grey common pleco?

KendraMc

i just bought a 5 inch Common Pleco (having had bad luck with smaller ones, i'm hoping a bigger one won't be as likely to die). i've had plecos before, and every one i've seen, from the little 2 inch ones up to the maybe 18 inch one my mom had when i was a kid, have been brownish. my new one has the same patterns but is grey rather than brown. is it still a Common Pleco, just a different color? i've never seen one like this, but i think he is rather cool looking.

i've tried to attach a few pictures of him, but he likes to hide behind the rocks and my camera doesn't really like taking pictures through the glass, but hopefully you can see enough of him to see the color.

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ElectricBlueJackDempsey

This is usually a sign that the pleco is stressed out

KendraMc

what can i do to make him less stressed? i have only had him for a few days, he has rocks to hide behind and the light is only on 9 or 10 hours a day (i know plecos prefer dark). what else can i do?

ElectricBlueJackDempsey

Its probably the process of him moving from one tank to another. I would give it a couple days and it will most likely fade

KendraMc

it is kind of a shame if his color is stress related, i think it looks better than the normal brown color.

ElectricBlueJackDempsey

Whats the tank size and tank mates?

KendraMc

2 swordtails and 5 tiger barbs. the tank is a 29 gallon, which i know won't hold the pleco for long, but within a year i'm going to be getting a bigger tank to put him in.at his current size (five inches) he isn't cramped at all.

Jakiebabie

Have you tried to feed him Algae Disks? They drop to the bottom and they can smell them and usually come to feed on them in a few minutes after they are dropped in. Even dropping one in a couple of inches in front of it, way in the back of the tank, to see if it moves forward to eat, or is interested in eating. Good luck.

KendraMc

he seems to be eating, the algae that had been in my tank is decreasing. but i have been planning on getting some disks for him next time i'm near the store. i'm also going to get some cucumber for him.

KendraMc

so, it has been a few weeks and the pleco is still rather grey. i've been giving him algae disks, which i'm hoping he is getting though i can't be sure it isn't my other fish. he does not seem to be stressed, so is it possible he is just a non-standard color?