Single black spot on side
Threatened, on alert, in danger.
Several thick vertical stripes
Stressed. Could be due to bad environment, water change, etc.
Horizontal stripe from gill to tail fin
This is only exhibited by my female and seems to be roughly correlated with the spot. I believe this may be more of an offensive marking, meaning she is displaying a threat to the male.
Overall dark coloring
If still...
They're sleeping! In this case they're still, often resting on the bottom of the tank, dark and stationary. They'll lighten up once they wake.
Otherwise...
They're very unhappy.
In general
The lighter they are, the happier they are. Ideally, they have no stripes, spots, etc. They should be featureless and light.
Threatened, on alert, in danger.
 |
| Baby Oc |
Several thick vertical stripes
Stressed. Could be due to bad environment, water change, etc.
 |
| Liv front, Oc back |
Horizontal stripe from gill to tail fin
This is only exhibited by my female and seems to be roughly correlated with the spot. I believe this may be more of an offensive marking, meaning she is displaying a threat to the male.
 |
| Liv |
 |
| Liv |
Overall dark coloring
If still...
They're sleeping! In this case they're still, often resting on the bottom of the tank, dark and stationary. They'll lighten up once they wake.
Otherwise...
They're very unhappy.
 |
| Livia was very displeased at me examining her nest. |
In general
The lighter they are, the happier they are. Ideally, they have no stripes, spots, etc. They should be featureless and light.
 |
| Oc |
 |
| Livia is often more bright/featureless than this, but it's the best pic I could find. |
