The colors on my otocinclus are faded, are they sick?
Most fish, when stressed out, will exhibit loss in color and appear “washed out”. This is also true with otocinclus. At the store the otocinclus may appear to have very light gray top, a thin stripe down the middle. When taken home and taken care of properly (clean water and lots of greens) you will notice that the once-gray fish turn a darker gray (sometimes even brown), and now have a thick black stripe running through the middle of their bodies. I would recommend stepping up water changes to 30%-40% twice a week, and make sure gravel is clean and the fish have plenty to eat.
