Spawn from my L184 (I think).

[Barbie]

I've been watching my female L184 fill up with eggs until her skin looked like it might split, before they finally got it figured out and spawned. The male kicked out the egg ball, but took back the portion I returned to his cave, no problem. I kept one half in a fry condo so I could watch the development. I have 20 happily wiggling now and developing nicely. The male has a good number in with him, also. These guys got cold when shipped and I ended up with only one female and 2 males surviving. This is a picture of the bachelor male. Hopefully the fry will thrive and grow like regular Ancistrus.



I did put them through a rainy season, but it was almost 2 full weeks and 2 regular water changes later that they spawned. The current conditions in the tank are 80 degrees, TDS of 180, and a pH of 7.6.

I purchased them as L184, but I'm still not positive they match the fish shown everywhere, unless those pics are just juveniles. These fish seem to have heads that are a bit wider and they're at least 4.5" SL right now.

Barbie

[pleco_breeder]

Hello,

I wasn't sure of the ID last night, and even moreso now. Most all L184 spawns I've read about were in quite acidic, 6.0, water and the breeders were larger than the 4 1/2 inch you quoted last night. It is not unheard of for a blackwater species to spawn in high pH as was happening with my L183 for some time. However, this is the exception to the rule. As soon as the fry start showing color pattern, I would be interested in a photo to assist with ID. I do have a "back-up" guess, but want to see fry before resorting to that.

It may also help to know that I know of an exporter that was intentionally mis-labeling these fish for sales reasons last fall, and shipping from Belem. If it turns out that they came from that source, I do know the accurate ID.

At the same time, the fact that they did spawn in reasonably simple water conditions, and the fact that they are gorgeous, makes me want them all the more regardless of their species.

Larry Vires

[Barbie]

The male that has the eggs is actually prettier than this one, but he fades out something terrible if I shine the light in there to take a picture and it's way more important to me that I get fry than that I get pictures at this point ;). These are the second blackwater type ancistrus species that I've had spawns that were viable from in higher pH. The first one was some fish I bought as L183 that weren't. A simple rainy season inspired a spawn that hatched and was doing great. I got busy and they were released in the tank and the Apistos and Tatia made short work of them though. They are high on my list to get a repeat performance from. They have the L183 patterning, yet had viable fry from my tap water. What could be better!?!? ;)

The L184 were transshipped in. I'll see what I can do about getting collection information but don't hold out hope ;).

Barbie

[apistomaster]

Hi Barbie,
Congratulations on another first for you. I could come to like this species so I hope you have continued success.
Really pretty Ancistrus species aren't all that nummerous.
Larry Waybright

[Barbie]

For the latest note of strangeness from this spawn, I'd noticed the male had been looking faded as he cared for the eggs, but I've pretty much left him alone to tend the fry. Imagine my surprise when I got out the flashlight last night to find this!



Now I've had males fade out before, but this is taking it to whole new levels! If you look, you can see the dark smudges up by his bristles that are fry, and you can also see the white spots on his body. The fry are almost finished absorbing their yolk sacs. I'll keep the thread updated once I can get a picture or two of the fry.

Barbie

[Shane]

Barbie,
These would be great pics to post showing how radically many loricariids can change their coloration. I have long thought it would be a fun article to write. It would also be interesting to take pics of various loricariids placed on different substrates (say white, gray, and black) to show the changes.
-Shane

[Barbie]

Shane if you want to write it, I'll take any pictures you want! This guy is definitely taking the idea to extremes. They had the choice of a slate cave and a round pottery hut and chose this taco to spawn in. Obviously something about it makes him feel like he needs to adjust his coloration ;).

Barbie

[tzwms]

Morning Barbie,
I was wondering if you could provide the details of how you simulated a 2 week rainy season.

thanks,

"I did put them through a rainy season, but it was almost 2 full weeks and 2 regular water changes later that they spawned. The current conditions in the tank are 80 degrees, TDS of 180, and a pH of 7.6."

[apistomaster]

I don't think it as simple as simulating the rainy season or Barbie's "recipe."
She has an unnaturally wet thumb when it comes to breeding plecos. I suspect she practices pleco voodoo.
We have similar water and are only 100 miles apart. I have tried for almost two years to breed a pleco other than Ancistrus sp. 3 and only have had success with Sturisoma. I only have groups of about ten species of Hypancistrus and Peckoltia. Most of which are on her list of "been there and done that."

Seriously, this is interesting how different and washed out the colors are on the brood male. Most fish seem to show their most intense colors when breeding. just shows how different even closely related fish can be from one another.

Hi to Larry V.

[Birger]

tzwms,check out
http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... cle_id=244
this is by Larry Vires, it has a understandable explanation

[apistomaster]

I know of and have read the good articles but some of us, like me, seem to lack the touch.

I can spawn many fish just fine but the Plecos haven't been one of them but sometimes one has to just pay your dues and I think that is where I am at with the wild plecos.

[Barbie]

The rainy seasons I do are usually 4-5 days, with a 30-50% water change daily with cool RO water to stimulate them to spawn. The fluctuation of the hardness of the water and the cooling make the females very active if they are already in good condition. It's not a two week rainy season, it was just 2 weeks AFTER a rainy season and they'd had changes with regular, harder tap water and then they spawned. I've had a few fish that don't necessarily spawn when they're "projected" to after or during the rains, but it definitely does seem to turn something on in them to start the reproduction going.

And I don't know about a green thumb. I think it has more to do with having so many that I just greatly increased the odds that something would spawn eventually ;). That and I've become more brave over time about causing larger fluctuations than I ever would have considered possible even a few years before.

On a side note, these fish have spawned again for a 3rd time. The male kicked the egg mass out and I lost all but 2 of the fry by the time the eggs finally hatched. I'm not sure they were properly fertilized, and if they were, they might have lacked aeration for too long before I found them. He hasn't been having a large percentage of his spawns survive, so I'll be separating him from the A. claro in the coming weeks and trying much softer water. If they're like any other blackwater ancistrus, it should drastically help. The fry from the first batch are already over an inch SL and growing nicely with great color. The male is still white as can be, even when I shake him out of his tube to look at him, his color doesn't change back to dark. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen with a bristlenose. If I hadn't watched the fading out taking place, I'd swear someone switched fish with me, to be honest. Well, if anyone would be brave enough to sneak past the mastiff to try .

Barbie