Purple Tang question!!

[fishfanny79]

I got up this morning and when I turned my tank lights on, my purple tangs tail was almost a white color it was so pale. And his body no longer had the black lines that run up and down his body...he just had 1 big black line that looked like a scratch on both sides of him. Also his face was pasty...with no black dots like usual. I was WORRIED about him and checked the tank temp...80 degrees on the button and no other fish looked hurt/bothered. I hurried up and put a sheet of algae on the clip and before I could get it into my tank, his color had reappeared and he looked 100% normal.
So do tangs and more particularly purple ones lose color when the lights are off and they are 'sleeping'? He looks completely different now...odd.
:help:

 

[rubberduck]

my yellow does that same thing, at night he turns a lighter whitish color and in the morning he is fine and yellow as ever. i would say dont worry about it intil it stays. is he new in your tank?

 

[fishfanny79]

yeah, he's only been in there a few weeks...there is another tang in there however, a lemonpeel mimic tang. they hang out like buds and i dont see any agression so im keeping an eye on THAT situation too...i was hoping that wasnt why he lost his color. but like i said, 3 mins after the lights were on, he was fine.

 

[dogstar]

Yep, thats normal. Mine does the same thing and I still have to remind myself that it is normal cause I love my Purple almost as much as my Sailfin. Haha.
Glad to hear your purple is doing good.

 

[fishfanny79]

just out of curiosity...which tang is more aggressive? purple or lemonpeel mimic? who should the 'king of the tank' be? i seem to think its the mimic...he seems to run the show. is this because of his temperment or because he was added before the purple? should the purple have enough kahunas to fight the mimic off if he starts messin with him? like i said tho, they seem to be friends for now. but when theres a new tank mate added, the mimic is the one that lets everyone know whos boss.

 

[gixster]

Most of my fish Tangs and others lose some of their color when my lights go out. Its normal. as for which one is more agressive, the purple tang should be

 

[ophiura]

Several fish have "pajama" coloration and wil show this pattern both when asleep or stressed. One of the reasons people favor a light "cycle" is to not be such a shock to the fish when the lights just come on...but gives them a more natural "ramp up" to the day.

 

[dragracer5]

That normal for most if not all tangs except for the mimic tang. They lose there color at night when there is no sunlight or light from your bulbs. It will come back quickly after the lights are turned on.Also, do you have a timer so your lights come on automatic? I highly recommend it so that your fish get into a cycle of daylight and nighttime being the same every day. Keeps them healthy

 

[robchuck]

Originally Posted by FishFanNY79
just out of curiosity...which tang is more aggressive? purple or lemonpeel mimic? who should the 'king of the tank' be? i seem to think its the mimic...he seems to run the show. is this because of his temperment or because he was added before the purple? should the purple have enough kahunas to fight the mimic off if he starts messin with him? like i said tho, they seem to be friends for now. but when theres a new tank mate added, the mimic is the one that lets everyone know whos boss.

I would think the Purple Tang would be the king of the tank. Zebrasoma genus tangs are typically aggressive (with the Purple typically having the reputation for being the most aggressive tang in that family) towards other tangs.

 

[nasotanker]

I have two damsels that do the same thing. I have also noticed that my yellow tang do that too. I think that the fish colors dissipate while they sleep or the light isn't hitting them. Hope this helps!!

 

[ophiura]

It actually is a biological change in colors. Many can change coloration and pattern depending on their "emotional" state.

 

[xjayx]

I'm not sure about purpal tangs since I don't have one but my yellow tang definitely looks deifferently in the dark or just after the lights go on than he would a few hours after the lights have been on.
He turns very pale, and solid white lines appear on his sides.
I'd say it's perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about.