Baby black moor white belly is that normal?

[em1981ma]

Hi I have a new tiny baby black moor , unlike my two adult black moors who are completely black. This baby seems to have a white belly. Is that normal? The other moors bellies have a silver shimmer but not like this baby.

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[jlk]

Completely normal! He is losing his melanin (black) pigmentation. He will eventually be either completely orange or completely white. It's a very gradual process that occurs over months or years.

The only time this type of color change is a cause for grave concern is if this occurs in a very short span of time (such as 24hrs or over a few days). Hope this helps!


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[em1981ma]

So all 3 of my moors will eventually change colour then?

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[jlk]

So all 3 of my moors will eventually change colour then?

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The most obvious indication that they will change color eventually is a light colored belly or any white/silver/gold on the belly area. A solid black moor may not change color over the course of their life but there honestly is not a way to know positively if the black is permanent.

Generally, fish bought from a lfs are commercially bred for quantity rather than quality and are less likely to retain their black color. There are private breeders that specifically breed for black genes- these fish would be the only ones guaranteed to remain black.

Either way, you will still have beautiful fish and watching the progression of color change is actually quite fascinating!

 

[em1981ma]

Wow babies belly is white so good chance he'll turn white. Dave my 1yr old moor has a silver belly. Ludo the 2yr old belly is black but he has a golden hint to his scales

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