Solid Melons and Yellow Melons Orange after 6 Months

[RichardTN]

I purchased (6) Solid Melons and (6) Yellow Melons in April. The fish came in healthy and were Red and Yellow.
Now, 6 months later all but two have grown to good size fish but they are all (12) are now the same shade orange. I feed Tetra Color Tropical Granules and Al's Freeze Dried Blackworms, is the diet the reason why they all have changed color?

Regardless of their color, I still believe they look great, just curious if this is common.

In April :

129240129241

Today:
129242129243

[seanyuki]

It’s the red enhancers from the Tetra tropical granules making them red.

[RichardTN]

It’s the red enhancers from the Tetra tropical granules making them red.

I had a feeling that's what is causing the yellows to turn orange, but.... why did the reds turn orange?

[Iminit]

I’m going to say the reds changed as they grew. They do look great as they are!!

[rickztahone]

Yellows cannot be fed red enhancers or else they will turn...(drumroll)...red :). You either focus on one or the other.

[seanyuki]

The red colour will fade over time once you stop feeding them red enhancers. Ocean Nutrition Formula Two flakes/pellets had marigold as one of it ingredients to enhance yellow pigment.... Add Carophyll yellow to yr homemade food may help.

[RichardTN]

The red colour will fade over time once you stop feeding them red enhancers. Ocean Nutrition Formula Two flakes/pellets had marigold as one of it ingredients to enhance yellow pigment.... Add Carophyll yellow to yr homemade food may help.

I may give that a try!

[RichardTN]

Yellows cannot be fed red enhancers or else they will turn...(drumroll)...red :). You either focus on one or the other.

I was wondering if they were the same strain just being fed different foods :)
Wondering now what the result will be of a cross of the reds and the yellows....

[peewee1]

I have been feeding my yellow enhancers to purposely push them to orange shade.

[RichardTN]

I have been feeding my yellow enhancers to purposely push them to orange shade.

They look great being orange!

[seanyuki]

Rick Grange @ Canadian Aqua farm for Carophyll yellow

http://stores.canadianaquafarm.com/carophyll-pink-colour-enhancer/

Try places that sells canaries foods/vitamins/enhancers for carophyll yellow


https://bestcanaries.com/shop/ols/products/fish-carophyll-canthaxanthin-yellow-40-gram

HTH







I may give that a try!

[Vinni Smith]

Gorgeous!!!

[rickztahone]

I was wondering if they were the same strain just being fed different foods :)
Wondering now what the result will be of a cross of the reds and the yellows....


I would highly suggest you read up on PB breeding if you are serious about pursuing this crossing. Rick (not sure if he's still active) would be a great person to ask about this sort of thing.

[danotaylor]

Both strains of melons are PB, so they will cross just fine. They are indeed nice looking fish!

[rickztahone]

Both strains of melons are PB, so they will cross just fine. They are indeed nice looking fish!

It really does depend on what you mean by the term "fine". These are different bred strains albeit both pigeons but crossing them will revert to less desirable offspring. This of course is IMO only.

[danotaylor]

By "fine" I meant that the undesirable peppering that almost always occurs with crossing a non PB to a PB strain is unlikely to occur. Both these strains of melons look clean, with only a little black in the fins and tail. Of course it's not a given that the offspring will be as clean as the parents, but the peppering has clearly been bred out of the parent fish of these melons. Based in that, I would expect that pairs formed from these would do well together. This is of course is IMO also :)