Is there anything wrong with my fish?

[ryanoh]

My platy has has a red spot on his tail and dorsal fin for like a year, and his gils have always been somewhat red. I've mentioned it on this forum before and everyone suggests ammonia poisoning, but I promise this isn't it. I test regularly and my ammonia is always at 0, and until today he was the only fish in the tank with any symptoms. Today I noticed on of my tetras has red around his right gill, but its a different kind of red than the platy. Can someone look at these pictures and tell me if you think there's anything wrong with either fish and what I can do do treat them?

 

[lauraf]

Not sure about your tetra, but the platy is fine. That's just its coloration . . . .

 

[ryanoh]

Is it normal for his colors to change over time? He didn't have red on him when I got him.

 

[IfIhadaboat85]

I think it's normal for all fish to change, gain and/or lose color over their lifetime which, of course, is dramatically shorter than a lot of other pets, and humans, so changes in size, structure and color are far more noticeable, far quicker. If he/she is happy and swimming around, eating, etc. they are more than likely just fine.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I cannot say about platys, but fish do change colors. Some change color as they reach maturity (I think it is known as a secondary sex characteristic.) Other mature fish have seasonal breeding colors. Some of the creek minnows and darters around where I live are very colorful for a short time in the spring breeding season and very plain the rest of the year. ( The theory seems to be that it is worth standing out if there is a chance to have sex, but the rest of the time to blend in so as not to be so easily seen and eaten.) Other fish in an aquarium will exhibit different degrees of coloration depending on their level of dominance in a group.