Suggest all read this on fish coloration/change. Al's second fish above could have the same coloration as his first in a matter of seconds.
BG are the original quick change artists.
I have observed them changing color for a bunch of reasons including spawning , water clarity, pond bottom color ,light intensity, dominance signals , and a whole host of stress factors.
Their genes must provide for active and sensitive chromatophores.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthre...Chromatophore&Search=true#Post143640 Long before aquariums we've known that fishes change color in response to their background, and that they change color during exercise and courtship. These changes in appearance are under the control of pigment containing cells called "chromatophores".
Some examples of this loss of dark color are ... sunfishes (Lepomis) that can quickly blanch from dark to light or come back again given fright or excited states.
Chromatophore changes can be divided into two categories, morphological and physiological. Morphological changes are usually evoked by maintaining an organism in a given setting, on a specific background for a number of days.
Physiological color changes involve alteration of pigment granules causing dispersion or aggregation consequent to various stimuli, e.g. light, temperature, chasing.
The control of aggregating and dispersing of pigment granules is caused by changes in the chromatophores ionic charge. A change of charge within the cell causes a change in color. There are two ways to change the ionic equilibrium within chromatophores, hormonal and neural. Both "paths" are often employed, one working more gradually, the other more immediately. For example, the time required to change from light to dark varies immensely.
There is good evidence that melanophore control by advanced bony fishes is principally actuated by the autonomic nervous system.
There are two principal chemicals that are produced and release by neurons (neurohormones) that affect color.
Epinephrine (Adrenalin): A nerve-activated hormone that's released by an organism when it is excited or scared, causing pigments to contract and the animal to blanch, lose color.
Acetylcholine: A chemical that is active in muscle tissue, movement, almost always causing melanin to disperse, darkening the organism.
Morphological color changes are due to amounts of pigment present in the chromatophores of an organism. Morphological changes occur very slowly, generally over the course of a month or more, and are usually permanent.
"Types of chromatophore are characterized by the color they carry. Erythrophores contain reddish pigments found in carotenoids and pteridines. Melanophores contain black and brown pigments called melanin. Xanthophores produce yellow pigments in the form of carotenoids. Fish are capable of producing some pigments, but others must be supplied in the diet. For example, they cannot produce carotenoids naturally. They accumulate carotenoids from their diet and transfer them into pigment cells to produce red, yellow, and orange colors. The intensity of the pigment is reliant on the quantity and types of carotenoids supplied in their food. The carotenoid pigment found in most marine invertebrates is astaxanthin. Another pigment that is derived from a food source is phycocyanin. This pigment is blue and is readily found in blue-green algae. Additionally, the ability of fish to store pigments they have acquired from their diet will greatly affect their appearance.
Various hues are made possible by the combinations of different layers of chromatophores. Cells carrying more than one pigment are called compound chromatophores. Most fish that appear to have green coloration on their scales actually have a layer with yellow pigment and another layer on top that scatters light and reflects a blue color. There are other types of chromatophores that do not retain pigments . "
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