ID pleco

[tmmorg]

Hi, bought this plec as an inspector. However, its spots are more yellow than white and it doesn't seem to match any pics online. Any ideas? (I know in the pic they look
Thanks very much in advance.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/831/img3533b.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/214/img3536p.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/img3540ev.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/img3547p.jpg/

[Martin S]

It does look a bit like a Hypancistrus, but that's not one that looks familiar. I think a shot of the mouth (from underneath) would help at least confirm the species.
HTH
Martin

[MatsP]

I'm not so sure it is a Hypancistrus. The pattern on the tail looks different from everything I know of.

Clear pictures from the side and above, and a mouth shot, would be good. You may need to catch the fish and keep it on a small bowl or some such for a little while to get good pictures.

--
Mats

[tmmorg]

Thanks for the info. Will try and get some more pics. The last pic I posted gives the true colours- yellow spots and a grey base. Will post more soon.

[tmmorg]

Hi, here are more pics. Can try catching him and puttin him in a bowl if these aren't clear. Only got him a couple of days ago so don't want to stress him out atm if I can avoid it. Thanks again.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7593/img3559j.jpg
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5773/img3560c.jpg
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1029/img3561ll.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/6319/img3566y.jpg
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5166/img3569o.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2131/img3572j.jpg
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8048/img3573d.jpg
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2298/img3575j.jpg

[MatsP]

Mouth confirms it's Hypancistrus. Not sure what species. Eye-position being fairly "upwards" (rather than "to the side") seems to say that it's a Rio Orinoco drainage fish.

Do you know anything about where it came from: breeder or wild caught? If it's wild, where from? Export country would be good, which river would be even better...

--
Mats

[tmmorg]

Fraid not. Got it from a maidenhead aquatics near blackpool so could get in touch and see if they know anything. It was in a tank with others marked as inspector but this looked different. Which is why I took a punt on him.

Where does the plec you thought it was come from? Not heard of a drainage fish before but them I'm very new to this.

Thanks ever so much for your help,

Tom.

[MatsP]

Drainage here doesn't mean "ditch along the farmers field", but the "rivers that join the common big river of" (in this case Rio Orinoco, which flows along the border of Colombia and Venezuela and then through Venezuela out into the Caribean Sea).

I was more looking to "divide and conquer" - that is, if we know where it's from, the ones that aren't in the right area can be ruled out.

I also think there is a good possibility that if it was a biscuit, it would go in the "misshapes" bucket, in the sense that it's possibly one that should have spots, but for some reason, they have joined together into squiggles and lines.

But if you can ask the shop where the "odd one" came from, they may be able to give a bit more insight...

--
Mats

[drpleco]

I'd probably want to rule out L048 or other b&w scobiancustrus, before saying it's a sure hypan. At that size, it would make sense that the spots aren't fully defined yet.

[Yann]

Hi!!

It has all the sign of an Hypancistrus hybrid!!

Dots on the body, with some making lines
Lines in the fins...
one parent had spots the other had lines
Hypancistrus with spots on the body have spots in the fins
Hypancistrus with lines on the body have lines in the fins

Yours is unfortunately 100% hybrids even if he does look nice
Sorry
Cheers
Yann

[tmmorg]

A hybrid hey, that's interesting. Is that a bad thing? Presumably it's not as sought after as a pure plec? Will its requirements likely be the same? (as an inspector or other hypancistrus?)

If the spots aren't fully defined yet how quickly will they become so? Or is it a size rather than time thing?

Thanks again all,
plenty of food for thought.

[Suckermouth]

A hybrid hey, that's interesting. Is that a bad thing? Presumably it's not as sought after as a pure plec? Will its requirements likely be the same? (as an inspector or other hypancistrus?)

If the spots aren't fully defined yet how quickly will they become so? Or is it a size rather than time thing?

Thanks again all,
plenty of food for thought.

The care should be similar to contradens, this fish doesn't look like inspector.

[MatsP]

Hybrid means that it's a cross between two different species, which is bad from the perspective that we don't really want people to breed different species together.

As long as you don't plan to breed them, for your keeping of the fish, is not really a problem.

--
Mats

[HaakonH]

If it's wild caught and was imported from South America together with the real H.inspector, which would be odd given the ban and current rareness of this species, this could be a variety of L136. It occurs in the Rio Negro area like H.inspector (L102). L136 are known to vary quite a bit in their pattern. I would however not exclude the possibility of this being a crossbreed.

Haakon

[pleco22]

Hi,
I have seen some L 129 x H. contradens hybrids. They really look like your fish. This could happen, but should not. Just keep him well and avoid further crossbreeding. And please keep in mind, that buying the strangest marking fish out of 10 could always lead to problems. (or to l 236, just joking