So I bought my bee over a week ago I got him cause he was the darkest...he lightened but every once in a while he goes very dark...is he doing this cause he is stressed or is he just giving me a hard time?...he doesn't look or act stressed either...
I had a bumblebee that went from solid black at times to black with bright yellow stripes. They just change with mood.
Some people actually refer to bumblebee cichlids as chameleon cichlids because of their quick color changes. In the wind the bumble bee cichlid will live in harmony with a large catfish (can't remember exact name). The bumblebee will eat ticks and lice off the catfish and in turn any fish looking bright like a bumblebee is safe from being a catfish meal. Once the catfish breeds and lays eggs the bumblebee will turn black and dart past the catfish to steal some eggs. Once full it darts back out of the catfish hole and returns to the safe bumble bee colors.
I actually noticed last night that after lights out my bumblebee will turn a charcoal color and once I keep the flashlight on him he turns back to bumblebee pattern.
Your bumblebee that didn't change or as noticible could have been a female, only the males get the darker coloring while females always retain the bumblebee look.
Read up on them, pseudotropheus crabro I think.
So I bought my bee over a week ago I got him cause he was the darkest...he lightened but every once in a while he goes very dark...is he doing this cause he is stressed or is he just giving me a hard time?...he doesn't look or act stressed either...