Is colour change normal???

[Monsweet]

We have a chocolate rainbow cichlid which is quite big, we recently took our green terror back the shop as the cichlid was getting picked on so they gave us two fire mouth cichlids and one zebra convict..... After a few minutes of them going in our chocolate cichlid changed colour to a much lighter brown, blue specks on fins and the eyes went a bright orange/red!!!! Also a big black stripe down it's side got loads darker and really stood out started swimming strangely too. Is this normal??? First time we have had cichlids! The new firemouth and convicts are alot smaller so the chocolate cichlid is the biggest fish in there. Any ideas??

 

[kdpuffer]

With cichlids they tend to change appearance like that when they are stressed. It's should return to normal once everyone settles in.

 

[phoenixkiller]

+1. It's stress. Let it play out if it is not too bad. If it gets considerably worse, take the troublemaker back to the shop...

 

[CraigMac]

Couldn't it also be him showing dominance? Darkening up and shaking in front of the newcomers to let them know who is boss.

 

[Mlani]

+1 on the dominance. Some of my males will change their colors and shake to get the females attention. I also have a lab that gets a black face to show he's boss. (or he thinks he is anyway)

 

[Monsweet]

He also does alot of shaking/dancing when he is at his brightest! A dark line appears down his side too! So I'm starting to think he is just trying to show who's boss, here's a picture







These aren't at his brightest but see the black line down the side, that gets darker, his eyes glow bright orange and the rest of him goes lighter

 

[Mlani]

He looks healthy mind you, I haven't got a lot of experience with that particular species. Typically, if a fish changes color like loses it's pigment or has blotches of red then you worry. (or in the case of some fish if they go completely black) I think your guy is showing off for the other fishies

 

[BillD]

I don't know where the chocolate comes from, but that looks like a rainbow (Archocentrus multispinosa, formerly Herotilapia multispinosa), not a chocolate.. Their colour is very variable especially when spawning where it will change extremely.

 

[Monsweet]

I don't know where the chocolate comes from, but that looks like a rainbow (Archocentrus multispinosa, formerly Herotilapia multispinosa), not a chocolate.. Their colour is very variable especially when spawning where it will change extremely.

Hi, when we bought it they called it a chocolate rainbow but since researching it you are right, it's just a rainbow. When it is at it's brightest he does tend to chase and dance tirades our convict and firemouths so hopefully he us just showing off!

 

[bcurlacher54]

yep its showing colors and shaking to show the others who is boss, if the newbies grow up and challenge his dominanace and win, he probably will change color again to show that he is not so dominant anymore.