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Turned on the lights this morning to a shock. It looked like the skin was peeling off my pleco. As I watched it just started dissappearing. He seemed fine and now looks great. Is this normal?

not normal at all....

What are your water starts... possible ammonia burns.

Not being funny - but so far you've asked what you common plec is, and then if its normal for you plec the shen its skinnn... really dosnt sound like your ready for you "where can i get zebreas to breed" thread yet...

Have you tried Breeding Bristlenoses or other plecs yet?

You are right. Im trying to learn. And Im planning on waiting to breed till I do learn more. I was going to try breeding L02's. Me and my family just love the zebs and want to help. Thats why I'm here, to learn as much as I can. I dont mean to be a bother.

i know you will do your best to keep them happy. i never try to breed other kind of pleco neither. by posting a lot and asking a lot mean you care about them. may be it take some time but i think you will success one day.

chanettt wrote:i know you will do your best to keep them happy. i never try to breed other kind of pleco neither. by posting a lot and asking a lot mean you care about them. may be it take some time but i think you will success one day.

Thanks for the support! I'll never learn unless I ask questions. This forum has been by far the most responsive and informative. Just by the answers I have recieved, I can see all the experience. Who better to learn from? Please bare with me.

rhino wrote:Turned on the lights this morning to a shock. It looked like the skin was peeling off my pleco. As I watched it just started dissappearing. He seemed fine and now looks great. Is this normal?

It may have scratched itself against something sharp, which is why you probably saw the whitish skin.

is there any other pleco in the tank or just zebra. is there any other male? need more information on tank environment.

I posted this in another thread, but his is what my pleco looked like a few days before I saw the whiteish skin. It is now completely gone with no apparent side affects.Still eating like the pig that he is. Thanks you guys for the input.[/img]

Just a small point

Since time began these fish have been trying to hide, and their patterns have been developed or evolved with this in mind.

No offence meant, but white gravel in my mind can only stress a fish out.

If a fish is for viewing, so be it, but in my mind giving a fish as natural environment as possible is important.

IMO also more likely to breed.

Dave

i had a 235 that would get really pale when the lights were off for a long time and would be that way for a short time after the lights came back on but would turn picth black again after adjusting.

dave wrote:Just a small point

Since time began these fish have been trying to hide, and their patterns have been developed or evolved with this in mind.

No offence meant, but white gravel in my mind can only stress a fish out.

If a fish is for viewing, so be it, but in my mind giving a fish as natural environment as possible is important.

IMO also more likely to breed.

Dave

Dave, hindsight is 20/20. I agree with you and now have plans to change things around. Im just worried that changing that much would stress the fish even more than leaving things be. The aquarium was set up for small schooling fish for my children. I will definately move the plecos to another aquarium.

dave wrote: No offence meant, but white gravel in my mind can only stress a fish out.
Dave

I agree. Especially for nocturnal fish or fish coming from darker waters. They don't like the light, imagine more if they subtrate reflects the light.

I also had white gravel when I started. My clown loaches seemed to hide majority of the times and it's colors were faded. After switching over to a very dark substrate, they've been out and about often, with their colors looking really nice.

Even if I want to keep a fish for viewing pleasure, I wouldn't put bright or flourescent objects (subtrate, decor, etc.) in the tank. You would want your eyes to be drawn to the color of the fish, not the tank.

What about sand? I have the tank half and half right now. The fish seem to like the sand alot more. I'm thinking on the black CaribSea Aquarium Sand.