female apisto coloring

[vulcanraven]

Some of you may have seen my pair of apistos, and helped identify the species as pebas morado.

So the female has always been bright yellow, with they typical dark black markings on her, but for the past few weeks her coloring has been much darker. Like not at all the bright yellow, but various shades of dark gray, or a sometimes very light dull color of gray. I know my fish become very dark and dull colored when they're moved in and out of tanks, but I haven't touched them in months and the male looks tip top. Sorry but i don't have pics.

I'm not sure if this a health issue, because they both look healthy, and I often see the male "fanning" her in their pot/cave. So why her dark/dull color?

 

[ste12000]

Your female fish is quite simply out of broodcare colouration..The gray colours are normal and as soon as spawning starts up she will convert to bright yellows..

My pics below show a female A.Hoignei in neutral colour, beginning broodcare and full broodcare colours..all pics were taken within a few days of each other and show the vast amount of variation of females colours..

NORMAL.

BEGINNING BROODCARE

BROODCARE.

 

[vulcanraven]

great news. the middle picture "beginning broodcare" is spot on with my female's colouring. thanks for answer post haste

 

[Csababá]

Is it normal that my female cacatuiodeses usually wear broodcare (or like beginning broodcare) although the haven't had eggs for about a month or so? Sometimes they go grayish/darker for some hours or days but return to the yellowish colour.

 

[dw1305]

Yellow female cacatuoides

Hi Csababa,
My female A. cacatuoides remain yellow all the time, when they are in the tank with a male, once they have reached about an inch and a half (4 cm).

At present I have 2 adult and 4 or 5 smaller sub-adult females with my main male, and they are all varying shades of yellow, and presumably all potentially fertile.

Whichever of the females has young fry will be brilliant yellow with very black ventrals etc., the others will be more subdued in colour and contrast, but still definitely yellow.

The (sub-)adult females I of the same size I have growing out, (I don't have any sub-adult males at present), in a tank on their own are much browner in colour.

cheers Darrel

 

[Csababá]

Thank you Darrel.
In that case I consider it normal.:wink: