Magnificent Fox?????

[rholguin]

My brother has one in his 180g. Its healthy and is growing nicely. My question why has its color gone drab. The red is real faded and the yellow in the tail is almost gone. Is there a reason for this?

 

[Brandon M]

What is it eating? A balanced diet of a variety of frozen foods, pellets and lots of nori would be my first suggestion.

Mine eats anything I put in the tank + lots of nori and he hasn't lost any color over the past 1.5 years.

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Is this a new development, because Foxfaces will change their color at night. Their colors will dull and they'll camouflage. If it's dulling color during the day, and there's no other differing fish behavior, then it could be diet.

 

[rholguin]

Its diet consist of rods food, algea sheets, and nls pellets. Brandon that is an awsome looking fox. My brothers looks nothing like that. What do you guys think of the diet. Its fed 4x a day so he is pretty fat.

 

[Monkeyfish]

My brothers looks nothing like that.

Are you sure he has a Magnificent?

 

[rholguin]

Yes I'm positive. What I meant to say is the colors look nothing like it. My brothers is faded bad.

 

[LisaD]

what are the water parameters? is anything harassing it?

 

[Brandon M]

Do you have any pictures of the fish?

 

[ladyshark]

Sometimes they camoflage just because of stress. It would look mottled and darker, without the defined separation of different colors. Mine does this when the tank is being cleaned, then immediately goes back to normal color when the tank is left alone. Perhaps the fish is overly stressed?

 

[EpidemicScuzzy]

I've had a mag foxface for about a year now. I think his coloration is closely correlated with his comfort level in the tank.

I bought him off of LA DD originally so his colors were very bright at the beginning. Even though he ate readily and had a good diet (Rods, Nutramar ova, PE mysis, nori), his colors faded over the first month or two. Interestingly, he never quite understood that I was the food source instead of something to be scared of. Within the past month he has finally started coming up to the glass when I show up with some food, so I think he is finally getting it... and he has colored up substantially with no change in diet.

FWIW, I sort of noticed the same "coloring up" once my dispar anthias finally got used to the routine.

 

[rholguin]

There are no fish picking at it or anything stressing it out. The fish has been there for about a year.Also I think the fish is used to my brother and anyone esle thats in front of the tank. It will eat out of my brothers hand. I really dont know what the deal is. He checked his parameters and everything looks good except for his nitrates they are reading 20ppm which i dont think is bad. I will ask my brother to take pics to post. Thanks.

 

[flameangel88]

I've a 5.5" Mag & added a 6" 2 weeks ago. Both swims out in the open and eats pellets and nori. I got them to help keep hair algae under control and slowly they are doing the job. Both gets excited when they see their own shadow off the glass.

5.5" with normal color

6" received 2 weeks ago and the black is faded and looks more like a med grey

 

[rholguin]

Flameangel88- my brothers is still lighter than the one on the top on your second pic.