What color is this pleco?
- Thread starter Ali
- Start date
Ali
Active Member
Well that's upsetting to hear. That was my first thought too, because she came in with some ripped up fins and scrapes on the belly (see photos taken the first day I had her.) I discounted it because the pattern has remained the same, water parameters are perfect, she spawned right away, and eats well.
My common bn get that pattern from time to time -- like your last picture. I notice it if the lights have been off or when they are underneath a piece of wood.
That top picture looks unusual to me. She does look very stressed. Is she usually that white or more like the first day pic? Did she spawn recently? My male is rough on the females when he spawns and they will sometimes have small white wounds or torn fins after.
I hear names like piebald, calico, marbled, etc., but I don't know what the differences are between them.
That top picture looks unusual to me. She does look very stressed. Is she usually that white or more like the first day pic? Did she spawn recently? My male is rough on the females when he spawns and they will sometimes have small white wounds or torn fins after.
I hear names like piebald, calico, marbled, etc., but I don't know what the differences are between them.
ArtPleco
Active Member
One on right is a calico for sure. The one on left looks like my male. Never really a full brown but more like that picture. The first picture you put up is a sign of stress when they get white like that. Usually from not eating or bullying or no where to hide when need be. You see this in commons at fish stores at a young age a lot for those reasons.
Ali
Active Member
Images are from different lighting, but she has shown that much white for as long as I've had her.
The male is in a separate area with some fry, the only other plecos in the 90 with her are another large female BN (this one is albino) and a few clown plecos. Never seen any bullying. But she isn't as big of an eater as the albino, never touched the cucumber I've had in there recently.
If she's against the glass I can see an outline of an egg. Maybe she's egg-bound? Is that even a thing that can happen in fish??
The male is in a separate area with some fry, the only other plecos in the 90 with her are another large female BN (this one is albino) and a few clown plecos. Never seen any bullying. But she isn't as big of an eater as the albino, never touched the cucumber I've had in there recently.
If she's against the glass I can see an outline of an egg. Maybe she's egg-bound? Is that even a thing that can happen in fish??
They can get egg bound but you would see a very noticeable swollen belly. I have 5 BN and in stress is when I see these color variances. She does look like a common BN color. The other in the first day pics is a calico as stated above. It could be she is being chased off from the food by the other plecos.