Blue Ram - Full Colors?

[soko]

I have a few blue rams in my tank for about two weeks now and durring they day when the light is on (96watt compact over 55 gallons) they show almost no colors or faint colors, I can see the lateral spot and some specs but when I turn the light off and open a window wow their colors are AMAZING, blues, yellows, pink and black... I have a good amount of plants in there, but none of them are thick enough yet to produce any real shading in there, is that the problem, they don't like light?

I am just looking for some advice on what I should aim for in my tank to make the fish feel comfortable to show their full colors with the main tank light on, or will this always be the case because they don't like intense lights?

 

[Neil]

I have a good amount of plants in there, but none of them are thick enough yet to produce any real shading in there, is that the problem, they don't like light?

Could be! Most Dwarf Cichlids don't appreciate very bright conditions. I have no lights on most of my tanks (just ambiant) and everybody is out and about often. It would be helpful to have areas of thick plants and other structure in the tank, as well as dithers to make them more secure. If they know that there is good cover nearby, they may venture forth a little more. Also, if they see other fish that don't have any problem with swimming out in the open, they may feel like there is not any danger. Open space with alot of light is a good place for a predator to clearly have the advantage. That is probably genetically engrained!

Neil