Gourami loosing colour?

Question
Hi Karen.

We recently added some gourami to our tank and they have been doing fine for a few weeks, but recently they have began to loose their colour. The guy at the pet shop referred to them as 'rainbow gourami' but I think it's a kind of dwarf one seeing as though nothing comes up when I google for them. They're the blue and red striped ones. When we first put them in we were feeding them tropical flakes and live bloodworms, then after a while we changed their flakes to a different brand. Their colour really brightened after that but now they're starting to fade from the head back along the body to a dull grey/silver. Would you have any idea as to what caused this or any way we stop it from spreading down to the tail? They are so pretty and I would hate for them to loose all their colour.

Cheers, Adelina

Answer
Hi Adelina,
I wouldn't think you would have gotten a hold of some dyed fish. Hopefully not. There are many types of fish that are often injected with artificial dyes to make them glow with color. This is a cruel procedure and the dye fades after a few months.

However I wouldn't think your gouramis are dyed. I'm not sure of the exact species but I'm guessing they may be Dwarf Gouramis.... Look here for a picture-

http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish/colisa-lalia.jpg

These fish often change their color with mood swings and water conditions. They may also lose their color if they are becoming sick. So keep a close watch on them.

But otherwise, the best thing you can do is to change their water at around 30-50% for a couple of days and make sure their temperature is warm (at least 78-80F) Water changes can often be all that is needed for fish that seem off color.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~