Pleco loses colour

[Elliebellinie]

Hi, I hope someone can help me. I bought my Pleco a couple of months ago and as soon as I had a good look at him at home he randomly loses his vibrant colours and his skin looks faded and just looks unwell then the next day he's back to normal and looks awesome. Then again, in a day or two he looks unwell. I'm really hoping someone will tell me that's it's just him doing his thing, camouflaging himself. Im 100 percent that his tank and water conditions and perfect for him so I'm at a loss as to what's going on.
The photo with him on the side of the rock was taken the day before I wrote this just to show how good he can look and the other two were the next day when he looked unwell. (Just to clarify, I really don't know if it's male or female, I just call him a he. sue me..)
Can someone point me in the right direction with this please. I'd appreciate any advice thank you.

 

[sharkweek178]

A fish losing color is a sign of stress. Can you tell us the specific water parameters of your tank (temperature, pH, water hardness, ammonia level, nitrite level and nitrate level), tank size, tank mates and any other details you can think of?

 

[sharkweek178]

A fish losing color is a sign of stress. Can you tell us the specific water parameters of your tank (temperature, pH, water hardness, ammonia level, nitrite level and nitrate level), tank size, tank mates and any other details you can think of?

And also any chemical additives you might use.

 

[Ichthys]

It’s not stress, or it wouldn’t be unstressed when it’s on the wood. It’s just trying it’s best to camouflage itself against the gravel.

 

[Colin_T]

It looks like a Gibbiceps catfish and they can grow to 18 inches long but usually stop at around 12 inches in the average aquarium.

They are nocturnal and hide during the day. If you turn the tank lights on while the room is dark, that will stress the fish and cause it to change colour. Poor water quality and a dirty tank, gravel and filter will also stress fish.

Make sure you do a big water change and gravel clean the substrate at least once a week.
Make sure the new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Have driftwood and algae in the tank for it to graze on.

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TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm. However, you will need the lights on for long enough to encourage algae for the catfish.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.