Peppering On Pigeon Bloods - Is This Real?

[DISCUS STU]

Until joining this forum I wasn't aware that environmental factors such as dark backgrounds could cause peppering on Pigeon Blood strains.

Can someone offer their experience on this to either support or dismiss this supposition. Also does it diminish when environmental factors change?

[Solid]

Yes. Pigeon bloods pepper based on environmental conditions. Dark back grounds or substrates, poor water quality, stress, and genetics can make them pepper more. Also changing conditions can cause the peppering to diminish some, but not always. Really depends on the fish.

I have had a Wattley pigeon blood in a planted tank with a painted black background that would become more/less peppered depending on when I did water changes (at the time I was only doing 1 per week).

[Surfnturf]

From my limited experience my pigeon blood does not change color with environment or mood like my Turk does. Not saying there isn't an effect on color long term but not like the Turk does in a matter of seconds. (Light to dark. Blue to tan. Bars come and go in a matter of seconds on my Turk)

[rickztahone]

Yes. Pigeon bloods pepper based on environmental conditions. Dark back grounds or substrates, poor water quality, stress, and genetics can make them pepper more. Also changing conditions can cause the peppering to diminish some, but not always. Really depends on the fish.

I have had a Wattley pigeon blood in a planted tank with a painted black background that would become more/less peppered depending on when I did water changes (at the time I was only doing 1 per week).

+1

[Rudustin]

I have many pigeon bloods. About ten or so. I have one tank, a 60 gallon that is very old (25 years old), and it has a black background that is permanent. When I first started out with discus Checkerboards were my favorite. I placed them in the very same tank and they peppered a great deal. When I expanded my amount of tanks I moved the very same pigeon bloods into a 125g light background and white bottom and virtually all the peppering went away!!! I was stunned! Some of it never went away completely but compared to what they looked like in the 60g the difference was enormous. On top of that I also changed all my lighting on all my tanks to LED and again the peppering also lessened. Peppering can also be genetic and there is no way to know if that will occur unless one sees the parents and even then that is not a sure thing. I ordered three Red Eagles from Kenny several months ago. They came in with no peppering and as they grew one, just one, peppered excessively and they were all in the same tank. The others don't have a spot of peppering. So, my feeling is there are a lot of factors that govern peppering not just one issue. I have four Rafflesias and they are, I assume pigeon based, three have no peppering and one has some on his nose. Rufus