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Thread: What does "Peppering" mean?

  1. #1
    Registered Member Coral Keeper's Avatar
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    Default What does "Peppering" mean?

    I'm reading a ton about Discus and I always see the word "peppering", what does it mean? Does it mean the Discus get a bunch of black tiny dots? If so, how do they get it and why? Thanks in advance!

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    Registered Member dbfzurowski's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    hey,
    yup its the black dots on fish. Pigeon blood strains have it.
    I do what I must do, to do what I wish to do!
    dominik

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    Registered Member Coral Keeper's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Whats the reason they get it?
    -Moses

    Food comes with it's own flavor. Anything that has to steal flavor from other food just so it can have flavor is not a food. That is a napkin.

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    Registered Member dbfzurowski's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    they are like stress bars on some other stains, why? just the way it is...
    I do what I must do, to do what I wish to do!
    dominik

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    Registered Member ZX10R's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Quote Originally Posted by Coral Keeper View Post
    I'm reading a ton about Discus and I always see the word "peppering", what does it mean? Does it mean the Discus get a bunch of black tiny dots? If so, how do they get it and why? Thanks in advance!
    This is my Marlboro Red all those black dots around his face and fins is "peppering" I have a pigeon blood and a pigeon blood blue that look like this also.
    [IMG][/IMG]

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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    If you have alot of dark items in the tank (gravel, background, ect), the fish tend to pepper more. I read somewhere on here that peppering is also genetic, so if you have fry from a peppered parents, they'relikely to get peppering easily too. But don't quote me on that. lol

    I have a P.Blood that has a faint bit of peppering on him, from the gravel I'm using I assume. Personally, I like the look of a little peppering. Makes the fish even more unique.

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    Registered Member Coral Keeper's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Oh, ok. What color background and what color gravel do you need to have so they wont pepper?
    -Moses

    Food comes with it's own flavor. Anything that has to steal flavor from other food just so it can have flavor is not a food. That is a napkin.

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    Smile Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Hi,

    You need white background and white sand.
    Though you might have a bit of a problem once there is people that say that discus like darker environments... i never heard mine asking me that...

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    Registered Member Coral Keeper's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Will a light blue background work just as well as a white background? What if I go with eco complete substrate or ADA aquasoil and I put the whole bottom with carpet plants so the bottom will be all green? Will that work?
    -Moses

    Food comes with it's own flavor. Anything that has to steal flavor from other food just so it can have flavor is not a food. That is a napkin.

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    Registered Member ZX10R's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    As you can see in the pic my background is a light blue to a white in color and 3 of mine are still peppering a lot. I almost agree that it has something to do with genetics from the parents. I know dark background colors play a part in making the fish turn darker color but I don't believe it is all of the cause of peppering. Atleast it isn't in my case since I have really light color background and it doesn't seem to be helping the peppering.

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    Registered Member nc0gnet0's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    [begin rant]

    I would love to see some conclusive proof that dark backgrounds are a direct link to peppering. What about different types of lighting? 6700K 10,000 k, halogen, flourescent, actinic?

    Hardness of water? PH levels? I know higher PH will lead to "shimmies" in koi, and has been documented, yet I here all the time that higher PH is fine for discus on this board. Has anyone drawn any conclusions about PH and peppering?

    Diet?

    I dunno, I maybe be the only skeptic about the link between dark backgrounds and peppering, but doesn't anyone else find it odd that this link has never been applied to any other species of fish? Can anyone offer any conclusive proof of the link?

    Now, when we say "peppering" are we talking about the fish darkening itself to fit the environment ( a temporary condition ) or are we talking about a permanent discoloration of the fish?

    [/rant]
    Last edited by nc0gnet0; 04-28-2010 at 02:51 PM.

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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    As I understand it, peppering is exclusive to discus having pigeon blood ancestry.

    Pigeon Blood Discus were developed in Thailand and took the discus world by storm. Pigeon Bloods do not have vertical stress bars and can range in color from white to yellow, bright orange or nearly red. They can be solid in color or overlaid with patterns of striations and spots. The first Pigeon Bloods were heavily covered with black speckling, known as pepper. Pepper has been greatly reduced in the Pigeon Bloods being offered for sale today.
    http://www.discusnada.org/discus/history.html

    I've never kept PB's, but I suspect that peppering is largely genetic, an inherited characteristic. The peppering, if present, may present itself as lighter or darker, but I seriously doubt that any environmental factors would increase or decrease the actual amount of it on a given fish...
    Last edited by Jhhnn; 04-28-2010 at 10:26 PM. Reason: Pasted too much of the article- oops..

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    Registered Member TankWatcher's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Some pigeons will pepper heavily in a darker environment, but some pigeons don't seem to be as badly effected. My planted tank has a black painted background and ADA amazonia soil. Only one of my discus is a pigeon blood (bought it before I knew what my darker tank might do to it). I have been lucky and that pigeon blood only ever peppered the tiniest bit. So even though it is only pigeons that will pepper, some pigeons pepper up more than others, so I think genetics does have something to do with it too.

    Since then, I've avoided buying pigeons (unless albinos) as all my display tanks had a black background. If they're not pigeon's, they won't pepper. If they are albinos, they won't pepper even if they are pigeons.

    Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful pigeons and I would love them, but I have the wrong tanks for them
    Cheers
    Robyn

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    Registered Member nc0gnet0's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    Explain to me why these pigeon bloods that "pepper" due to a black background don't pepper when the lights are out and the tank is totally dark?

    Just to clarify, is anyone that is claiming that these pigeon bloods strains that exhibit peppering due to a black background cannot be reversed if re-introduced into a tank with a lighter background?
    Last edited by nc0gnet0; 04-28-2010 at 11:42 PM.

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    Registered Member TankWatcher's Avatar
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    Default Re: What does "Peppering" mean?

    I only have the one pigeon blood and it hardly has any pepper at all, even though in a dark tank. He the same to me with lights on or off, although of course it is harder to see his detail when the lights are off.

    As to your 2nd question, I have read that the peppering can be reversed by the method you suggest. This is from what I have read of others, not personal experience.
    Cheers
    Robyn

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