Damsel color at night...

chrismilano

Member
My blue damsels always look brilliant and healthy during the day with the light on, but why is it that at night, they look pale white and near death? Is this normal?
 
K

kevinkennedy

Guest
I dont know what causes this exactly... but i do know that just about every fish that i have ever owned seemed to go pale at night... then the colors would come back during the day
 

stupid_naso

Member
This is a normal behavior of a damsel. Just let it be, it's fine. If I'm not mistaken they do this because it's dark, so they can avoid the predators, some sort of protection. I guess, they think, "Uh I play dead so I'm not fresh in the eyes of the predators so they won't eat me." :D I'm not sure, though I know that that's how tangs behave.
I used to own a damsel. This one night I saw it looking like you described, I thought it's dying, it was swiming like crazy, but it's fine. Normally it goes to sleep in its house, in one of the lr. Do you have lr for them to hide at night?
Just a little help on that...
stupid_naso
 

chrismilano

Member
Thanks guys,
So far its just a big 70 with nothing in it but damsels and cc.
Rocks are next.
Rocks are expensive.
Im Broke!
 

ocellaris_keeper

Active Member
chrismilano,
the real reason is that if the fish kept their bright color at night the big guys (sharks, groupers) that really eat at night would be able to find them easily. The smaller fish hide by things that help keep them alive so that's why thier colors change.
 
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