How to Bring Out Colors of Saltwater Fish

Saltwater fish have strong and brilliant coloration, which is why many tropical fish enthusiasts choose to keep them in aquariums. The electric blues of blue damselfish and the striking yellows of butterflyfish provide a pleasing aspect to aquarium environments. Inadequate aquarium lighting conditions and other factors often tend to dampen the colors. Using fluorescent lighting, for instance, fails to bring out the best color the fish have to offer. Lighting, in combination with other choices, will bring out the full potential of the brilliant coloration saltwater fish have to offer.

Things You'll Need

  • Color-enhancing fish food
  • Black aquarium background
  • Tape
  • Lightbulb in the yellow or red range
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Instructions

    • 1

      Feed the fish a food that provides the proper nutrients necessary to bring out the colors of the fish's skin. There are many flake foods specially formulated for this purpose, which you can find at a local pet store. Some of them contain pigments to ensure a brilliantly colored fish will maintain its vivid color. Consider supplements, such as frozen foods--including brine shrimp or krill--as well as vegetables and live foods. There are many sheets, flakes and chunks of magroalgae on the market for herbivores, according to the Doctors Foster and Smith website. Live foods include black worms, brine shrimp and freshwater crayfish. A varied diet ensures proper immune system function which, in turn, improves the fish's coloration.

    • 2

      Affix a black background to the aquarium. Tape all the way across the top to prevent saltwater from getting between the background and the aquarium glass. The black background will help the colors to stand out strongly.

    • 3

      Select an aquarium light that brings out the colors of the fish. Consider the color rendering index (CRI) of a bulb. According to the Live Aquarium website, the CRI of a bulb is based on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the light under which an object appears in normal daylight situations. Full spectrum bulbs tend to render the light toward the 100 end of the scale. Lower CRI values, however, will enhance and augment the colors of the fish. Try "warmer" lights, such as red and yellows in the lower CRI range, to fully enrich fish coloration