Pleco With Pale Markings

[shrimpy]

Hi, ive got this pleco (i think sailfin) which seems to have light patches over it's body. it used to be a small bit on the side & i thought it was pattern, but after seeing it tonight, it looks like it has moved.

The tank is 13g,

pH: 6
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0.1
nitrate: over the moon

There seems to only be the pale markings, he is eating normally & have seen him eating. However, doesn't seem to come up to the front of the glass as used to when feeding.
There are no chemicals in the tank.
Tank inhabitants:
Im guessing the nitrate is the cause, but have never been able to lower it. the other fish in the tank seem fine.

Heres the pictures of peanut, sorry if theyre not very clear.

 

[Bloo]

Are the pale marking always there and always in exactly the same place and shape ?

Plecos often have these lighter marking durint he day and if there is nowhere to "hide" they will try and blend with their surroundings.

But if it's always the same and always exactly the same - there might be something else wrong.

Edit: ps - what does "nitrate: over the moon" mean ? If it's anything about 50 or so (permanently), I'd be concerned.
And how big is that tank ? It's looks awefully small

Oh - it's 13 gallons - missed that bit. The nitrate would obviously be "over the moon" with that sized fish in that sized tank you need to rehome it asap or think about giving it a home it needs and deserves. Which is about 8 times the size of what you currently have.....

 

[shrimpy]

yeah, they always have been there, but mainly near the head. only really just noticed them more on the rest of the body

well its over 5o on nitrates, and yeah, the tank is quite small for him, bout 60litres. was a gift from dad, but didn't know how big he got, so got to get larger tank.

 

[BBrain]

Hey Shrimpy, is there anything in my post that might help you? My pleco also has a mystery pale area. Check it out here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=142928
Maybe both our fish have the same problem.

 

[shrimpy]

thanx, it does look similar, should i try with a anti-velvet med. i have an interpet med for velvet and slime, says for all fish, but not mormyrids, guessing this is ok.

 

[KathyM]

I wouldn't be hasty medicating to be honest. Those are normal stress markings for a gibby, and it's because he's in too small a tank with high nitrates. I would take him back to the LFS as soon as possible unless you have a bigger tank to put him in now - that tank isn't even big enough for short term and your stats are showing that. Good luck!

 

[PaulEbs]

hey shrimpy..

..I have a pleco pretty much the same as yours, the pale patches are quite normal..

..My pleco gets these pale patches whenever he's a little shocked [e.g fish bumps into him, person walks past the tank]..

But you should deffinatly try and get him re-homed asap, they grow to almost half a meter!!!

 

[shrimpy]

thanx, at least not really ill , am trying for a bigger tank now as only just found out his size, hopefully it will fade wen new one sorted.

 

[cableguy42]

Hi, re: pleco . Ive heard that Plecos with pale markings are normally caused due to stress .If you ask your local fish acquatics store they should know better than anybody.

 

[WILDER]

I had a plec and he would go pale but not like that, just want to check that the patches are not fluffy looking, hard to tell in the pics.

 

[KathyM]

It's perfectly normal, but not a good sign for this plec. If you want to keep him, do you have a friend with a larger and better filtered tank? Or maybe an understanding LFS who would take him back and let you get another when you're ready? How big is he? He looks like he's not really a baby so I can't see him waiting for you to upgrade. He needs to be in a bigger tank now really, and those nitrates are a sign of poor filtration (he's a messy species) which could do him a lot of harm.

 

[shrimpy]

the markings don't seem to be fluffy & have calmed down a bit.
I think i may have to take him back to the shop, hopefully temporarily until a new one i set up. hes about 4 1/2 in at the mo, so i think that is the only thing i can do until i get a larger tank.
sorry about this, wish i could have stopped parents buying him.
thanks for advice

 

[KathyM]

Hi Shrimpy - you don't have to apologise, you've done nothing wrong and it'll all be sorted soon. Take care.