Ill Bristlenose

[lexusalan1]

hi all, when i got up today and was looking at my tank i noticed that 2 of my 3 bristlenose catfish were looking a little strange. on closer inspection i can see white patches starting to appear on them. they are usually dark brown but it looks like they are starting to fade in patches and becoming lighter.
can anyone tell me if this is anything to worry about, they still seem as active as normal and the rest of the tank seem healthy but for some reason the first thing i thought of was white spot, any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[amyw2008]

Do you have any pics?
(water stats as well if possible)

Could be a disease but its not deffinate, I have a plec who seems to come out in lighter/white patches when the water gets warmer or when he is up-side-down

 

[lexusalan1]

hi, i did a water change the other day and tested just on sunday and my readings were fine. here is the best pic i could get of 1 of them, my temp was around 26 but i read i should put it up as a precaution.

 

[amyw2008]

to me he doesnt look ill but someone with more experience should be on soon....
my plec quite often has these lighter patches...

Is he eating like normal?

 

[lexusalan1]

he seems to be eating better than ever, it took him a while to come out with all the other fish but now he doesnt seem bothered and is out more than ever.

 

[Gilli]

I dont think there is anything to worry about. My bristlenose did the same thing. They can change colour and its merely changing its colour to try and blend in with your gravel! My BN never did fully change but she has lighter patches in a large band across her and shes fine - ive had her for over a year.

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

Does it look like bleaching beneath the skin.

 

[lexusalan1]

im running a 140l tank with community fish in, i have 3 bn, 10 tetras, 5 danios, 3 mollys and 3 guppys of which all seem to be doing great. my test results are ammonia=0, nitrite=0 and the nitrate is about 10 ppm which as far as i can gather is around about the area i want them. oh and my ph is around 7.4

 

[Gilli]

Water stats are fine - just keep an eye on the BN but dont worry about it as it will gradually change colour more as it grows.