I cant find anything on my guy please help!!

[Tropical]

Closest I have come is that its a spotted albinus rubbernose pleco except a white spot morph that has not been documented before! Ive searched everywhere and cannot find anything quite like it!

Thoughts anybody? There is little to no information on albinus rubber plecos as it is so as much info with my id re its origins and background would be great!

Its is one of my first ever fish that I bout last weekend sold to me as a dwarf albino Cory for £2.99! Now I don't know what I am dealing with (though I am already in love and will keep no matter what) hes caused me too much hard work and sleepless nights!

Hope someone can help me asap so I can sleep tonight!

Thanks!

[Silurus]

It looks like a female

Ancistrus cf_cirrhosus

to me, rather than a Chaetostoma.

[Tropical]

Thanks for the reply! That was my original thought :\ but if it is a bristlenose she would be an albino. Its no albino bristlenose that's for sure as a. She has black eyes (could be L144 at this point) eexcept B.bristlenose albinos are yellow not white and c. I cant find a single documented case of a spotted albino or even a white on white spotted pleco? Mine you may not be able to see is spotted on all fins aswell.

[Jay1]

Plecos have a strange ability to colour morph, have a look at this thread... http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =5&t=35868

Could be your fish is doing something similar to this (notice the black eyes on pic 3). My friend now keeps the L7 pictured on the above thread and for 18 months or so she's been back to her original colouration, pure black with white spots.

[CoryfanAad]

It's a leucistic Ancistrus cf Cirrhosus to me. Not a L144, which have blue eyes.

[Tropical]

Thanks Jay1 that was a really interesting read! And something I didn't know about! Its possible but he was sold as an albino so must have been these colours at least a month without change I don't know if they stay that way for that long? Time will tell I suppose!

CoryfanAad- I thought a leucistic ancistrus was an albino bristlenose? Which this isn't albinism given the case above but its interesting you said as leucism and albinism are actually different one being white other being yellow with red eyes. So maybe I have a genuine leucistic common spotted bristlenose?! Strange that as far as I can tell no one has ever come across and submitted photos to the internet before!

[MatsP]

It is

Ancistrus sp(4)

if it has black, blue or brown eyes - people call them different things depending on lighting conditions, personal opinion - typically incorrectly called L144, but there is no trace of the L144 since many years back - probably around 1995-1997 was the last record of a true L144. If it has red eyes, it is the albino variant,

Ancistrus_cf_cirrhosus

.

--
Mats

[Tropical]

Thanks for posting a reply so soon Mat! That's just it though, I don't think it is the "new" L144/sp4 as despite their eye colour have albinism yellow colouration and are not spotted! This is distinctly white! Is it possible that by genetic mutation this is a common bristlenose pleco with leucism?

[MatsP]

Yes, possible. I think that's been seen before.

--
Mats