they age they don’t tend to play fight and or mate as much. So they produce less hormones again yet more reasons for colours to drain away.
Other Factors That Affect The Colour Of Fish
As we’ve discussed here there are a number of factors that will affect a fish’s colour. There are environmental factors such as the Population of fish there are water conditions.
The stress of fish mating fish as well as pregnancy and diet aggression hormonal problems. Here’s a sample list of things to look out for that can indeed play a role in changing the colour of fish.
Darker colours or loss of colour
- Not enough of the same fish
- Poor water conditions
- Stress
- poor lighting
- Dark substrate
Vibrant colours
- carotenoids foods algae shrimp snails
- good filtration
- supplements
- Safe environment
- plenty of room
Conclusion Some Fish Just Have No Pigmentation
There are some species of fish that have no or little pigmentation and therefore don’t change colour at all. One example is the cave-dwelling fish which has no pigment at all.
Another is the dark pigment of deep-sea fish. They only process the darker colours blacks and browns they also cant change colour.
There are however thousands if not many more species that can change colours a wild vibrant array of wonderful colours!.
Related posts will help keep fish healthy and colourful
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