Tiger ecos losing vibrant colors.

[kwf1800kwf]

I bought 2 L397 amd 1 L306. Around 2 or 3 years ago. They were extremely colorful. Especially the 306. I house them in a tank that they are comfortable. Lots of driftwood. High flow rate. Subdued lighting.
I feed them, well, everything. Pleco disk, cucumbers amd zucchini, Bloodworms, even flakes occasionally.
They are very fat and happy little guys. Or gals.
Only thing is they are drab. Very drab. Mostly brown and darker brown. The fins have stayed somewhat impressive. But I wish I only bought 1 L397. I could be using that space for something more impressive.
Anyway I see lots of similar "species" for sale now a days. Amd they look so tempting. But I am almost thinking all tiger plecos are "scams". And they only take on the amazing colors they show in advertisements because they put them in tanks with very high lighting. No hiding places. And lighter backgrounds. And that any new ones I get will just do the same.
Now I would say well all plecos do that when in tank conditions like mine. But none of my other plecos have this issue. And I have a lot. All stay the color they are advertised as. If not increase in vibrancy. I almost cannot tell the 397 and the 306 apart. Brown with brown stripes. Not orange amd black. Not even light brown amd brown. Very little contrast.
I am almost of the opinion, that these tiger plecos are all this way. Vibrant long as they are in conditions I cannot imagine them being happy in.

So can anyone provide me with a tiger pleco type that stays vibrant?
In conditions like i described.
My L046 doesn't lose its colors. Neither do any of my gold nuggets. My Goldie genus. Non of them are losing colors. And so on with any of the 25 or so L numbers I have.

I was considering "candy striped" tiger pleco. I think it's L398. But not certain.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[L-ko]

Hello,

“You are very fat…”
This sounds like she could be overfed and sick.

Young catfishes actually always look better in color than older ones.
Older Panaqolus in particular have a lot of odontodes, which means they no longer appear as colorful.

It's easy to always use the most beautiful catishes for advertising, and often these are just individual specimens that look so spectacular.

The Tiger Panaqolus are all very similar. It is very difficult/impossible to distinguish if you don't know where they were caught.

Hypancistrus zebra (L46) are only black and white and also with age the straight stripes turn into crooked lines.

Greetings
Elko

 

[kwf1800kwf]

Hello! I appreciate the comments and insight.
When I said fat and happy. I meant they are fed well. No sucked in stomachs. No skin conditions or illnesses. No bloating. I have seen bloating. And it looks like they go from normal to looking fully gravid in a day.
I don't think that is it. I feed them a wide variety. But I actually feed all my fish just enough. I already chamge water for a living it seems. Last thing I need is overfeeding fish. I definitely limit the quantity of food as much as I can without having unhappy fish.
I would say possible health problems. But all three mentioned are active. They eat. They defend their little areas. They interact with the other plecos. Hence the happy.

The 306 cost me 90. The 397s were only 40 each. Now they are tank raised. So they took very little time to acclimate. And have never given me an ounce of trouble. Which is great.
And i have several other plecos in that tank. Some wild. Some tr. All are as they should be. Only the tigers' colors are becoming undesirable.

Another reason I asked this. Is the same person who sold them to me. Has L236sw. And they are cheap. For that type. Less than 150$ each. So I emailed them. I told them the issue. And asked if the 236 might end up the same way. The ones in the pics they have are all beautiful. And the pic has at least 5 or more seperate fish in it. All look great. But so did the 306.
Has anyone ever come across L236sw that wasn't up to par?
I really want to get one. But the store didn't answer my email. So that also concerns me.

Or the candy stripe plecos? Has anyone had them? I think they are L398. But not certain. Every pic I see if them is extremely tempting. Gorgeous colors.

I guess one good thing is that genus among others, Seems to be hardy. Little panques and hypancistrus are always some of the best survivors. Well even other genus plecos are mostly hardy fish. Long as the nitrates are low and the flow is high.

I have L46. Again happy. Healthy. It hides a lot. So a peek at a piece of it every so often is all I get. But i saw its tummy couple months ago. And it looks good. It eats. But again no bloating or anything.
When you said tiger panques. Do You mean L002?
That is one I wanted but fear it may fade as well. I have seen pics of L2 going both ways. Some look great. Some don't. Same with L199 and L377. Some look great some don't.
And you said it. The one in the picture is usually the best one of dozens of them.

 

[L-ko]

Hi,

If the Panaqolus species are all in one aquarium: Are you aware that they can hybridize? Look: "Hybrids? – No, thank you!"

At least in Europe other Hypancistrus (also hybrids) are often sold als L236. Nobody can give you a guarantee. You can only trust that the dealer is honest and knows where the catfish really comes from.
The males in particular should also appear paler as they age because of the odontodes.

Nitrate is actually not a problem. What is more important is change in nitrate concentration over time. Rising values indicate insufficient water changes.
Nitrite is rather critical. Especially for the plecos, which cannot breathe through their intestines.
For many species of catfish, it is sufficient if there is a lot of oxygen in the aquarium water. A high current is one possibility for this. But not the only one.

Tiger Panaqolus - I mean group. See the link.

Greetings
Elko