Cichlids $ Red Lighting

[CichlidBeautyAlways]

Hey Hey....

So i have a question...i just discovered this about 5 minutes ago. Do cichlids not like red led lighting in there tank?

Im asking bc i usually leave the white light on threw out the day and at bout 8pm i turn on the blue light; Every once in
awhile ill choose a different color [RED]

Well in my tank i have a Flowerhorn and a Texas Cichlid and they get along GREAAAT...ALWAYS TOGETHER. I turned
on the red light tonight for my Pleco and as soon as i did the FH and the TC started standing off trying to lip wrestle...

So i told my hubby and i changed the light back to blue...then to green-they were fine back to literally roaming around;
So of course i wanna test the theory NOW and i do....

I turn the light back to red for..MAYBE 60 seconds and they are literally standing off and trying to lip wrestle. I wasnt trying to torment them, so ive since then put the color back to the usual blue and once again they were fine FH went to her spot and TC went to hers.


So now my question is: am i missing something? Do cichlids not prefer RED LIGHTING? If so does anyone happen to know why this is an issue? And has anyone else has something like this happen-and maybe not notice it like i didnt the times i did use it??

THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE!

PS: pix may be hard to see-well they are heard bc there constantly roaming and thinking its time to eat...

 

[CichlidBeautyAlways]

And i took pix with my chromebook-ONLY FRONT CAMERA! Also didnt wanna taunt them ith the light again just to get pix i had enough proof with my eyes and didnt like them being like that to eachother....THANKS

 

[LDPatton]

I use 24/7 lights and my morning color as it ramps up is red that fades into the day time color scheme. None of my fish seem bothered by it. When ever I have used nothing but blue light they freak out.

 

[HybridFinatic]

I’m not sure but thats pretty interesting. All I’m going to say is I would turn off the light completely at night. It’s good for fish to get atleast 10 hours of darkness every night. Fish need sleep too. Without it they stress.

 

[neutrino]

Fish vision differs from humans. For example, many fish are believed to perceive ultraviolet light, which could make them appear different to each other than to us, or do so under certain light conditions. African cichlid vision systems have been better studied, but one study of just a few Amazonian species suggested lesser short wavelength vision (blue and ultraviolet) and better long wavelength vision (more toward red) vs. rift lake cichlids.

So, it's just a theory, but the red light may alter how their markings appear to each other, maybe it's creating the appearance of a threat display. For example, try looking at ultraviolet photos of flowers vs. normal light. Or-- I've seen fish quickly become skittish under strange (to them) lighting conditions, possibly such discomfort or perceived threat is making them irritable.

 

[CichlidBeautyAlways]

I’m not sure but thats pretty interesting. All I’m going to say is I would turn off the light completely at night. It’s good for fish to get atleast 10 hours of darkness every night. Fish need sleep too. Without it they stress.

oh all my tank lights go off at night not one stays on...i wouldnt wanna sleep with lights on i know tthat they have white light during the day and between 8-10 its blue if i turn on blue at 10 it only stays on for an hour if i turn it on at 8pm i turn the lights out at 10 and thats with all my fsh.

 

[CichlidBeautyAlways]

I’m not sure but thats pretty interesting. All I’m going to say is I would turn off the light completely at night. It’s good for fish to get atleast 10 hours of darkness every night. Fish need sleep too. Without it they stress.

did someone mention leaving a light on all night? my fish lights are off by 11pm the latest thx tho

 

[CichlidBeautyAlways]

Fish vision differs from humans. For example, many fish are believed to perceive ultraviolet light, which could make them appear different to each other than to us, or do so under certain light conditions. African cichlid vision systems have been better studied, but one study of just a few Amazonian species suggested lesser short wavelength vision (blue and ultraviolet) and better long wavelength vision (more toward red) vs. rift lake cichlids.

So, it's just a theory, but the red light may alter how their markings appear to each other, maybe it's creating the appearance of a threat display. For example, try looking at ultraviolet photos of flowers vs. normal light. Or-- I've seen fish quickly become skittish under strange (to them) lighting conditions, possibly such discomfort or perceived threat is making them irritable.

this is exactly hat i needed to hear thx so much and yes that makes PERFECT sense...i will try the photo thingy just to egt a better understanding but im pretty sure i know what ur saying and makes sense with how they act towards eachother. Thx for ur feedback

 

[HybridFinatic]

did someone mention leaving a light on all night? my fish lights are off by 11pm the latest thx tho

I’ve heard of people using the blue light as a night light before. You just mentioned changing the light to blue at 8pm and you never mentioned not leaving the light on all night so I thought it was worth mentioning if that was case. Good for you though.

 

[CichlidBeautyAlways]

I’ve heard of people using the blue light as a night light before. You just mentioned changing the light to blue at 8pm and you never mentioned not leaving the light on all night so I thought it was worth mentioning if that was case. Good for you though.

lol oh no i just didnt put in the rest of the schedule lol was just trying to settle the main issue but i do appreciate the heads up but yea i dont like sleeping in light so i wouldnt put my animals threw it loppl but i do have a question for you in the am i turnn there light on bout;;8;/830am should i be doing it earlier then that [ no matter what lights out at 11 lol ] but yea if u could help me with an appropriate time to turn on the lights or if i should do it earlier. thanks for fedback