Are you worried that your clownfish is changing color? Is it possible that the color change indicates disease in your fish? In this article, I will review what color changes could mean for your clownfish.
Why Do Clownfish Change Colors? Clownfish change their color as they get older and when they are exposed to corals rather than anemones. The corals sting the clownfish, which could lead to the development of black patches on the fish and can, over time, change its skin color to black.
Can Clownfish Change Their Color?
Yes, clownfish can certainly experience a color change due to different reasons, such as the coming of age of the fish or the clownfish being stung by a coral- none of which are fatal for the fish.
Clownfish can change color as they grow older. When you purchase a new juvenile clownfish, the clownfish might have orange and black stripes all over its body;
However, the clownfish color might alter over time as it grows older and might grow darker as the black stripes overshadow the orange stripes.
Clownfish might also experience color changes due to their exposure to corals rather than anemone.
Clownfish have sensitive skin, which would leave black sting marks all over their body as the coral continually stings its body. The stings might result in the clownfish changing color to black.
What is a Healthy Color for a Clownfish?
A healthy clownfish should have a vibrant color that could be white and black or black and orange amidst other colors of this beautiful fish. A healthy clownfish wouldn’t be at risk of its slime skin coming off.
The attractiveness of the clownfish is in its vibrant skin color, as this would indicate that it is healthy and is not at risk of having its slime coat come off due to discoloration resulting from poor wellbeing.
A healthy clownfish could also be determined by its willingness to eat when fed as a poor eating habit could also indicate that the clownfish is not healthy.
Meaning that there are other factors to be considered when determining the healthiness of your clownfish aside the color of its skin.
Why Are my Clownfish Losing Color and not Eating?
A clownfish could be losing color and refusing to eat due to factors such as low temperature in the aquarium or as a result of a mucous coat that is created from residing extensively in an anemone.
Loss of color in a clownfish could be a result of poor water conditions in the tank. Keeping your clownfish in a tank with excessive waste chemicals could result in poor skin color changes in the clownfish as the fish is noted for its skin sensitivity.
The clownfish can also lose color due to the development of a mucous coat around its skin. The mucous coat is created from being hosted by an anemone which could sting the fish and result in a mucous coat that would reduce the vibrancy of the clownfish skin color.
The clownfish could also be refraining from eating if it is unwell, and this can be treated by adding prazipro to the tank water to eliminate any toxic substance from the aquarium to ensure that the fish is rid of any form of worm (Tapeworm, flatworm, etc.) that may be affecting its colon and impeding its ability to feed.
Why do Clownfish Appear Orange?
Clownfish appear orange because this is the natural color of the fish and its subspecies. The orange color of the clownfish is also a testament to the symbiotic relationship between the clownfish and anemones.
Clownfish are beautiful fish species whose natural color is orange, which makes them attractive to pet keepers. The colors of clownfish range from white with stripes to a wide variety of colors, with the orange color being the predominant color of the species and its subspecies.
The orange coloration of the clownfish is considered a warning sign by marine biologists who refer to the orange colors of the fish as a warning to potential predators about the companion of the clownfish- the deadly anemone. The color mimics nature’s reference to orange as a warning coloration.
Can Orange Clownfish Turn Black?
Yes, orange clownfish can turn black as they grow older. This can be due to having been procured as juvie, and then color changes occur as the fish grow older. Or if it’s an Onyx clownfish.
When you newly purchase a juvenile clownfish (a young clownfish), you could notice that it has a bright orange color, but this might change as the clownfish get older, resulting in a mutation of their skin to black.
The Onyx clownfish is a subspecie of clownfish whose color might be bright when first procured and turn dark eventually. This could be noticed as the top side of the clownfish begins to develop a black shade as it grows older.
Do Clownfish Get Darker as they Age?
Yes, clownfish tend to get darker as they age. Some species, such as the Onyx species, will turn darker with strong lighting, while some will turn dark as they gradually become female.
The Onyx species of the clownfish is often of bright colored orange when procured as juvie. However, this would change to a darker shade as the clownfish become an adult and loses some of its vibrancy and takes on a black shade particular to its specie
Another reason for a clownfish turning black could be the manifesting of its female reproductive organ. Clownfish carry both the male and female reproductive organs, and the skin of the fish might take on a darker shade as it grows older and gradually becomes female.
Do Clownfish Patterns Change?
Yes, clownfish species that exist today are noted for gaining stripes from front to back after they are born, while some lose their stripes as they grow and come of age.
Clownfish could experience a pattern change to their skin patch as they age; this could be evidenced in the loss of stripes from front to back as they grow into adults, which is similar to the stripe loss resulting in pattern changes in the fish during evolution.
Pattern changes in clownfish are also a testament to the fish’s method of identifying different individuals belonging to the same species as it helps them in determining if the potential partners are available for reproduction as a darker stripe would indicate a female clownfish that has come of age.
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