Platy Male is Turning a Dark Brown

Hello Everyone

I have relocated my Male Platy and Clown Loach from a 5 Gallon tank to a 42 Gallon tank, and I have noticed that the Platy has gone from a vibrant red to a dark red, almost brown. I am not sure if it is due to less artificial light or if the water parameters are affect his hue. He seems happy enough with the more swimming area, so I am not sure if it is something to worry about.

I also have a single surviving platy fry, which is now 4 weeks old. It has handled the transition well, as did the Loach (except he has gone a bit shy).

Thank you for your thoughts.

Stealth

 

Hello,
Do you have any pictures of your platy? Was the 42 gallon cycled before you added the fish? What are your water parameters- ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? Are the platies and clown loach the only fish in the tank?
Also, I'm sorry to tell you but the clown loach needs to be with at least 5 others of his kind in a 100+ gallon tank.

 

pic1 before relocating
puc2 after relocating

I have added another clown in the new tank, which was cycled and had the previous tank water added as well. I am upgrading to a 120 gallon tank soon. whist the Clown Loaches are still young I thought I the 42 gallon tank will be okay for now.

PH is 7
nitrite 0
nitrate 0

 

How old is the platy? Mine changed colors as they got older.
If he seems happy and healthy otherwise he is probably just adjusting to the new tank. The lighting may just be a bit different too. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

How old is the platy? Mine changed colors as they got older.

I have owned him for 6 months. and has been in the larger tank for 1 month.

 

Unfortunately, adding the tank water doesn't cycle a new tank. The beneficial bacteria (BB) live mostly in the filter, and a very small amount lives in the gravel. Unless you also transferred your filter media to the new tank, it's going to need to recycle.
The nitrate being 0 tells me it's not cycled. Do you know what your ammonia is?
I'd suggest you read up on Fish In Cycling.
The platy does look darker. This could be due to the stress of moving, from ammonia, or age as someone else suggested. It's not something I would worry about at this point.

 

I have owned him for 6 months. and has been in the larger tank for 1 month.

He's probably changing in appearance because he's growing up. Mine went from a yellow-orange to a rusty orange with more black patches around that age.

 

Unfortunately, adding the tank water doesn't cycle a new tank. The beneficial bacteria (BB) live mostly in the filter, and a very small amount lives in the gravel. Unless you also transferred your filter media to the new tank, it's going to need to recycle.
The nitrate being 0 tells me it's not cycled. Do you know what your ammonia is?
I'd suggest you read up on Fish In Cycling.
The platy does look darker. This could be due to the stress of moving, from ammonia, or age as someone else suggested. It's not something I would worry about at this point.

thanks for your replies. I am going to assume that my testing kit is faulty, because it has been cycled for 4 weeks before transfering the fish and adding the other water. once I find out I will post is here as an update.

Thanks again.

 

thanks for your replies. I am going to assume that my testing kit is faulty, because it has been cycled for 4 weeks before transfering the fish and adding the other water. once I find out I will post is here as an update.

Thanks again.

Are you testing with a liquid test kit or the strips? (I ask because the strips are known to be inaccurate)
Did you use ammonia to do a fishless cycle before you added the fish?
Did you continue to add ammonia until you added the fish? If you stopped adding it once it was cycled the cycle would have "died out" during the 4 weeks the tank was without ammonia.

 

Are you testing with a liquid test kit or the strips? (I ask because the strips are known to be inaccurate)
Did you use ammonia to do a fishless cycle before you added the fish?
Did you continue to add ammonia until you added the fish? If you stopped adding it once it was cycled the cycle would have "died out" during the 4 weeks the tank was without ammonia.

I used the strips and added ammonia twice through the cycle.

 

I used the strips and added ammonia twice through the cycle.

I'd recommend using the API master freshwater test kit. I also think you need to read a bit more about cycling. Sounds like your cycle was lost before you added the fish. Luckily platies are pretty hardy, and I think clown loaches are, too. Shouldn't be too terrible to do a fish in cycle.

 

I would say it defiantly could be stress related. Sometimes when fish become stressed they remove energy and nutrients from their pigments and store it for what's about to happen. Lucky for them, they have you and nothing bad should happen to them as megg01 stated the tank will need to be cycled again. Once he is settled again he should start colouring up.