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I have a starlight bristlenose pleco. I've had her since May and she's done fine, even over an outbreak of ICH and treatment with salt..all the fish did fine, and that's been over for a good 6 weeks..maybe more. I noticed she wasn't as active a couple of days ago, and her color was really dark. the next day I noticed a whitish area on the top of her back in front of the fin on her back. Last night I had to look and look for her, and found her hiding in a smalish cave I built for my loaches, with her tail sticking out. I moved the driftwood, and the area on her back was bigger, and looked like a sore. I carefully removed her to a quarentine tank I have set up and running. I don't net..I use a squarish clear container and put in front of the fish and trap, so as to try to minimuize the trauma of catching them. So she's in there. I've not some anything..I do have plants and a piece of driftwood there for her too...quieter than the regular tank. I have done nothing so far...do I need to add any meds of anything? Her coloring looks back to normal, but I can still see this abraided or raw area on her back, maybe 1/2" long.

My tank she is usually in is as follows:
55 gallon tank
Filstar XP2 filter
sand/Fluorite substrate and lots of plants, and driftwood.
Fish:
3 Pearl gouramis
7 harlequin rasboras
5 otos
3 clown loaches
3 kuhli loaches
4 bosemani rainbows...
and usually the pleco.

She usually rules the bottom/back of the tank...chases everyone away from her chosen area and food. The loaches aren't too intimidated, becasue they come back and steal it anyway. I feed algae wafers,sinking pellets, zuchini and peas for my bottom feeders. I am usually generous so that all the bottom feeders get plenty. The clowns are pigs and I try to have enough so the slower kuhlies and the pleco get plenty too.

My pH is 8ish, hardness very high. Ammonia and nitrates usually 0, but I got myself into trouble a couple pf weeks ago when I decided I was tired of the hornwort and tossed it out. Apparently this was buffering things, as my nitrate (or was it nitrite) went up to 1.5. and i have algae..all kinds..hair, green spot..beard. Not the whole tankfull, enough. I cut back on all the ferts and additives, and am only dosing Flourish Excel right now, and have cut back on amounts fed...I probably overfed if anything. Water temp is 80. I have also added the hornwort back in..had to buy some off ebay and wait to get it shipped. I also have low lights..plants are val,corkscrew val, amazon sword and several variants of java fern, and an african fern. I do about a 45-50 % water change weekly.

Any more info needed...any suggestions?
Do I need to add any meds? Or just wait?
What might have caused this? Poor water quality? Pleco injuring herself? Someone hurting her?

She's still not doing well. She is hanging on the back wall of the q-tank and ignoring her favorite algae wafers. SHe may have nibbled a little zuchini but not much...since Monday. The area on her back is no longer white and appears smaller.
Does anyone know why she's not eating? Any ideas to tempt her appetite? I'm afraid she won't get well if she doesnt eat.

You could try soaking the zucchini in tank water with a little bit of crushed garlic, then offer it to her. It's supposed to stimulate the appetite. Just a thought, sorry I don't have more to offer... I hope she gets better for you!

Are you sure your Nitrates (NO3) are 0 ? That would indicate you are either doing very regular large water changes, your biological filtration isnt working, or your test kit is faulty / old.

There should be some measurable Nitrate as your bioloigical filtration converts Nitrite to Nitrate, takes a very heavilly planted tank to use up all the nitrate and not leave a measurable level behind.

I ask because if your Nitrate levels are higher than you realise this could cause problems in some fish. (Im not sure if it does in BN cats) and can 'put them off their food'.

Sometimes raising the temperature a little may encourage a fish to start eating again.

Good Luck