color fading

[dvo112]

Why is it that when i leave the light off in my tank for a while, my fish lose their color? my red tailed black shark turns totally clear when this happens. after about 30 minutes being expsed to light, his color id back to normal. same with my neons. anyone know why?

 

[clothahump]

This is a totally natural process.
As the fish's body functions slow down to rest, the cells that produce the colour also slow down, it is thought the colour loss is some type of protection, as other night hunting fish are less likely to see them. 8)

 

[dork187]

my neons do the same thing
when i come home from work they are almost grey with lack of color and usually floating head down tail up in the corners of the tank
clothahump's answer would have been my guess
a bright fish is an active fish so a sleeping fish would be a duller colored fish
i guess
i wonder if chameleons lose their color when they go to sleep...