Why pigeon bloods discus have spots (aka Soy Sauce)?

Here at Wattley Discus, clients often ask me why their pigeon bloods get black spots especially on the head and fins. They believe their discus have some kind of disease or Ick. The Pigeon Discus does not disease or an ailment but is attempting to produce a skin camouflage. You see, this type of strain is very light in color and this is the only form of camouflage which they can produce. This is why this hybrid discus has been given the name pigeon blood discus or soy sauce discus.

 

This skin pigmentation behavior is brought on by their dark surroundings which may include, dark gravel, dark backgrounds, or even some aquarium lush green plants. The only way to avoid this pigmentation is to keep the fish in a very light colored tank, with light colored gravel and background.

You see, when Pigeon Bloods are placed in darker surroundings they will not darken up but produce black peppering. It has nothing to do with the quality of the strain, they all get the black peppering when placed in a dark tank.

Hopefully, with nothing dark in color in the tank to keep the Pigeon Blood Discus from attempting to camouflage itself, it will reduce the spots and return to its normal coloring.

Enjoy Your Discus…

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