hippo tang color changes

[phoenixstar89]

I've got 2 yellow belly hippo tangs that are about 2 yrs old. The bigger tang is 5in and smaller one is 3.5in. Once in a while they'll change all their black colors completely white. Does anybody's elses hippos do the same? I'll have to snap some pics or video next time they do it. I'm not sure if it's some kinda mating behavior or they're just fighting. It looks pretty cool

 

[Rea17]

I had a 7" hippo that did this also, except she flashed her "palette marking" almost a neon yellow to match her tail. I'm not sure exactly why she did it - it didn't always coincide with aggression or time of day. Interesting though!

 

[pjwperth]

I have a juvi Naso that displays black polka dots when ever my Purple tang comes near. I put it down to the fish showing a sign of submisson and as such I have no aggression in my tank. Sure I get a fish chased around but no fin nipping or cutting with tail flukes like somepeople have had in the past with multiple tangs in one tank

 

[ilikefish34]

Fish tend to lighten up when they are showing a cleaner wrasse that they are willing to let them safely approach and pick parasites. In the ocean, many fish are cleaners from the wrasses and gobies that we use in our aquariums but in the ocean many fish are cleaners life butterflies and most large angels (usually juveniles). It makes me wonder if it is this instinctual behavior when they come near fish that they believe perform this necessary function in the ocean at the same time that they are willing to let them or, as pjwperth suggested, possible submission... or both plus other reasons. Good question.

Mike

 

[msmith619]

I've got 2 yellow belly hippo tangs that are about 2 yrs old. The bigger tang is 5in and smaller one is 3.5in. Once in a while they'll change all their black colors completely white. Does anybody's elses hippos do the same? I'll have to snap some pics or video next time they do it. I'm not sure if it's some kinda mating behavior or they're just fighting. It looks pretty cool

I saw a post with pictures about this. I think it was an Achilles tang changing colors and also changing eye colors. It would flash the colors and then go back. Not a problem, it appeared to reflect mood changes. The pictures were pretty cool.

 

[Rea17]

Here's a good picture of what mine used to do, quoted this from an old thread on RC.

My achilles tang will turn a pale blue color to signal for cleaning, and will flash a white chest/red fins/blue eyes when aggressive - not really the same concept in my case. The hippo would display these colors pretty randomly.

 

[gillsmarine]

We have 6 in our tank and one of them changes colors very often.. its strange how they can change.. some of our fish change so much that you would think its a new fish.. our red sea sail fins go from almost black to a very light color and our atlantic blue tang is bright purple sometimes and sometimes its near colorless.. Awesome how fish can change.