Bushy nose pleco ?

When I found bushy nose pleco's at my LFS I decided to get one to replace my common pleco. I told the guy to get me one and didn't pay attention to the one he captured and bagged. In the bag it looked dark and had small spots, now that it has been in my aquarium for about three week's it has been pale and blotchy. I thought initially it was just stressed and became pale and skittish, but it's color's really haven't changed much since, although it has become less skittish and ventures out more freely now.

I also believe I have a female because the bristles only protrude around the ridge of it's nose and I have been told females typically have less bristles. I went back to the LFS and the ones they had remaining all looked like mine when I bought it, but they had really bushy noses, so they were probably males...

http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm.php?article_id=112

People say bushy nose plecos are ugly, but I feel mine is extra ugly. I keep hoping it will regain it's colors, but I am loosing hope as the weeks pass. I am also disappointed that I got a female as I would have preferred a male for the extra tentacles.. I guess that teaches me to pay more attention when I am getting fish. :icon_cry:

Anyways I will quite ranting and bitching about my bushy nose, but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem. I am sure it isn't my tank since my other 21 fish are thriving and brilliantly colored.

I was also wondering if my much larger common could be causing my bushy nose to be stressed. I haven't observed any aggression, but my common will occasionally push the bushy nose around, but pretty rarely. Is it possible my common is a male and he is trying to mate with the bushy nose?