Albino Plecostomus

[t3hRobG]

I recently introduced this little guy to my 30gal along with 3 Corydoras trilineatus. I didn't expect the corys to be so lively but boy are they playful! The pleco is easily frightened and fairly reclusive (as I expected) although I had been told that the albino variety tended to be more bold.

I did my best to make the transfer to my tank smooth and giving him plenty of time to adjust, but shortly after (later that evening) placing him in my new tank, I noticed he gained color. He is a dark grey right now. It has only been about 36 hours since I put him in the tank, so my current assumption is that it is a temporary condition (like what some inverts will do) but I was curious if anyone else had ever run into this? Could it be just the stress of a new environment?

Thanks again! This forum has been an invaluable resource.

 

[hc8719]

is it an albino chocolate pleco?

they usually arent fed enough at the lfs, and when they finally get on a stable diet, their colors may change

 

[t3hRobG]

Is there a good way to tell if it is an albino chocolate vs albino?

I don't think it has to do anything with feeding him since he changed within a few hours of the entire introduction process. I had just done a water chnage 3 days earlier so I wouldn't think much food had built up on the substrate during that time. That being said, he grew fairly dark before he could have eaten much of anything.

The only things I can think would be the issue would be stress or the difference in water chemistry, although i tested the water he came in and it didn't differ from my own by much at all.

Thanks for the input.

 

[fish 'n' fries]

Plecos definitely can change color with their environment...and IME, many fish get paler with the stress of moving and after they settle in get a bit darker. That said...if he was really albino he shouldn't be able to get darker. He may be an albino chocolate as suggested they're a bit darker... I've also seen some interesting (meaning wrong) descriptors on fish at various stores...you could post his picture to get an ID or look on planetcatfish which has tons of pictures with species names etc.

 

[hc8719]

i was just gonna say that too... stress levels

i believe the darker the color the better.

as for choc and regular albino's im not sure, i never really give the chocs any attention at the lfs.

if you got them at petsmart though, chances are they are chocs

 

[Opheliac]

Chocolate Albino Pleco

Hi, I have a chocolate albino pleco and he has gotten lighter.