Loaches Online Forum

I know my striata are small but I cannot see them graying out at all during feeding times or when they fight. I know they have very dark colors but is it more likely to be noticeable when they mature a bit more?

Hmm never thought about it much but I dont see my striatas ever greying out either.

Not here either. But then I never saw them fighting.

I'm not sure if B. striata exhibits this at all. Mine never fought or competed in any way. I don't think it's likely to occur. If I were to look for visual signals on a striata, I'd look at the barbels, not the body colour.

I have never kept B. rostrata, but aside from C. macracanthus and B. almorhae, I'm not sure the other Botiid loaches grey out.

Meanwhile, Pangio myersi definitely do.

Ive got 15 B. striata and have never seen them even get into fights or scuffles and have never seen any sign of greying out, I have never witnessed my B. dario greying out either

My rostrata and almorhae grey out occasionally when having their little squabbles as do the kubotais, one of my kubotais goes grey while another one actually goes black

Probably the most stunning greying out I have seen is amongst the sidthimunki's when they get into their little squabbles I have seen them turn totally silver and not a speck of black on the body .

I'm pretty sure some of my dad's B. striata go paler when fighting over food, will have to watch more closely next time.

I've seen Sinibotia robusta grey out very impressively (have pics somewhere in the 'filing system') and have also seen Botia dario, Botia almorhae and Botia histrionica do this.

Emma

Mad Duff wrote: Probably the most stunning greying out I have seen is amongst the sidthimunki's when they get into their little squabbles I have seen them turn totally silver and not a speck of black on the body .

I've seen exactly this with small Kubs: totally white. 2"+ would become dirty gray, but the pattern remains visible.

Interesting about P.Myersi: never saw them grayed out other than from a major stress, like shipping.

yeah my guys don't necessarily fight. they nip eachother from time to time but it appears its all in good fun.

I have seen one grey out to a certain extent fighting with a kub

i would be happier to say they "yellow out". sometimes it seems like the dark stripes dissapear. you might get some striped fade, then some stripes stay brown, then more stripes fade, so as the fish looks quite different.

my largest striata fought with my then-largest yoyo when i put them in a tank together. that is about the only time i have seen it. the yoyo was ever so slightly damaged, but in the end realised he was not the boss in the new tank

Mad Duff wrote: ... Probably the most stunning greying out I have seen is amongst the sidthimunki's ...

Y. Nigrolineatas grey out also, only whatched it during "loach dance"...

Y. Caudipunctata, I did not decode their color-language yet, they do change a lot, from dark grey - grey - silver/gold, but their fins always remain the same (only when I got them the speckles did not show well. In the tank, the fin-spots were quit stable). Which is opposits with my stiphodons (their fins change all the time, but their body stays much more stable, but can change occasionally).
2 of the Y.C´s, the ones with bigger spots on dorsal, chase others (the Alpha and a much smaller one), the other ones don´t chase. Their color does not change during chasing. Alpha and 2nd largest have argues, but no color change though, perhaps not serious struggle (smaller one is defending his cave, in a way not leaving his shelter but fighting with his mouth loke clowns). Their chasing is quicker faster than the clown´s one was at their size...

well for the first time last night i noticed my largest of the striata greying out. but im gonna call it browning out bc it was that color lol. the little guy i guess was sleeping and i startled him by accident but he was directly next to one of my other striata and it was a very noticeable difference in the shades of their color! weee!

if this was at night in the dark then it's normal... i notice my kubotai grey out at night... theyve always done it and i believe it's normal for botia to do this (though im not sure)(but i think i've read it before).