Do tropical fish see colour

[Ricky 1]

I know there is no definitive answer, I have LED's at night for moon light and a remote that produces all sorts of the colour spectrum, However, would like to know your thought on this........ cheers

 

[44Paps44]

I saw this on a fishing website and thought it gave a reasonable answer:

What Do Fish See?

Scientists really do not know exactly what fish see, or in other words, what images reach their brains. Most research on the vision of fish is done either by physical or chemical examination of different parts of their eyes or by determining how laboratory fish respond to various images or stimuli. Making broad generalizations about a fish’s vision is complicated by the fact that different species may have different vision capabilities and that laboratory results may not represent what happens in the real world of an ocean, lake, or river.

Physical studies of the eyes and retinas of fish show that the majority can obtain a clearly focused image, detect motion, and have good contrast-detection ability. A limited number of experiments have shown that a minimum level of light is necessary before a fish can recognize colors. Another finding, but one that needs more study, is that some fish favor a specific color. This point may contradict or affirm your own fishing experiences, but remember that the attractiveness of your fly is a combination of many things, including its motion, shape, and color, as well as the scents in and depth of the water.

Most fish have an adequate sense of vision, but this is usually not so impressive as their sense of smell and ability to detect vibrations through their lateral lines. Fish usually use their sense of hearing or smell to initially perceive their prey, and then use their vision only in the final attack. Most fish can see in low-light conditions or dirty water, and a few can see objects over moderately long distances. Fish such as tuna have especially good vision; others less so. Fish are usually nearsighted, although it is believed that sharks are farsighted.

The majority of fish have developed eyes that will detect the type of colors typical of their environment. For example, inshore fish have good color vision, whereas offshore pelagic fish have limited color vision and detect only a few if any colors other than black and white. This is not surprising from an evolutionary point of view, because nearshore waters are lit with many colors; offshore waters, on the other hand, are mainly blue or green and contain few other colors.

The actual ability of a specific color to attract or even repel fish has fascinated both anglers and scientists. While there are no uniform answers, scientists have conducted experiments on this interesting question. For example, studies of sticklebacks during their spawning season have shown that males, which then have bright red coloring on their bellies, become very aggressive to decoys that also have bright red bellies. Similarly, decoys with extended bellies, which look like females carrying eggs, attract the males. But it isn’t that simple: it wasn’t just the case of a perfect decoy imitation, but rather the color or shape of the decoy. In addition, it was noted that a passing red car, seen from the fish tank, also excited male sticklebacks.

Fish Eyesight: Does Color Matter? | MidCurrent

 

[Ricky 1]

Very interesting read, thank you 44Paps........

 

[Rivers2k]

I would have to guess that they do. Nobody could no what spectrum but they have to be able to see some. Otherwise what is the purpose of some fish using warning colors and other fish mimicking those fish in color as a defense. Fish also change color to display dominance, or ready to breed.

AS far as your lighting situation goes I think colored lights are just ugly but it is what ever your preference is. Lights on tanks (besides plants and reefs) are purely for us to view the fish. Ambient light from the room is generally just as good if not better than they would have in the wild.

 

[Nils]

I have some species of cichlid in the lake I fish in, I actually catch big ones a lot. Also, I fish for bass, crappie and bluegill, and ending on what time of year and what the weather is, we like to use different colors that the fish are hunting for. So, I'm guessing yes, predator fish probably see in color. My mom was in college and did a cool test on goldfish to see if they saw color, and yes they do. (Don't worry, the goldfish were rehomed to a huge indoor pond, they are all good

Nils

 

[Jmunroe]

Turn the lights completely off at night. Fish need sleep. No need to have a moon light.

 

[Ricky 1]

Turn the lights completely off at night. Fish need sleep. No need to have a moon light.

I don't think it's right to plunge fish into darkness, the sun goes down very slowly in nature, it doesn't just switch off, so 5minutes before the lights go out moonlight comes on, it's still a dark tank but not black...........

 

[Bichir Bro]

Turn the lights completely off at night. Fish need sleep. No need to have a moon light.

I agree, while the feature is neat and all all its not really needed. I do like however how the current satellite pro has a slow (15 min) "sunrise and set" mode.
The only aquatic animal I know a lot about like with eyesight and stuff is the mantis shrimp. Those guys are insane!


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[Ricky 1]

I know the fish can do without it, but led's are coming in fast in tanks, I don't like all the range of colours though, t8 mainly and moon light at night.........

 

[Jmunroe]

It's not that fish can do without it... they need to do without it. If it's bright enough to allow the fish to be active then they are not getting the rest period they require. If your worried about plunging them into darkness turn the tank light off and let the natural light do its thing. If they are in a windowless room, turn an adjacent room light on for a bit with the fish room light off.

 

[Ricky 1]

This is the moon light jm

 

[Jmunroe]

Yeah I wouldn't leave that on all night.

 

[fish wrangler]

What I do is i turn my moonlight on for 10 minutes and then switch over to the main light. It is like flipping the switch for bright lights in a pitch black room, it hurts our eyes. At night though the room light is normally on so I don't bother with the moonlight.

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[Jmunroe]

Yeah it's not good to go from pitch black to bright lights. It can startle them bad enough that quite often they end up hurting themselves. I also wouldn't leave a room light on at night. Fish need pitch black for a resting period. They really do need sleep. It has a huge impact on life expectancy. Doesn't take much light at all for them to not sleep. Remember in the wild fish don't have bright lights, and at night it's not too often the moon is bright enough to enable fish to stay awake.

 

[fish wrangler]

When I am in the room i have the light on, when I leave the room lights go out, and the tank is pitch black.

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[Rivers2k]

I don't think it's right to plunge fish into darkness, the sun goes down very slowly in nature, it doesn't just switch off, so 5minutes before the lights go out moonlight comes on, it's still a dark tank but not black...........

been doing this for 30 years. I watch the tank in bed for a while then turn the lights off and go to sleep. The fish know the tank, they know their territory. They do just fine. Most fish bred in an aquarium have never seen the natural progression of sun, up sun down.

The satelight pro thing sounds awesome. I would love to set the timer and climb back into bed. also it will keep me for laying there for 45 minutes watching when I only meant to stay up another 15.