ROTFL! :-)
May I attempt to answer, without making the subject too deep or too serious?
When we collect fish in good color, and get them to survive, then even breed
in the aquarium environment, it would be nice if they kept something close
to their wild colors.
Our artificial diets often lack things they were getting in the crummy
little stream where they looked so gaudy. If drab is nice, fine, but it's
usually a clue that we are missing something in their light, water, diet,
etc. that they originally had utilized for full color. Astaxanthin sometimes
contains one of those possible ingredients, as do adequate carotins in
general and other similar nutrients.
I'm like you, Andrew, in despising the injected-dye folk. I don't even much
care for the strong tendency of some to select for highly disfunctional
mutants to make more colorful moving ornaments in their tanks. Trends in
discus in recent years make pink-plaster lawn flamingos look quite tasteful
by comparison. The swimming skills of Orandas and some *Betta splendens* can
make me cringe.
I've never had a chance to collect rainbows or blue-eyes, so maybe they hold
their wild colors better. I know the wild fish I have taken in the desert SW
US often do not. Mexican Mollies (*Poecilia mexicana*), for instance rarely
retain the brilliant orange and black caudal bands that make them so
spectacular when found, much less the deep irridescent blue on the sides. I
consider finding foods and other conditions that will let the fish display
properly are part of my responsibility as the one who collected them or
subsequently raises them.
Does that explain why I thought Roy's question was a pretty good one?
Last night we had a program at the local killy club where a German collector
took some pictures of *Chromaphysemions* in a portable picture tank while
collecting in Cameroon, and then photos of those same fish species in the
aquarium, some time later. I was almost shocked at how different the wild
fish were from the offspring. We have gotten *used* to what they had become
and were missing the real beauty of the natural fish. IMHO, we should fix
that in our husbandry practices, if we possibly can.
Aw, hell! It got too deep or serious, anyway. Collect some and ye shall see!
SERMON MODE <OFF>
;-)
Wright
-- Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679 huntleyone at home dot com"DEMOCRACY" is two wolves and a lamb voting on lunch. "LIBERTY" is a well-armed lamb denying enforcement of the vote. *** http://www.self-gov.org/index.html ***
-- Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679 huntleyone at home dot com"DEMOCRACY" is two wolves and a lamb voting on lunch. "LIBERTY" is a well-armed lamb denying enforcement of the vote. *** http://www.self-gov.org/index.html ***