Do Neon Tetras loose their color at night?

I have Neon Tetras, and I noticed the other night they pretty much lost their coloring, I was afraid at first it was Neon Tetra disease, but It was very very late and I hadn't had alot of sleep so I opted to go to bed and look at them with rested eyes. because there wasnt anything I could of done anyway. I came back the next morning and their color had returned to its full glory so I chalked it up to me being Tired.



Then tonight I was about to go to bed and I looked at them agian and they are pale agian.



so am I crazy or is this like a natural defence thing that I just havent read about or is this a sympton of Neon tetra disease that I havnt found out about?



What gives man?

Do Neon Tetras loose their color at night?
No worries, that's a totally normal reaction to the lights being out. Many fish do this, it's just really easy to see in neon. Nothing at all to worry about for a second.



MM
Reply:no, actually my neon grew brighter at night when i turn on the chandelier. it maybe their genetics
Reply:They are sleeping :-) If you were a neon tetra in nature, you don't want to have bright colors screaming "eat me" while you are asleep and unaware of your surroundings.



If you leave the fishtank light on until you go to bed, they wont go to sleep and therefore you wont disturb them when you come back home and turn on the lights at first.
Reply:During the night, the color disappears as the fish rests—it reactivates once it become active in the morning.



The Neon Tetra has a dark olive-green back over a silver-white abdomen. The fish is characterized by an iridescent blue-green horizontal stripe along each side of the fish from its nose to the base of the adipose fin, and an iridescent red stripe that begins at the middle of the body and extends posteriorly to the base of the caudal fin. It grows to approximately 3 cm (1.25 in) in overall length. Sexual dimorphism is slight, the female having a slightly larger belly.
Reply:I have 3 neon's and if the light hits on them ya they don't have any color
Reply:They don't "loose",but they certainly lose color when the lights go off. They reflect light,and when there is no light, they stop reflecting. This is 100% normal for many fish,especially tetras.
Reply:Fish lose their color for different reasons- when you transport new fish home, they usually go into shock and turn gray or black. As long as their color comes back in the daytime and they appear normal, there's nothing wrong with them.