Narrowband photometry is presented on 27 dwarf ellipticals in the Fornax cl
uster. Calibrated with Galactic globular cluster data and spectrophotometri
c population models, the colors indicated that dwarf ellipticals have a mea
n [Fe/H] of [1.00 +/- 0.28 ranging from [1.6 to -0.4. The mean age of dwarf
ellipticals, also determined photometrically, is estimated at 10 +/- 1 Gyr
compared with 13 Gyr for bright Fornax ellipticals. Comparison of our meta
llicity color and Mg-2 indices demonstrates that the [Mg/Fe] ratio is lower
in dwarf ellipticals than their more massive cousins, which is consistent
with a longer duration of initial star formation to explain their younger a
ges. There is a increase in dwarf metallicity with distance from the Fornax
cluster center, where core galaxies are on average 0.5 dex more metal-poor
than halo dwarfs. In addition, we find the halo dwarfs are younger in mean
age compared with core dwarfs. One possible explanation is that the intrac
luster medium ram pressure strips the gas from dwarf ellipticals, halting s
tar formation (old age) and stopping enrichment (low metallicity) as they e
nter the core.